I will always be a real tree kind of guy, and I like to support local businesses and growers when we buy our Christmas tree each year. Getting a painted tree from Home Depot that maybe came from North Carolina isn’t my idea of a good deal. As they say, it costs money because it saves money – or something like that…

I’ve mentioned them here before, but Lilydale Garden Center has been my local favorite ever since we moved into this house eight years ago. The staff is great and they always have a good selection – all year long, really.

We’ve had smaller trees the past few years, so we decided to go big this year. This 10-foot Canaan Fir needed to be clipped on top in order to fit in our living room. I also need to head to Target to buy new lights – pretty sure I don’t have enough to cover a tree this big.

Best. Tree. Ever.