Hunting the perfect Christmas tree

Last weekend we set out to find our Christmas tree.  We headed out to a small Christmas tree farm in West Pawlet where we would meet Margot and Alex, whose pick up would be ferrying the trees home.
While it seemed odd, and not at all Christmas-y, the warm, dry weather made searching for just the right
tree much easier than years past when dragging it through the snow to the waiting truck ensured that puddles of water would enhance the floor beneath it as the snow-filled branches melted in the house.

Jill and her friend Eily lead the way toward some likely looking specimens.

Jill, looking distressed, raises a gnarled claw
in the direction of a possible candidate....
Eily looks skeptical.

We have a winner.  Everyone agrees, it's "The One".

First, Dan decides to take a nap while I yank it
out of the ground.  

Here Jill attempts to play it, trumpet-style, but gets poor results.  She decides
a better idea would be to count its rings.  It appears to be 12 years old.

Margot uses an unusual technique to determine the soundness of
her chosen tree.

Like Father, like Daughter... Margot decides to nap under her tree too.
Alex, not quite as strong as me, needs a little help from Eily
to wrest it from the ground.

Here is our tree in its new home, looking lovely.
A very good Christmas tree for our first Christmas in Vermont!