A little song, a little dance a little seltzer down your pants

In between the work and school schedules and volunteer commit-
ments and this year marathon completing and editing of college applications (9 all together + auditions, ugh) and just stuff to do we always make time as a family to go hunting for the Christmas tree. For most years since before the kids were here we would venture out to the tree farm to find the lucking (or not so lucky I guess if you're the tree) tree.

Many years ago we have found tree farms that let you pick the tree in August when you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt and add enough distinct decorations to be able to find it again in December when it is often cover with snow. That was the greatest.

More recently it has been trekking up and down windblown hills often in a foot of snow making it difficult to visualize the size and gaps. Looking at hundreds of trees up and down hills it can become a little stimulation overload. This year however there was no snow and the temperature cold but not bitter and bright and sunny as we ventured out to the Seekonk tree farm in Great Barrington. We had success there a few years back and it is only a half hour from home. The view here is great with Monument Mountain in the near distance.

We usually have a good time at it. The Christmas carols in the car, kids and parents sometimes dancing and running around the aisle of trees. (Though often it is mom and dad who have to maintain the more serious tone to get the deed done). When the consensus or near consensus is complete then comes the task of sawing it down. A task I gladly yielded to my oldest a few years back when it was clear he was fine crawling under the tree in the soft snow and frankly I've done it enough that the novelty is gone.

Then we drag it to the checkout shed and the shaker where they shake out all the wildlife (we have actually had mice escape in the house from a tree that wasn't shaken), bind it up and attach it to the car. Another year of a fun tradition.

So what's about the title here? It's a fun line that just came to me as we were doing a jig and a song at the tree farm . It's a line from an old Mary Tyler Moore show about a TV clown (Chuckles) who was dressed as Peter Peanut in a parade and a rogue elephant tried to shell him. This was his trade mark line and makes me smile and it just fit the mood.