Tree Traditions…with a Toddler

Mt. Hood from Lolo Pass Road

Remember last time?
[A Wild Christmas Tree Grows in Oregon: New Traditions for Our Little Family]

Well, here I am, reporting back. Another year, another Christmas tree, another holiday season…and this time, a babyOregonian who graduated to toddlerhood.

A year ago December:

…bundling up the 2.73 month old and venturing into Oregon’s Mt. Hood National Forest to cut down a wild Christmas tree…

And the final paragraph from that post:

I don’t want to be too confident, but I’d say we found the recipe for our new version of holiday cheer. Though, spoken as an ever-learning parent, I’d also say check in next year to see how it actually pans out…with a toddler.

 

So, how did it go?

A few sames:
-Pit stop at Ace Hardware in Sandy for the Christmas Tree Pass
-Warmly bundled in our favorite Icebreaker gear (see Lucie’s awesome baby base layers! I found them at the Icebreaker warehouse sale in November and couldn’t even wait until Christmas to give them to her)
-Trusty hand saw, emergency water, etc.
-A trip up Lolo Pass Road in Mt. Hood National Forest

A few differents:
-Lucie awake (and not screaming in the car seat)
-In lieu of hot cocoa: 73% Jabobsen Pinot Noir Salt chocolate bar by Portland’s Pitch Dark Chocolate
-Skipped borrowing a pickup and attempted the errand in our little Toyota Corolla (we looked pretty silly next to the pickups and Hummers…yes, you read that right…but we did alright on the muddy, icy roads and the trunk somehow accommodated the tree)
-A little less snow and a few more silly selfies

Ta-da! The finished scene from our very special Christmas in our own home! We’d rented since marrying in 2006, and after spending 2012 hopping from hotel to hostel to guest-home on our adventure around the world, we returned to Oregon to work toward the goal of our own little house. Words can’t say how thankful we are for the blessings of 2014.

Bonus: A Peacock Lane Reprise.

Last year we took Lucie to walk up and down SE Portland’s cherished street of glowing lights then devoured Papa Haydn desserts while she slept quietly in her carrier below the table. This year, no restaurant (toddler bedtime called!), but plenty of gleeful smiles (and an unpictured run-in with a corgi convention).

There were no Christmas cards mailed from us this year, but this little picture went out to friends, and I share it here with you, too, as a friendly wave hello and a thanks for keeping in touch with our little life in this corner of the world.

It’s been very quiet on the digital front for the past season of life. Living in real-time and being fully present in the many moments here on the ground in Oregon has been an all-consuming effort, but I may have a few beautiful photo collections and updates up my sleeve, and the New Year smacks of promise.

xx
Bethany, Ted & Lucie

Footnotes:

• Mt. Hood National Forest Permits Page: details on sourcing Oregon Christmas trees in the wild.
• 73% Jacobsen Pinot Noir Salt Bar from Pitchdark Chocolate.
• Icebreaker Baby Gear: Kids Oasis Long Sleeve Crew & Oasis Leggings
• Peacock Lane: much-(over?)hyped, but I love it better than trying to sit through another dreadful watching of White Christmas.
• Keep up with more frequent little life updates on Instagram @bethanyrydmark