Finding the Perfect Tree -- A Visit to Elizabeth Farms

Because of the confusion that often follows Thanksgiving (work, hunting, etc.), we really like to try to get our tree as soon as possible so that we have enough time to enjoy it prior to the Christmas festivities. Several years ago Les found a quaint little Christmas tree farm, and we have gone back there year after year, despite weird weather and other "it-could-only-happen-to-us" mishaps.

When I say "quaint", I really mean that it's kind of old-fashioned, and it really is not little by any means. The farm is called "Elizabeth Farms", located in Brickerville, Pennsylvania, which is in Lancaster County just north of the historic town of Lititz. Elizabeth Farms is considered Lancaster County's largest tree farm. You can check out their website at: http://elizabethfarms.com/. Let me just say that seeking our tree at Elizabeth Farms has become one of my favorite holiday traditions.

When you arrive, you gather your tree tag and, depending on what type of tree you're seeking, you either ride in a tractor-pulled wagon or a horse-drawn wagon to a field of Christmas trees where you select and then cut down your very own tree. We usually purchase a Douglas fir, so we've always had the pleasure of riding in a horse-drawn wagon out to the fields. This year we were carted along a wooded path, past a small pond and across a tiny flowing creek.  If you are not the tree-cutting type, Elizabeth Farms also has pre-cut trees ready to go. No need to cut, and you still get to enjoy the ambiance of the farm!

This year we trudged up and down, searching for the perfect tree. Our 14 year-old son, ZJ, had the honor of cutting down the tree (although for pictures everyone took a turn!). After your tree is cut, you drag it to a tractor path where it is then tagged and taken back to the wagons.




Once your tree is loaded, you re-board the wagon with your tree and are taken back to the main barn where the tree is measured (our 2010 tree was 9 1/2 feet tall! it probably weighed about 200 lbs too!) and wrapped. While we were waiting, we went into the gift shop to get warm, enjoying complimentary hot cocoa, complete with peppermint stirring stick (a/k/a candy canes!). This year in addition to normal Christmas offerings such as ornaments and garlands, there was also Wilbur chocolate, which is made right in Lititz! It's great to support local businesses!!!

A bonus the last two years, Santa has a little workshop at the farm, and your littles can divulge their Christmas wishes. You can opt to purchase a photo (and it's less crowded than at the mall). This year as a gift for me, all six kiddies kindly posed for a picture together. I was happy about that, as my oldest is 15 and might be more reluctant in the future. There was also music playing to add to the festive cheer, and one of the department stores set up quite a nice display, with moving figures shown celebrating the season. The employees are friendly and helpful. Overall, the whole day had an "old-fashioned family fun" kind of feel, which can be very appealing during the whole hectic pace of the holiday season.

If you're getting a live tree to trim for Christmas, I highly recommend Elizabeth Farms -- it might become your family tradition also!

Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement and I am not employed by this company. This is my personal opinion and others may have different experiences, but I like to promote the places that offer great service or are pleasant. If you find anything objectionable about my opinion, you are welcome to send a private e-mail for my consideration. Thanks!

A Date-Night Thought

My husband, Les, and I were out on a date last night. Let me just take a second to stress that this should be a priority in any marriage. It is for us -- I mean, when you have six children constantly vying for your thoughts and your attention, it is especially important to place major focus on your marriage...Otherwise, when the nest is finally empty what do you have in common anymore if you've ceased growing together? In our house, date nights are sometimes as frequent as a few times a week, or could be something that ends up happening only once a month. Last night we went to Barnes & Noble on Fruitville Pike in Lancaster. It's my home-away-from-home...I mean, my car can almost navigate there by itself!
When we first got there it was pretty crowded. We probably wandered around the store a good 20 minutes or so before we were able to find a table! Les got his usual -- a java chip frappuccino with whipped cream -- and I had a cafe vanilla frappuccino with whipped cream and, because I wanted to indulge a little, asked the barista to drizzle that with chocolate. It was really great, not at all overpowering like a syrupy chocolate can be if there's too much. I have no complaints about the service. The baristas there are very helpful and friendly, and good service is an important asset in my book. The lost art of customer service in many businesses has irked me for a while now, and I am thankful that at least my favorite go-to spot is full of friendly staff who do what they can to make your visit pleasant.

Back to my date...Les and I had a great time looking at the latest in fiction and non-fiction best-sellers, which always leads to great discussions of politics, religion or what-have-you based on the current offerings. And we talked about travel. And our plans for 2011 after the (for us) disastrous year of 2010. Somehow we got on our long-term goals. One day my goal is to own and operate a bed & breakfast inn, and thankfully Les supports me in this, so talk gravitated toward trying to visit one or two next year as nice little marital getaways -- you know, sans kiddies! It was then that Les got this idea that I write really well, and that if anyone cared to read what we wrote, we should review the places we go. I posed that thanks to technology we could do it via a blog...so it'd be a combination journal and promote (or not) some of the spots we find.

Well, loving to go to begin with, and enjoying writing about places I love or warning people about places I don't, I figured it was a pretty great idea...and one that might garner me more nights out than normal!

So here's our newest blog, A Couple of Thoughts, where either Les or I -- or maybe both of us on occassion -- will take time to let you know where we've been and what we liked, or didn't like, about the places we've visited. This time of year entertainment abounds in all kinds of venues, and we will likely spend our time and dollars on a mix of entertainment that is family-friendly though future outings will be geared toward couples only.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for us...Right now our focus will likely be in and around Lancaster County, PA, but we will broaden our horizons as time and weather permit.