When I was in high school I decided to start a new family tradition. I wasn’t sure if I had the authority to do this, but I did.
I went to Oneida High School but was friends with a lot of kids from Stockbridge. One of these friends was John Czajkowski. John’s parents, two math teachers in the Stockbridge Valley School District own a house that I knew how to get to because you just went past Marble Hill Inn until you could no longer go “up.” In the winter it was easy because there were signs directing us right to it. Signs from almost anywhere in Oneida. They own Czajkowski Tree Farm. I didn’t really think anything of it except its one of the best places to go sledding in the winter and John had us over all the time.
In December the year I met John or the following year we were looking for a Christmas tree. Normally, we search local parking lots for our live tree, but with 13-foot ceilings in my parents’ living room, this could get costly. A tree that size sometimes cost my dad $80. I remember suggesting that we check out the Czajkowski’s and see if we could find a nice tree at a better deal. I had only been there in the dark so I didn’t know at the time that it was a U-cut endeavor. After church one Sunday, my parents, siblings and I drove up there only to realize that we were not dressed for the occasion. But we trampled through the snow and found a perfect tree. John’s dad helped us haul the tree back to our car and my dad went to pay. At the time, the tree cost only $25 (since then the price has been raised a whole dollar to a whopping $26).
I loved the whole experience and told my dad that every year after that we were going to dress warm and pick out and cut down our tree. Last year, I introduced my then-fiancé (a former artificial-treer) to the tradition. He was given the great honor of cutting down my parents’ tree.
This year, we have our own apartment and thus, our own tree. It was very exciting for me last Saturday as we drove away with two trees from Czajkowski’s-one for us and one for my parents. My 6-year-old stepson was here for this year’s adventure and he couldn’t stop talking about how it might have the best day of his life. I think part of that came from the tractor ride and the free candy cane upon our departure.
The point of all this is if you are looking for a new family tradition, selecting and cutting down a Christmas tree at the Czajkowski’s is one way to have more fun at a lower price than perusing a parking lot. Nothing makes you feel more Christmasy that traipsing through rows of trees in all your winter garb while holiday music plays in the background to find the perfect Christmas centerpiece.
If you’re still not convinced, check out the front page for all the benefits of buying a local, fresh cut tree this year.
