Family Christmas Tree Shopping with Chevrolet

This post is in partnership with Chevrolet who graciously allowed us to test drive a vehicle and help with travel expenses, all opinions are mine. 

Last weekend we kicked off December with the most Minnesota wintery thing you could possibly do- we went to the tree farm to pick out a Christmas tree. We’d never been to Hansen Tree Farm (in Ramsey, MN) but I would definitely recommend it. They have so much to do there, plus a wide variety of beautiful Christmas trees. I was also fortunate enough to partner up with Chevrolet and test out one of their brand new 2019 Chevrolet Silverados. (I know, my husband was in absolute heaven.) The truck was absolutely beautiful, and we had fun playing around with all the fun features on the way to the tree farm.

Some of my favorite highlights from the truck include:

• Blind spot indicator
• Apple CarPlay
• Heated/cooled seats
• Automatic drop down running boards
• Tons of space in the back seat

Obviously though, the trip was about more than the truck! But let me tell you, that definitely made it that much sweeter.

Anyways, once we arrived at Hansen Tree Farm, we were given a handsaw and a map and were told to have fun! That seemed doable 🙂 We knew we wanted to pick out a fuller Frasier Fir, so off to follow the signs and find the perfect Christmas tree. Little Miss said, “I want to stay in the car.” So that’s fun that we’re at THAT age already… but I think it was mostly because she had caught a little bug at school and wasn’t feeling 100%. That’s what I’m going with anyways. So me and hubby took off into the snow to find our tree while she watched Paw Patrol in the truck (and honestly, that could be why she wanted to stay in the truck in the first place – lol, we will never know.)

I had a tough time choosing between all the trees, they were all so beautiful! I kept deciding on one, and then when Tyler went to cut it down, I changed my mind back to the other one. He loves me, I’m sure he does… Ultimately I narrowed it down to two and he had the final say. That seems like a good way to make a decision these days!

Below is a selfie of me standing by one of the trees that I was considering and in the background, Tyler looks completely enthused with my indecisiveness… haha!

After we got the tree back to the truck (and our daughter welcoming us by mostly not even noticing we’d been gone), we loaded up the tree and it fit like a charm! Little Miss insisted that we put the tree on TOP of the truck like everyone else was doing, but luckily we didn’t have to worry about all that. It was pretty dang nice to have a pickup truck that day!

Once the Christmas Tree was all taken care of, we brought it to the front of the farm to be shaken and wrapped. While they were taking care of that, they had delicious hot cocoa, cider, coffee and Christmas sausage inside the warm cabin. They serve this complimentary with your experience, so it’s all inclusive which is nice.

Outside, they had a little log playhouse that the kids were enjoying next to a big fire pit for everyone to warm up by. Tell you what, the campfire in the midst of the crisp winter air smelled so good, I think it’s got to be one of my favorite smells!

The tree farm also offered hay rides around the tree farm as well (also complimentary) if you wanted to tour their property. I thought it’d be a fun adventure, and the rest of the family didn’t argue so off we went! It was so much fun, and so neat to just take a little snow-filled ride through the trees. If you go there, definitely hop on for a ride. It’s not long (maybe 10-15 minutes?) and it’s really pretty neat.

Before we knew it, it started snowing pretty heavy and the winter storm that the news had been predicting was suddenly upon us. We took that as our cue to head out and get home to decorate the tree. It was a wonderful family experience there, and it made for some fun memories. My husband loved it so much he wants to go back next year and make it an annual thing. I’m game 🙂

What types of traditions do you have around Christmas time with your family? I’d love to hear in the comments!

And before I let you go, I wanted to share 9 tips from Chevy on how to safely chop and transport your tree this holiday season.

Chevy Holiday Tree Chopping & Transporting Tips

1. Be prepared: Always make sure to measure the space in your home so you know exactly what size tree will fit as you pick one out.  Don’t forget to leave enough room for the tree topper!
2. Stay warm: Bundle up, wear boots and bring a pair of gloves to make sure you stay warm when chopping down your tree. Whether it’s snowing or wet outside, be sure to bring a piece of cardboard to kneel on while you cut your tree down.
3. Choose Wisely: Most tree farms have a lot of options to choose from, so take your time and inspect the trees before you pick one out. The National Christmas Tree Association recommends testing out the branches to make sure the tree isn’t too dry or unhealthy.
4. Chop Chop: Cut your tree low to the ground and straight across. Have a buddy pull the tree slightly away from the side you’re cutting to prevent the saw from binding and make it easier to cut all the way through.
5. Use netting: All trees should be put into netting or a sleeve for easy transport.
6. Stump first: Put the stump-end of the tree towards the front of your truck to help mitigate movement within the bed of the truck.
7. Tie it down tight: Center your tree in the bed of the truck, loop twine through the integrated tie-down hooks and repeat to cinch with a “figure-8” motion securing the tree. In the 2019 Silverado, there are 12 fixed tie downs stationed throughout the bed of the truck to help you secure the tree from moving around while you drive.
8. Tailgate up: The best way to transport your tree is with the tailgate up. If your tree is bigger than your truck bed, you can transport it with the tailgate down – just make sure to tie a red ribbon on the end of the tree so drivers behind you can see it and follow local laws about items extending beyond your vehicle.
9. Don’t forget to water your tree: Make sure you put your tree into water immediately when you get home and place it away from heat sources like fireplaces or radiators that can dry it out. The tree will drink up a lot of water the first couple of days so make sure to check on the water level throughout the season. That way you can keep it alive and healthy all holiday season long!

Happy holidays!

Sarah