Cutting the tree down in the byrne family was a tradition,
I promised my kids hilton, katherine Georga, that as long as I can walk I'm cutting a tree down and they will be going with me.
Each year, rain , shine , snow cold... We would get up one sunday morning no less then 2 weeks out from christmas and pick the fattest tree we could get.
Kellie loved a fat tree...
We always bring the dogs,
And we always go to drysdales... Out on 48 .....
Locals will get this.
They have the best marriage saver tree stand,
this tree stand adds at least 5 years to any marriage guaranteed
once you cut your tree, they shake it, cut the end for you and then drill a 1/2 hole up the centre.... Which then you screw
the drysdale marriage save tree stand
in the bottom..... Whala... One great tree up in 5 minutes ready to decorate and you lose the natural feeling to kill your wife....cause if she had told you one more time to move it to the left............Ehehehehehhe
maybe you do wanna kill your wife?? ??? Anyway....
We would get up, and funny things is hilton would always be the first ready to go, , anything we did as a family he would always be first up even as a teenager,
I would make fun of him because he was first,
he told me the only reason he got up was cause he didn't want to get "yelled" at,...... I say: "ya right".....
I like to think that I made life so much fun... He was so fucking happy to get out of bed... Ehehehehh
He always dressed in this underwear, OMG- long johns that would make the poorest guy in the world look rich...
Torn long johns, multi colour t-shirts, sock that went to his knees,
Bad hair.. Stuffed up morning nose,
always had elephant shit in his eyes...
(Elephant poop is crusty eye snot...) For those who would like to use the term...
And he always had a great coloured "where is waldo winter Hat... Green and blue stripped."
the only hat that fit, cause hilton has the biggest byrne head
Over & above the
unspeakable wardrobe that no one has ever seen out side the family, he had A sweet jacket and snow pants........
And from age 12 to 17 he would wear sneakers... Yet By 18. He realised boots were better......( Eh dad was right!!)
We would all get up, usually this day was the first day to find all the mittens, hats. Boots , gloves.... And "crazy town" in our house begins.. Yelling screaming , dogs barking, kellie and georga brush there hairs for hours ( 10 minute)and hilt, and I are exhaust from watching....
Begals! ....., the toasters Going ,
cream cheese and yum yum pickles...
The best... "You know it"...
Hilton loved a bagel with cream cheese, pickles or tomato....( He was a fan)
The cinnamon bagel was his first choice for year...
....kellie would feed the dogs...... georg has to draw a picture,
kats got some dance music going, and not talking to anyone unless she
is screaming someone's name..in anger .... Cause she has to give someone grief....
Hilton would be looking for something? Socks?? Who knows...
And hilton would be Telling some one to "shut up"... In a tired huff........
...... in the truck we would go.........
( 5 minutes)
And back to the house we would go.......
" Everyone stay put..... I will get the saw............ Shit
Every year I forget the saw...
It wouldn't be a family drive with out hilton telling georga to " shut up" ...
And me saying
in a deep voice "hilton...stop .... Please...."
he would reply with: ... "She is so annoying errrrrr" ......
as we pull up to drysdale, all hoping it would snow on the way out... Coffee in hand hilton drinks his coffee the same as me "one milk" ... ( Sigh)
Click the truck into 4 wheel drive and into the make shift lot.... Mud- snow
I loved the whole thing and so did hilti... And the girls..
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( Once we went on a weekday, and it was sunny the day after it rained... Hilti was 9 or 10 and he sat on my lap and drove my truck around in the muddy fielda... (Boy was that a hoot))
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Ok back to the story........
Dogs jump out of the truck, bean and coco.., everyone find there gloves.. I would yell at hilton to grab the saw... Out of the truck... He would say why can't Kat carry it...
And we are off......
Across the street down a wooded path to a huge fire and the smell of lions club cheap hot chocolate .. And horse shit...wood burning fire all ...very romantic setting..... Joking a side it was always great to be here with my family
( ciaran was the only none family member every aloud on this trip, he was one of our surrogate kids)
On the wagon , two big sweaty horse with sleigh bells ringing and a red wagon...
Hilton and I would make seasonal fun of other people... And off we go, he always took a seat next to kat, I'm not sure what the spoke about... But they giggled and had fun...
15 minutes.... off we got, we followed the head christmas tree person super hero in charge of the perfect tree.. The one and only tree picker of the family , none could be cut down with out her 360 degree blessing................. Drum roll.....introducing KELLIE..... This drove hilton nuts...... That with out kellies blessing I would not let hilton or I saw a single stroke...
Kellie loves her tree, and hilton just want to end the pain... to cut the first one he saw... He liked the saw and want to get home, he was cold ansd bored of waiting for kellie to pick a tree.....
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I believe its because when he was 8 years old and this one year, it was (-25) we stopped for hot chocolate .... Just after inspector 12 pick the tree.....
Hilton with a grin looking forward to the sweat warmth of his lions club hot chocalate ,
I put 3 creams in his hot styrafoam cup and dropped in 2 big marsh mellow...
To try and add flavour to the Brown water lions club served.
With a wooded stir stick I walked hilton over the the fire pit flames 5' in the air you could feel the warmth with this cold air. The kind of canadian cold air that makes your nostrils freeze in a single breath.....
I handed him the steaming cup.......
Telling my little buddy to blow on it cause its really hot...
Hilton took a single step forward to the hot fire and out from beneath hilton comes his feet , like Fed flinstone...
Up go both feet and down goes the hot cup of hot chocolate all over the front of his jacket... And with a loud scream........ And a flash freeze of water on his jacket
there lay my son like a turtle on his back....in snow and ice... Bundled tight he could barely move...
Hilties Mouth wide open screaming in front of 40 strangers...... A deafening continues scream....as we quickly ran to the car.....
I guess it was slippery.... Eh who knew???
Merry christmas everyone that's my boy.....
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This year alex came with us... Kat whispered to me its the worst weekend of her life.... We all cried...
At least it snowed...........
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