Christmas Trees are Related Events (Fountain, Windsor: 2009, middle school, to live in)

[JustJamie]

I don't know anything about Christmas trees, as I've only been here seven weeks. I also probably will be in California. In California, they have Christmas Tree Farms, where you go and pick out your tree, and then you go a few days later, and they cut it down, and you put it on the roof of your car, and take it home, and put it in your tree stand, water it, and put on a tree skirt. Walmart and Dollar Tree both have decorations. In my nineteen years of life, anywhere, I have never had people show up at my door, caroling. I would offer hot cocoa, as it's cold. Hot Cocoa is cheap; you make it with water, and stick it in the microwave, some come with marshmallows. One time, my girlfriend and I were driving to get some dinner, at about ten o'clock at night, and right down Brookside Road, come s a bear. A BEAR! I had never seen a bear before, so we turned around, to look at it more, but it was gone. Girlfriend called 911, to let them know a bear was wandering around. I called my dad, and he said, "JAMIE, if I saw a bear, I'd go eighty miles an hour, in the other direction." One day, at about noon, we had gone out to go hang out with this girl, in her truck, and a big elk, with huge antlers, comes cruising down our street, just walking along, like it owned the road. That was pretty cool!! My mother told me that deers are very dangerous, to cars, so when we go down to Arkansas, I am always on deer watch. I was down there for three days, and I only saw one. When we drove out here, I was on deer watch again, and we didn't see any the whole drive. We were having a late night Walmart run once, and saw a fox.

As for Christmas Tree Farms, I found one.

Merry Christmas Tree Farm - Christmas trees-you choose and you cut, Christmas wreaths, saws provided
18520 Shannon Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 80908. Phone: 719 481-4946. Directions: From I-25 Exit 161, five miles east to Colorado Hwy 83. Northeast corner of intersection of CH 83 and 105 Our products are usually available in November, December. Open: from 9 to 4 on Friday, Friday, 23 November and on Saturdays and Sundays from 24 November to 16 December.. Payment: Cash, Check. Easy access, candy canes, alpaca farm and alpaca apparel.
Christmas tree varieties:
U-Choose and Cut varieties: Colorado Blue Spruce, Scotch Pine.

[toxicavenger]

King Soopers is where we get our trees from. And if you want to see animals then drive up to Helen Hunt and you should see some deer. If you want to see bears then drive south on 115 until you get to Golden Park they have a BIG steel beetle (insect) out in front of the sign. It is a campground my parents stay at every summer and we have seen a few bears there at the dumpsters.

[SaxLuva]

Originally Posted by lalahartma

Very cute, Aussie! I saw your previous post that you'll be @ Memorial Hospital, so no, no bears, but probably foxes. When you drive around the area you will see deer (downtown!) and coyote. You'll need to be near the foothills for bear and lion.

You have a better chance of getting bit by a shark than seeing a mountain lion. They are very reclusive. Bears are a common sight, just as deer, fox, coyote, and an assortment of other critters. Antelope and Elk are also amung those frequently seen depending on the area.

[toxicavenger]

Golden Eagle Ranch RV Park, Colorado for bear sightings also deer too. and this summer we saw a whole bunch of crawdads (mudbugs) there too. kind of wierd to see those there.

[RandomAussie]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back in here, it's been a busy week.

Charles - Kangaroos singing carols, wow, it will be just like home then

I did warn you they'd be silly questions.

Thanks to everyone that has answered though, especially Iwantsnow and Amery as I think you've covered everything.

By the way, I'm not actually trying to see bears or coyote, I just don't want any of my kids ending up as snacks for them

I've been all over the internet checking out your town and we're really looking forward to getting there. We'll be there for a month and then one of our teens will be staying on for training for another month. From what I've seen it looks like a lovely place.

Any other suggestions for things to see and do while we're there?

I'd never heard of Royal Gorge before but I found their train trip online ( it looks like a nice way to fill in an afternoon.

Thanks again for your help.

[sskkc]

If your kids are little, try the "North Pole"... great at Christmas time. Also if your kids are little and depending on when you come, the "Durango & Silverton" does a "Polar Express" train trip too.

A common thing for Americans in general to do is drive around and see people's Christmas displays. We overdo it a bit (but not as much as we someday will - think Griswalds) but many do so much more!

Kmart, Hobby Lobby and Michaels discount their Christmas decor BEFORE Christmas, so their selections might be picked over more than others, but last year we got TONS at 75-90% discount 1 week AFTER Christmas at Walgreens and Walmart (including 6 additional deer, MANY lights, Santa hats, tree skirts for the kid's bedroom trees and so much more!). Everywhere else we've lived, the after Christmas sales were best 30 minutes after opening on the 26th, but last year I was sick and had to wait a week. I was happily surprised with what was "leftover".

[lildreamer]

Is there a good place to get fresh Chirstmas trees? I like a place that has good atmoshphere like Christmas lights and Christmas music. I am in the Stetson Hills area but will travel for the right place. Also does the Christmas trees here have a good scent. The ones we bought in MS and TN didn't have a strong pine scent. Thanks for any info and have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[Bob from down south]

G & S Tree Farms
1664 Union Street, Bangor, ME 04401.
Phone: 207-942-1394

Very scenty trees. Well worth the drive...

[lildreamer]

Thanks Bob but I don't think I want to drive that far. Have a Merry Christmas.

[springshomeblog]

Well, there's no lights or Christmas music, but if you want FRESH, I'd cut your own tree either in national forest (with a permit!!!) or the Merry Christmas Tree Farm in Monument. I blogged about this a few days ago actually, you can check the link in my profile if you want to read it.

We got a Scotch pine from the Merry Christmas Tree Farm last year and it lasted well into January without dropping any needles, though there was no pine scent whatsoever. They sell blue spruces, too, not sure about the smell quotient on those.