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| Pruitts Little Farm~ Christmas Tree Farm |
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The best family traditions are those that catch you by surprise. The responsibility that suddenly becomes something you can’t wait to do again! And the experience of getting our Christmas Tree at Pruitt’s Little Farm was that kind of wonderful experience…
 ~~ We packed up the car and drove a short 20 or so miles to Round Hill, dog and all- since they are welcome at Pruitts. As we pulled in to the lot, The Boy was thrilled to see rows and rows of trees, still planted and dusted with snow. He shot out of the car like a bullet and ran straight for a 30 footer- “Daaad! Our ceiling is high enough for this one, right? Awwwwesome!” After explaining gently to him that we weren’t buying a tree with a trunk as big around as a car tire, that no one would be climbing ladders to decorate a tree that tickled the ceiling and that the White House didn’t even have a tree THAT big. Once reality set in, we went to meet the Pruitt’s so we could begin our tree hunt. Pruitt’s embodied small town hospitality and personal pride in a family business that’s been thriving in LoCo since 1995. A little friendly banter with The Boy to pump him up even further and make this HIS day. A biscuit for The Dog and amusing instructions on the trees that can be his marking targets, and the trees that are off limits to the leg lift! They walked with us a short way to explain the different arboreal characteristics to help us choose a good fit. Then they left our little family to do our thing. Me, The Boy, The Man and The Dog set off with a saw provided by the Pruitts- sorry Boy- no Paul Bunyan axe action. So many choices- Scotch Pine, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, greenish, blueish, soft needles, prickly needles, short fat, tall thin- all healthy and neatly organized by type and size. 30 minutes, 6 rows and 600 trees later, The Boy’s gaze continue to wander back to the gigantic tree. The prospect of finding a tree big enough for his dreams but small enough for reality seemed dim… and then- there it was. “There’s our tree!!!” The Boy exclaimed and began jumping up and down. Not cool behavior for the coolest 5th grader on earth- he’ll be mortified that I wrote this! A short, fat, Norwegian spruce with a round, fullness in the middle- just the cutest tree EVER! The boy managed to pick out a tree shaped exactly like his mother! Freud would love that. Anyway, It truly was gorgeous- about 7’ tall with firm yet not prickly needles. The Man shoved the saw into The Boy’s arms and said with a smile “Get to work Gino!” After a few false starts, The Boy laid on the ground with the saw and began working his way through the trunk of The Tree. 20 seconds and 1/10” later, he tapped out, frustrated that that tree hadn’t already fallen. So The Man took over, sawing through the trunk in a series of what looked to be the most uncomfortable prone positions on earth. When he was 9/10 of the way through, The Man gave the saw back to The Boy, who got the privilege of delivering the final strokes to get that tree to fall! What a moment on his face when the tree hit the ground- accomplishment meets “thank God it’s finally over!” They dragged the tree through the farm so we could pay. Sweaty but exhilarated, The Boy dropped the tree and headed for the kettle of steaming cider and plate of cookies- when Mr. Pruitt said, “Oh you aren’t done workin’ yet, son!” The Boy helped the Pruitts to hoist The Tree into that funky machine that wraps a net around the tree, helped carry it to the car, where they strapped the tree to the roof.Finally he got his reward of hot cider and fresh cookies while we settled the bill. This is where we found out that ca$h was king- no credit cards! We had no cash, so The Man was about to get in the car and drive ‘til he found an ATM. Mr. Pruitt stopped him, wrote our balance and his mailing address on a business card and said “I know you’re good for it. Merry Christmas folks!” and sent us on our way. So let’s see- together with family, ecstatic boy, beautiful tree, small town faith in the integrity of your fellow man- doesn’t get more Christmas-y that that. There are many wonderful ways to have a memorable family experience over the holidays in LoCo. Enjoy adding Pruitt’s to the list, because~ Pruitt’s Little Farm Passes with Flying Colors!  Pruitt’s Little Farm 16477 Woodgrove Road PO Box 393 Round Hill, Virginia 20142 www.PruittsLittleFarm.com (540) 338-2852 (540) 454-0727
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