14 Holidays in Sisters
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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For most of us, last year9s Christmas sea-
son was a significantly subdued one due to
the shadow cast by COVID-19. To our con-
tinuing dismay, the virus is still with us; but,
thanks to vaccines and the resultant declining
infections, there is some cautious optimism
that the worst may be behind us. As a result,
many of us are starting to look at ways to
resume some sense of normalcy in our lives;
and, for our family, the annual Christmas tree
hunt was a step in that direction!
A group activity in the great outdoors,
such as a Christmas tree hunt 4 particularly
among vaccinated participants 4 can be an
ideal way to help get our lives back on track
after months of limited activities restricted
by the pandemic. So, with a houseful of
vaccinated family members for the long
Thanksgiving weekend, we resumed our
annual family tradition of heading into the
forest on the Friday after Thanksgiving for a
Christmas tree hunt.
The origins of the Christmas tree are
invariably traced to the Germanic countries
of northern Europe; but there is evidence that
the Christmas tree had its beginnings in pagan
traditions dating back more than a thousand
years. According to the National Christmas
Tree Association, the first actual historical
record of a Christmas tree dates to 1510 in
Latvia. By the sixteenth or seventeenth cen-
turies, the holiday tree concept had insinuated
itself into Christian custom; and, by the mid-
nineteenth century, Christmas trees had also
become common throughout Britain.
By the time that the first settlers of
European descent arrived in Sisters Country,
in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the
Christmas tree custom was well established.
Back then, obtaining a Christmas tree simply
meant going out into the forest, cutting the
perfect tree, and bringing it home to decorate.
That was traditional then, and it still can be
today.
There have been recent news stories
about a Christmas tree shortage spurred by
such factors as wildfires, water shortages,
and pandemic labor shortfalls, which have
caused skyrocketing prices 4 even here in
Oregon, which is, by far, the nation9s larg-
est producer of commercial Christmas trees,
doubling the production of our nearest rival,
North Carolina.
Even locally, some commercial tree
outlets have seen prices as high as $70 for
a four-foot tree. However, here in Sisters
Country, we are surrounded by thousands
of potential Christmas trees right here in our
local forests, each with a top price of only
five dollars! Every year, the U.S. Forest
Service hosts thousands of private Christmas
tree hunters; so, there is no better way to
obtain your Christmas tree than by having a
safe hunt for a wild tree in the great outdoors.
Our traditional tree hunt last week
encountered rather atypical conditions. There
was no snow whatsoever, in our traditional
hunting grounds. So, if you have a hanker-
ing for a hard-to-get noble fir that typically
grows at higher elevations, this could be the
time, as some of the higher elevations are still
snow-free this year. With no snow and tem-
peratures in the 50s, we also ended up with a
post-expedition surplus of hot chocolate and
marshmallows!
The first step, of course, is to obtain a
Forest Service Christmas tree permit. Unlike
last year, when the local Sisters Ranger
District office was not open for permit sales
due to COVID, this year an outdoor service
window has been added for the purchase of
permits. The office is located at the corner
of Cascade and North Pine Street in Sisters.
Permits may also be purchased online at
https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits/ or
at one of several commercial outlets, includ-
ing Sisters Ace Hardware, Bi-Mart, Sisters
Mainline (Chevron) Station, Sisters Rental,
and the Camp Sherman Store.
The permits currently on sale feature the
new peel-off stick-on style; so, say good bye
to the plastic zip ties and date-punch per-
mits of the past. Fourth graders are eligible
for a free tree permit under the Every Kid
Outdoors program. Visit the above website
for details.
Jean Nelson-Dean, public affairs officer
for Deschutes National Forest is among the
legions of wild tree aficionados who look
forward to the annual tree hunt. <For years
I have joined friends in the annual hunt for
a Christmas tree on the Deschutes National
Forest,= she said. <We always make it a spe-
cial outing with snacks, hot chocolate, and
some sledding if possible. In addition to all
the fun, it is great kn
knowing that if anyone of
us gets stuck,
alone.=
ck, we are not alo
Up to five of the $5 permits ar
are permitted
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