Hardy's Reindeer Ranch

Every year after Thanksgiving, Boyfriend's family makes the trek down to Hardy's Reindeer Ranch in Rantoul, IL. It's the annual celebratory, "Ready-Set-Go!" to the marathon that is the holiday season. Christmas has always played second fiddle to Thanksgiving in my heart, probably due to the Thanksgivings with loads of family members and the Christmas vacations spent in Las Vegas. Or maybe it's the pie, probably the pie. But it's easy to feel the holiday cheer when you come to Hardy's.

Besides the reindeer tours and hay rides, neither of which I have participated in, Hardy's has an eclectic gift shop, a cafeteria and (this was a novel concept to me) Christmas trees you can pick out and cut yourself.

Growing up in Hawaii, picking out a Christmas tree meant going to the local church or supermarket parking lot and selecting a pre-cut tree that was shipped over from God knows where. But at Hardy's it's completely normal to walk around  what I assume is a Christmas tree patch, and select the perfect tree for your living room. Chopping it down yourself is acceptable but not necessary. I managed to find the perfect Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but of course it's just sprouting and will be a beautiful specimen in the future.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

You can barely see it, but it's right next to me

It's always cold at the reindeer ranch. Flat farm land means high winds and nothing to block the November chill. I opted for a typical early-Winter outfit of leggings, boots, sweater and coat, plus a little hat.

Coat: Guess

Sweater: The Gap

Sequin tunic: Express

Leggings: Style&Co, Macy's

Boots: Bare Traps

Beret: D&Y

Necklace: Banana Republic

Inside the gift shop, there is a wide array of specialty, sometimes kooky, Christmas decor. With a warm furnace in the middle of the wooden shop, you can sit back and warm up with a cup of apple cider while others pick out the perfect ornament. The glitter, sequins, feathers, shine and glass create an almost discoball-like shimmer over the wooden-paneled walls and floor. The eccentric decorations remind you that the holidays are as much about laughter as it is about celebration and togetherness.

Boyfriend's sisters warming up by the heater in their festive garb

Decapitated reindeer salt and pepper shakers :-/

Boyfriend's new apron

Nose to nose

Mermaid ornaments

Riding the reindeer

Goofing on the playground

Bird nest and berries

Tree scouting

A victorious Boyfriend with our new tree

After picking out the perfect tree, we all gather in the cafeteria to enjoy some lunch. On the menu: nachos, hot dogs and pulled pork parfaits. Wait, what? Let me explain. A pulled pork parfait is like a parfait made of soft serve ice cream and various caramels and chocolates, except it's made with savory lunch foods. Layers of BBQ sauce, pulled pork and mashed potatoes in a cup, topped with a cherry tomato. A hungry girl's treat with a twist.

Pulled pork parfait

Hot dog with Chicago style nuclear green relish

After lunch, we got to meet Huckleberry, the ranch's other four-legged resident. A beautiful golden retriever and playful to boot. When he came up to say hello, we were snapping some pictures and he tried stealing Boyfriend's glove. Sadly, Boyfriend lost this tug of war match and Huckleberry got a souvenir of his own.

As the sun set on another day at the reindeer ranch, we said our goodbyes and drove into the sunset... with our tree sticking out of our back seat window.

-Akemi-chan