Woman Shares How She Found the ‘Perfect’ Christmas Tree—Only to Discover It Wasn’t

Hayden Hardesty recently shared a video on TikTok of her Christmas tree experience, which has since gained over 27 million views. The story starts last holiday season when Hayden and her boyfriend go to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest to cut down their first Christmas tree together. In Washington state, it’s legal to cut your tree with a permit, which they had.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, they say.

The couple spotted what seemed like the perfect tree, though it was hard to judge how full it was, especially with the snow covering it and the 1 to 2 feet of snow they were trudging through. After dragging the tree back to the truck, they loaded it up and started their two-hour drive home. Things didn’t exactly go as smoothly as they had hoped.

When they pulled into the driveway, Hardesty quickly realized the tree had seen better days. "We took the tree out of the back of the truck," she recalls. "By this time, the snow had melted, and it was clear the tree had lost some branches on the way home. We just looked at each other in silence, then started laughing because there was no way this was the same tree we loaded into the truck two hours ago."

Expectations didn’t meet the reality this time.

But things didn’t get any better. Once inside, they discovered the tree was way too tall for their living room. After a quick debate outside, they decided to cut the top off, thinking the bottom had the best branches and that keeping the top would keep the tree looking more natural. Unfortunately, once they cut, the tree became even more flat and awkward.

Once they cut the tree, Hardesty realized there was no turning back—they were fully committed. They brought the tree inside and started decorating. It turned into a hilarious experience, trying to wrap string lights around the tiny 2-inch trunk and searching for branches to hang the ornaments. In the end, they decorated their little Charlie Brown tree, using every last branch.

It wasn’t what they had imagined, but it turned into a fun, memorable night. After finishing the decorations and putting the tree in water, they sat on the couch and laughed about how this Christmas would be one they’d never forget. The whole day was filled with laughs, and it made them love the tree even more. They ended up keeping it up until January.

Recently, Hardesty came across an iPhone photo memory of the tree, and the sight of it made her laugh.

With the holidays around the corner, she decided to share the photo and the story on TikTok. She captioned the post, "Just going to bring this back to life for a second… Wishing us better luck this weekend." One user commented: "No way that’s the same tree 😂 what happened?!" and the girl, who initially posted the video, jokingly said: "I think the tree has a rough ride in the back of the truck." True!

To her surprise, the video quickly went viral, gathering over 27 million views and 7,700 comments. Reading through the responses, Hardesty felt a sense of connection as others shared similar stories of unexpected Christmas tree mishaps. Some users commented on how the video reminded them of their parents bringing home trees and starting quirky family traditions, turning what could have been a disaster into a cherished memory.