Another lot, and no trees. This year, we’d pushed it too far. 

My brother Will and I were driving around Berks County on Christmas Eve, the sun hanging low in the sky, hoping to find one Christmas tree stand that was still open.

It’s a tradition in my family — every year my mom entrusts us to buy a tree, and without fail my two brothers and I wait until the last minute to make our purchase. But this time, it seemed we had gone too far.

Finally, after about an hour of driving around, we saw a Christmas miracle. A few cut trees, seemingly abandoned on the side of the road.

It was the quintessential example of a Reber family Christmas tradition.

Like all traditions, this one was born, not created. It probably started about 15 years ago, with my older brother Will returning from Penn State with just a few days before the holiday. It was probably Dec. 21, so we went to a farm not far from the house and cut down the tree. We piled in dad’s trusty old pickup, the one with no power steering that has been in too many fender benders to count.

The tradition continued as I went off to Temple, and Byron to Penn College of Technology. Some years only two of us take the trip.

When we got home to mom, she’s just happy to have a tree. She never goes with us to buy it, but as the days, nay hours, wind down before the big day, she’s dropping subtle hints that we should get out there and start looking.

Over the years, we three boys decided to push the tradition further and further. Dec. 21 became Dec. 22, then Dec. 23.

I’ve seen many a Christmas tree farmer chuckle — probably thinking that these are the most unorganized kids that a parent could have.

“No, sir, we don’t need our 4-foot tree baled, just throw it in the back of the truck.

More than once, it’s earned us some extra tree trimmings that mom happily wraps around the lamp post outside the house.

She has repeatedly said she’s happy with the tradition, because it means we’re all together, buying the tree. She likes to leave the tree up for a week or so. That gets a lot of weird looks in her development, where Christmas decorations start to appear not long after Halloween, and are back in the attic on Dec. 26.

This year, little brother Byron and his wife are stuck in his new home of Nashville, so we’re taking the tradition to them. Will is flying in from Oregon on Dec. 23.

I was on the phone with my mom the other day and asked her if she’s getting a tree at her house before she and my dad fly down.

The response was a fast and firm “No.” So we’ll be responsible for getting a tree when we get to Nashville. I hope they’re ready for us.

My flight arrives Christmas Eve at 10:30 a.m. I am hoping that Byron’s wife, Laurie, can take over my spot. We’ll be relying on their pickup instead of the old Toyota.

The tree hunt will be extra special for the Rebers this year because my parents haven’t seen Will, his girlfriend Jen, or Laurie in more than a year.

No holiday tradition is too weird. No matter what, it’s special if you get to spend the time with the people you love, or it reminds you of someone who is gone that made the holidays special for you.

I would just recommend that you not go looking for fresh trees on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.