Kids Christmas Tree

During the Holidays, we decorate two trees in our house and the Christmas tree decorations are specific to each tree.

Our family tree is decorated with Christmas tree ornaments that my wife and I collected while we were dating, after we got married (before children) and more recently on family trips that we’ve taken. Each ornament represents a specific time and place in not only our relationship but also in the growth of our family. Some of our favorite ornaments are from the National Parks (The Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Acadia, Yellowstone and Yosemite to name a few) Walt Disney World (where we always select an ornament with the year we visited) and Star Wars (which it turns out is a family obsession as we all dressed up as Jedi Knights one Halloween). Granted, it’s an eclectic mix of ornaments, but each one brings back a special memory and all are displayed against a backdrop of white lights that makes our tree appear to glow. In order to get this glowing effect, I have had to wrap lights around virtually every branch on our tree, which for out 7 1/2 ft artificial tree adds up to just under 3,500 lights (what can I say, my wife wanted a tree with LOTS of lights).

Our kids tree is decorated with Christmas tree ornaments that remind us of when they were infants, and also ornaments that were chosen by them. The earliest ornaments were the ‘kids first Christmas’ kind that were picked up at various places we visited, and then began to reflect their growing up and their personalities. Every child goes through a Sesame Street phase, so naturally we have Elmo. Then as they started to watch the Holiday specials, we started to collect ornament featuring Rudolph, Frosty, Santa Claus and the Grinch. Since my wife and I both love Dr Seuss’s The Grinch, we actually have more Grinch related ornaments (and his dog Max) than any other single character except Snowmen). Other kid’s Christmas tree decorations include the Wiggles, Thomas the Tank Engine, and as they’ve gotten older, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, soccer and the New York Yankees.

Another thing that makes our kids tree so special is that as they collect their ornaments as they grow, by the time they are old enough to move out on their own (and eventually start their own families) we’ll be able to give them a record of their lives, in Christmas tree ornaments. Just as my wife an I look at  the ornaments from the places we’ve been (and with some we can remember picking it out in the gift shop) and things we’ve done, some day our children will look at their ornaments and (hopefully) remember all the wonderful places we’ve been and things we’ve done.

Collecting Christmas tree decorations from family vacations and ones that represent fun family times has become an activity that we hope our kids will turn into a family tradition. So why not start your own family tradition by decorating your Christmas tree with ornaments that represent you and your family. It will make the Holidays more joyful than ever.