One of our favorite Christmas traditions is the Christmas tree. Beginning with obtaining one and especially with decorating it. I thought I'd share our family traditions with you.
Before we get into that, in case it's been awhile since you studied the origins of Christmas trees, here's what brittanica.com has to say about it: "The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany, where families set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve. They hung wafers on it (symbolizing the eucharistic host, the Christian sign of redemption). Candles, symbolic of Christ as the light of the world, were often added." There is much more history available here. I like this description from ABC News: European pagans were largely responsible for dressing their homes with the branches of evergreen fir trees in order to bring color and light into their dull winters.
The tree definitely brings light and color into our home, as we usually bring it in and decorate it as the last piece of our holiday decorations. Since we hold our annual holiday open house the second weekend of December, this means we usually have all our decorating done by then.
Initially, we bought a live tree and planted it afterwards, but after a few years we ran out of places to plant it. Plus sometimes the trees they sell in pots don't do well in our climate.
When the kids were old enough to begin participating, we would cut down a tree at a local Christmas tree farm. That involved lots of discussion about which tree would be perfect, then cutting down and loading of the tree on top of whatever car we owned at the time. We used to also take our annual Christmas photo at that time.
We felt this was a good way to support the local economy.
Once the kids moved away to school, the tradition changed. We started buying Douglas or Noble firs, which aren't grown around here, first at the tree lot that sold them in addition to offering trees to cut, and more recently at our neighbor's son's tree lot. The Christmas card photo became more challenging too!
Anyone who has seen our tree knows that it's more of a "storytelling tree" then it is a well-coordinated decoration. I have known people who decorate their tree like they do their house - all in blue or white and gold or some such scheme. To me, the tree is a collection of memories that we bring out once a year.
When I was first married, we didn't have any ornaments. John and Waltzie started a tradition of giving us a Hallmark ornament every year, which I think is a great tradition for newly married friends. I remember when this one was given, John commented that he was reluctant to encourage the memories of my cheerleading past (he always gave me a bad time for that)! But their ornaments are carefully stored away in their original boxes and pulled out every year.
Another tradition we've started is to buy an ornament when we travel, to commemorate the trip. They are an inexpensive souvenier and easy to pack! We first started the tradition when we went to Australia for our honeymoon, and we've continued it with every trip since.
One of the more recent ornament gifts was from Anujin, from one of her first trips here. She made these ornaments in the car while driving up, since she was busy with school and finals
until then. She made a tiny oragami for each of us. Mine is a butterfly to commemorate Mariposa, while Rick's was a polar bear to commemorate his favorite animal, and Ethan's was a frog (his favorite at the time).
This little owl is also a new addition to our tree, from Mom's collection of owls that Liz shared with us last year.
And to commemorate our retirement year, this is the ornament Rick gave me last year. Priceless!
When the kids were born we started the tradition of giving them each an ornament every year, thus starting their collection. The ornament was usually something commemorating that year for them. The size of their ornament box increased over time, from a shoe box to a bigger box and now a plastic tub labelled with their name. As we decorate the tree, they choose which of their ornaments to include, and usually there is commentary to accompany the process. My original goal was to build a collection they could take with them once they have their own houses and their own trees, but I am now realizing that sharing the memories each year they still live at home is a bonus. And for Brian and Anujin, it's an opportunity for her to learn more about his childhood.
This is one of my favorite ornaments from Brian's collection. It was purchased because he was really into school buses at age 2. He had one that he carried with him everywhere. The photo inside makes it even more precious, as it's a reminder of when his hair was blond and curly, and when he was into trains. He had a pair of train conductor overalls that he would often wear with that hat. I think this is one of Anujin's favorites.
I am continuing to add photo ornaments, as this is an easy way to commemorate how the kid's look in past years. Here's the one I gave Brian and Anujin recently.
Katelyn's ornament collection shows her wide variety of interests over time. From her interest in ballet when she was 4, to the time a butterfly landed on her am and we captured a photo of it, to her love of S'Mores, to her more healthy diet including her favorite broccoli, to her time at Georgetown and last year's wine ornament. See what I mean about memories?
Since she is usually the last one home, we have the tree up and decorated by the time she gets here, but she adds her ornaments as the crowning glory.
Ethan's ornament collection is varied as well, but this is my all-time favorite. He LOVES pizza so much he even wrote one of his collection application essays about it. It was entitled "I'd go blind for pizza", reflecting a conversation we had one time over the dinner table about which of the 5 senses we'd be willing to give up if it meant we could keep our favorite food. In case you're wondering, this ornament was purchased at a store in downtown Petaluma called "Christmas Fantasia", which has so many ornaments that you're sure to find one to reflect your loved ones' interests.
In addition to sharing memories as we decorate the tree, there are always other traditions. For instance, Brian used to be the tallest in the family so he always got the honor of placing the angel on top of the tree. One year he had to show off his jumping skills by touching the light fixture at the bottom of the stairs. I think the light is still crooked inside from the time he tapped it!
Apparently this was a tradition more than one year as I found another photo of the same activity. It's interesting to see the details of the house in the background of these photos. We used to have that bench in the entry to catch the kids homework and backpacks, the baskets below held soccer cleats and socks. The kid's artwork went on the wall underneath the shelving unit. The cameras hanging on the door knob commemorate a time when we didn't have smart phones for these functions.
As we decorate the tree we usually listen to Christmas carols. Katelyn's favorite album is the one by Frank Sinatra. That's one way to introduce the kids to older musical artists!
Usually by the time we're done we are feeling more in the spirit of Christmas, and ready for more traditions such as our holiday open house, shopping and wrapping gifts, and filling stockings late on Christmas Eve. I am so blessed to be able to share the holidays with our wonderful kids and my awesome hubby, in our warm and cozy house. Happy Holidays everyone!
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