Christmas Traditions: Trimming the Tree

Since we cut down our own Christmas tree, decorating it doesn't always follow right away.  And having a little one that still naps means things need to be broken into stages anyway, so it works out.  Once we returned, and everyone had a nap, it was time to put up and decorate our tree.  What I love most about Christmas tree decorating is that my children get to be a part of it.  From the lights to the garland to the personal ornaments to the train, it's all a part of the joy.

I loved watching my boys work together, side-by-side.  And not to be overlooked, Emma grabbed her stool and sneaked some garland out of one of the boxes and attempted to help as well.  When that didn't pan out, she got to help with putting some of her ornaments on the tree.  She liked that a little better (although spinning with the garland seemed to be almost as fun for her).

 We have personalized ornaments, a tradition my parents did for me as a child.  My husband hopes to one day get away from that and decorate with more uniform ornaments, but we'll see.  In the mean time, I love that every Christmas is a walk down memory lane as I recall the stages of childhood that my son, and soon my daughter, has gone through.  I even love to look back over my own ornaments or family ornaments and reflect on those.  Just a few years ago, we started cutting off a slice of the bottom of our tree and writing the year on it to turn it into an ornament for the next year.  It's something I love and wish we had thought to do previous years.

Then of course, a star on the top and a train around the bottom complete the whole thing!  Our train, now 13 years old, has seen its better days, but it's perfect for real play, runs great in small hands, and even has steam and noises.  You can't beat that!

Well, our tree is all ready for Christmas morning, even if little else is.  In the mean time, I am looking forward to finishing up more of our traditions and getting everything else ready for the big day.  I guess I'd better get going!!!  And make sure to come back to see more of our traditions.