I am so grateful we are the type of family that has the chaotic, unorganized, non- “aesthetic” Christmas tree.
In middle school, I was a little disappointed. Why doesn’t our tree have a color theme? I saw on Pinterest the big, white trees with gold, sparkly ornaments that were all cohesive. It perfectly fit in the neutral decorated living room. It was just so aesthetic.
For Christmas that year, I got a very hot pink mini tree to put in my room. It fits the criteria of trendy and aesthetic. The mini ornament balls are silver with three different kinds: a glittery one, a matte one, and a shiny one that you can see your reflection in. I strung some white lights on the small, little tree and placed each ornament on. I love my tree. It glows at night time and matches the pink theme of my room.
But it is just not the same as the family tree. It is perfect for my room, but in the living room where we gather to watch Christmas movies at night, it would be too…boring.
Our tree is packed with not just trinkets or decorations, but memories. Our tree addresses so many different years of our lives. The random ornaments we made in kindergarten to the fragile, glass animals (Paige has a purple dinosaur, Logan has a crocodile that blends into the tree and I have a turtle).
I think it is only right to point out some of our families’ favorite ornaments that you will be sure to see every year, just on a different branch.
My Ballerina
A long-lasting, fragile ornament that I adore is my ballerina. She is beautiful and elegant. She is stretched into a grand battement. Each year I pick her up and I am immediately told to be careful. She is rested at the top of the tree to avoid getting knocked over. It was a gift from my Nonna when I was too young to remember.
Logan’s Crumbling Family Fence
In kindergarten, the craft that the whole class completed was of wooden sticks turned into people. Five popsicle sticks are glued together representing a different member of the family. Glitter, cotton balls and pipe cleaners are piled up in a messy order. The way the people are crafted doesn’t make much sense, but that is what makes it funny. It is about 16 years old, so naturally it is falling apart, but we will be sure to keep glueing it back together every single year.
Our Birth Ornaments
For our first Christmas, we all have nursery themed ornaments that say our birth date, weight, height and all the other baby info. Mine has a bunny and baby bottle on it. My sister Paige has one that is in the shape of an egg. My Nonna also gave us these special ornaments because they were our first ones.
The German Pickle
This is one of our first years taking part in the German pickle tradition. We figured it was fitting to add it onto our tree. For those who do not know, the German pickle is generally the last to get placed on the tree. It is usually hidden, and the story is that the first kid to find it on the tree gets an extra gift from Santa. We like the pickle because it is funny and adds to the craziness of our tree.
Craft Day Ornaments
Every year we go to my grandma’s house for craft day. We make a craft every year along with fun Christmas treats (our favorites are Rolo pretzels, frosted gingerbread men and muddy buddies). We have so many handmade ornaments including gum snowmen, beads in a glass ball and painted cookie-like circles.
Some of our other valued ornaments include a blue cheese block, the long string of Noah’s arch, thousands of Logan’s snowmen bells, my girl scouts flower, the glass angels and the butterflies that stick right into the tree.
Our Christmas tree is messy and cluttered. But I would not want it any other way.