Green and Simple: A Favorite Family Holiday Tradition

When I was a kid, our tree donned the familiar garland, tinsel and shiny round balls that were standard fair during the 1970s. Our cats loved to tug and tear at the shimmering strips and balls until they were torn from the limbs of our great big pine tree. They would roll in the decorations and chew on them until they were either terribly tangled, or until they began to gag. Our tree displayed the masterful holiday works created by my siblings and me. Because I have 10 siblings, we needed a rather large tree.

Whether you put up a Christmas tree or other holiday decorations, you know that warm, sweet feeling that comes with pulling the box of holiday treasures out of storage and exploring individual pieces for this season’s display.

My husband and I began putting up a tree each year even before we had kids. We , which, for better or worse, we still use today. It fits rather nicely in our little Old Town house. And, since we had so few ornaments from our own childhoods, a small tree worked just fine. The couple of ornaments that I did have, though not particularly original or ornate, they were special because of the stories they told and the memories they conjured.

Once our kids came along, I realized that in order for our children to have such keepsakes when they became adults, we would need to start the ritual to carry through the years. And so it began …

Almost 10 years ago, we started a family tradition that has grown to become a favorite. Each year, somewhere between Thanksgiving and New Year's, our family heads to on King Street, where each of our three kids selects a new Christmas tree ornament. Our first-born had received an ornament as a gift from a friend, a tiny ceramic angel. We loved it so much that we've returned to that particular store each year because of it's selection of unique handcrafted ornaments and because of it's commitment to fair-trade practices.

In the early years, my husband and I selected the ornaments. When our second child came along, our first got to select an ornament for her younger sister.  When our third came along, the two sisters got to pick out an ornament for their younger brother. Now we all look forward to heading to Ten Thousand Villages to make our annual selection. 

Our kids are now five, seven and nine and each has an ornament for each year of their lives. Although we remove the price tags from the ornaments, we leave on the paper tags on which the store name appears. On the blank side, we write the name of the person to whom the ornament belongs, child’s age and the year. 

The ornaments are shared in our family display during the holiday season. When we take down our tree on New Year’s Day, they are ever-so-carefully packed away. Last year we took pictures of the kids with their new ornaments and with their individual collections from over the years.

When the kids are grown and have established lives of their own, the collection of ornaments that they have amassed over the years will become part of their own holiday traditions.

Whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate it, creating life-long rituals and traditions can enrich your celebrations for generations to come.