Christmas tree decoration preference

[hsmom]

How do you like your tree to look?

[lynn]

I love that my tree is at the point where the only ornaments on it are the ones the kids have made and special ornments we have collected over the years. So every year it's like opening a big gift of memories. I love my tree to have memories of my family from first Christmas to places we have visited to who did or liked what in a given year. I put the year and name on each ornament so I remember who gets what and plan on giving each child their ornaments as their first Christmas gift when they get married.

[momofkhm]

I put the year and name on each ornament so I remember who gets what and plan on giving each child their ornaments as their first Christmas gift when they get married.

 

I love this idea. I may have to start this now!

[momofkhm]

I buy a Christmas tree ornament, with a year already on it if possible. It's so nice to get them out and remember the trip. But I also have many from ornament exchanges through the years and that the kids have made.

 

We just decorated the tree. Oldest dd went to preschool and they did a handprint in some soft clay stuff. Every year she gets it and compares her hand. Her fingers now curl around to the back of the ornament.

[shell in SC]

Growing up, we each picked out an ornament every Christmas. My dad would make sure to put the year on it somewhere (even if he had to do it with a sharpie). We would even do ornament exchanges with my little playmates from the neighborhood. So I have quite a diverse collection of C-mas ornaments. I put those ornaments on my tree every year (even the ET one), and have bought my kids ornaments every year as well. I didn't realize it was such a big deal to them till this weekend, when DD stopped by for Thanksgiving dessert and I asked her if she needed some C-mas decorations. We wound up going through boxes and boxes of decorations to get some things for her to put on her tree. We came across her ornaments and I asked her if she wanted them or not. She looked at me like I was crazy and took them from me.

 

So we may have the TACKIEST tree in the neighborhood, but it's full of memories!

[3lilreds in NC]

We couldn't possibly fit all our ornaments on our tree, but it sure is fun trying. My dh brought a lot with him when we got married. I have a few. I *love* Christmas ornaments and have bought lots to add to our collection. We still get ornaments every year from my ILS, and they give each child an ornament each year. So, now we hang the kids' ornaments, ones they've made, and ones we like. This year we left off any that are terribly fragile or special to us, because of the Snort. Bless him, he does love that tree. I spend a lot of time keeping him away from it but he still manages to pull ornaments off. Thankfully, he's attracted to some that aren't breakable. I love colored lights and multi-colored tinsel and fun ornaments! The girlies made a paper chain for it this year too, which was fun. They spent a lot of time making it.

 

ETA: We try to get years and names on any ornaments given to the kids so they will know when they got them and who gave them. My ILs did that for dh's ornaments and it's pretty cool. Many of them were made by his grandmas.

[PiCO]

How do you like your tree to look?

 

Hey, where's the "other" option? I vote other.

 

I have an eclectic collection of ornaments- from various family vacations, some from my tree when I was growing up, some from dh's youth. I also throw on some memorabilia of ancestors who have passed on, like my mother's jewelry. I have a wooden hand that I put on the top of the tree- a friend of dh's made it when dh was in the hospital.

[Mama2Three]

This year the baby is 1 yo and very mobile. We'll have an especially simple tree -- just some lights, red bows, and maybe a few special ornaments. I try to keep things simple anyway -- it's exciting for the kids no matter how fancy you do it! :)

[happyWImom]

From the time they were babies, I have gotten the "photo" ornaments, so the tree is full of those, as well as the ones they have made. Before children, we had the "perfect" tree with white lights, and only silver or white ornaments.

[TravelingChris]

I wasn't sure how to vote. We have multi-colored lights. We have some shiny balls. We also have many ornaments that were bought on our travels or at fairs. We also have some homemade ornaments. It isn't a theme tree at all. It is eclectic like our homeschooling life and our life in general.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Ours is similar. It is a trip down memory lane to put up the tree. That is why everyone must be present when we put it up and decorate it. We have several new ornaments from our trip this summer that I am dying to add. I also have lots of ornaments that I made as a child.

[Just Me]

I guess I should technically vote "other". I have a tree with white lights, a few ornaments that are special to me, and other ornaments that match my Christmas "theme". The kids have a tree with colored lights and all of their ornaments. I try to get them at least one ornament each year that they can later take with them when they move out or get married. But, I am much too particular about the "look" to put just any ornaments on my tree! Call me OCD if you like...I can take it! :D

[AuntPol]

Another other...

 

We alternate years with white lights (that I prefer) and Colored lights (Dh and kids prefer)

 

Our basics that tie the trees together -red bows, dollar tree snowflakes, and silver snowflakes and butterflies that we bought at a yard sale the first year we were married.

 

Our Ornaments

Mostly travel related as that is the souvenier of choice

Handmade ones from the kids, relatives

One special one for each year of our marriage (paper star made from our wedding inviation, cotton baby sock, leather football, styrofoam ball rolled in potpourri that used in our wedding, pinecone from our yard, candycane heart, etc)

Other mementos -the kids special stuffed animals that were "retired"; bubbles favor from our wedding, photo ornaments, some that I inherited from my grandmother when she passed.

We give my daughter an angel ornament and my son a Snowman ornament every year.

[astrid]

I love that my tree is at the point where the only ornaments on it are the ones the kids have made and special ornments we have collected over the years. So every year it's like opening a big gift of memories. I love my tree to have memories of my family from first Christmas to places we have visited to who did or liked what in a given year. I put the year and name on each ornament so I remember who gets what and plan on giving each child their ornaments as their first Christmas gift when they get married.

 

 

I could have written this post!. Well, except for the "kidS" (plural) part--- I've got an only.

 

Every year, a week or two before Christmas, an "Elf" visits our house to be sure that we're all ready--- tree up, decorations up, candy and cookies baked, creche set up. The "Elf" leaves a new ornament on the tree. As we get closer and closer to Christmas, dd loves to check the tree to see if the Elf has visited. All the "Elf" ornaments will be packed up and given to dd when she moves away (sniff) and sets up her own home and Christmas tree.

 

I'm enjoying reading about everyone's traditions!

 

astrid

[PrairieAir]

I voted white lights and matching ornaments, but we really have more of a mix of ornaments. I only do white lights, will only do white lights. I love the simple elegance of white Christmas lights. The kids each get an ornament each year from both us and my mom, so there is a mix there. Other ornaments I buy (which are few and far between) match my general theme or look I'm going for which tends to be outdoorsy or western. If I had the time and money, I could really go nuts with decorating, but dh isn't that into it anyway.

[Closeacademy]

Where's my other? This is one poll where there wasn't a choice for me. :tongue_smilie:

 

Before dc, I loved my white tree with blue lights and blue, silver, white and clear ornaments. I even have some very beautiful hand-blown ornaments. Beautiful tree.

 

After dc, my white tree kept turning yellow in the attic so I got the 10.00 tree at Walgreens last year that had the lights already on it and I let them decorate it with all the stuff they make every year. It is really a more meaningful tree complete with a crown for baby Jesus made by my youngest at church one year. It is a riot of decorations but so much fun.:001_smile:

[GailV]

I love that my tree is at the point where the only ornaments on it are the ones the kids have made and special ornments we have collected over the years. So every year it's like opening a big gift of memories. I love my tree to have memories of my family from first Christmas to places we have visited to who did or liked what in a given year. I put the year and name on each ornament so I remember who gets what and plan on giving each child their ornaments as their first Christmas gift when they get married.

 

This is our tree, too. I like a tree with personality.

 

The matchy-matchy trees look like they belong in a department store. Ick.

[Tree House Academy]

We have multiple trees for just this reason...we all prefer something different. Okay, well, my dh and I, that is. I have a "Macy's Tree" in all its perfection. It includes blown glass ornaments, blue snowmen, ornate santas, white lights, and a bow tied to perfection on top with ribbon cascading down the sides and woven into the tree to finish it off. My husband LOATHES this tree. He prefers the colored light tree with thousands of hodge podge ornaments that have no rhyme nor reason to them, many handmade...some even made of paper. He loves this look, this old traditional style. I detest it.

[kat19]

We have multi colored lights, colored bulbs and ribbon(I did buy one more thing of ribbon thinking the tree needed it~I don't have a new picture yet) on our tree.

No tree topper yet, I can't find one I like :001_smile:

 

[Cornerstone Classical]

Our tree has white lights and pearl button lights on it with candy cane themed ornaments. Then we have a "kid" tree that has colored lights and hallmark collectors ornaments with homemade ones that the DC have made over the years.

[Sharon in SC]

I love that my tree is at the point where the only ornaments on it are the ones the kids have made and special ornments we have collected over the years. So every year it's like opening a big gift of memories. I love my tree to have memories of my family from first Christmas to places we have visited to who did or liked what in a given year. I put the year and name on each ornament so I remember who gets what and plan on giving each child their ornaments as their first Christmas gift when they get married.

 

Same here. I particularly appreciate the ornaments that speak to each of our interests (i.e. ballet shoes for dds, vw beetle representative of my first car, airplanes for dh's aviation enthusiasm, etc, etc).

[RoughCollie]

Our tree always has tons of colored lights, ornaments, and tinsel on it. Usually we make gingerbread cookies to hang on it, too. The ornaments are shiny balls, special ornaments, or ones the kids have made over the years.

 

I put on the lights, which is not something I look forward to. The kids are all taller than me now, so this year I'm going to try to foist that job off on them. There is no such thing as too many lights on a tree, IMO, so if I were the kids, I'd run for the hills if I were about to be saddled with that job. :D

 

The kids have always decorated the tree as high as they can reach, and now they do the whole thing. They still fight over who gets to put the star on top.

 

One of these days, I am going to have a second tree just for me. It will have a wild bird theme and white lights. I have to have something to make up for the fact that I no longer can put Santa's toyland around the tree. Christmas isn't as much fun when no one wants toys from Santa and I'm no longer up at 3 a.m. turning the room into a Christmas tree-centered wonderland for little kids. I *need* grandchildren! (But not yet.)

 

I think it would be fun to have a different type of tree in each room, but I don't have the time, energy or money to do that. This is for the best, believe me, as I am trying to cut down, not build up, my supply of stuff.

 

RC

Edited December 2, 2008 by RoughCollie

[JFSinIL]

I voted for everything - and would LOVE to have some tinsel except then the cats and dog would eat it and choke and barf or die :glare: I grew up with tinsel and that means Christmas to me!!!!!

 

Except, now that I recall, for a few years in the late 60s/early 70's my dad was into flocked trees (S. California - he grew up in Kansas and maybe missed the snow a tiny bit although he'd never admit it)

Edited December 2, 2008 by JFSinIL

[jonesloonybin]

We also have a Hodge podge. We use colored lights and we buy ornaments every year for the kids as well as special ones from our trips or memories. We do not use tinsel (as stated above..dog and cats...death...not very fun) But I do miss the tinsel...we did not have a lot of money growing up so we usually ended up with the "Charlie Brown" tree...but add a little (or a lot) of tinsel and you had a GREAT tree!

 

Most of my oldest dd's ornaments are angel themed since when my mother passed away she was the only grandchild so she received my mothers angel collection. (we also put an angel on the top of our tree) Growing up we had a star.

[RoughCollie]

I voted for everything - and would LOVE to have some tinsel except then the cats a d dog would eat it and choke and barf or die :glare: I grew up with tinsel and that means Christmas to me!!!!!

 

I know how you feel. We went without tinsel for 15 years when we had cats, and boy did I miss it. We are lucky that our dog refuses to go upstairs (in our house only, for some inexplicable reason), and our living room is halfway between the 1st and 2nd floors. That's where the tree, laden with tinsel, is placed.

 

When I was growing up, my parents put spray-snow on our trees. I like that, too, but I don't like how it gets all over the ornaments.

Edited December 2, 2008 by RoughCollie

[Happy]

Ecletic (is that how it's spelled?) is the word I'd use. Lots of colored lights and ornaments from every year we've been married, plus a few from our dating days. Dh made me an ornament on our first Christmas dating. It's my favorite.

 

We collect from our travels, too. And each son gets a new ornament each year, usually relating to something significant from that year. Like someone else said it's like opening up a book of memories. Which made it hard to decorate for Christmas after losing both my parents.

 

These days its a delight to decorate and a pain to put it all back in boxes again. But I absolutely love the look we achieve. Certainly unique.

 

I love tinsel, but dh doesn't. We've been tinsel free for a number of years. I think it is my turn again. ;)

[Rhonda in TX]

I love having what I call a "family" tree. No theme. Just memories. I love my Christmas tree. We do use all white lights, but that's because DH insists and I don't mind.