Not Your Typical Christmas

One of my favorite Christmas memories is decorating the tree with my grandma. She is well known for her “themed” Christmas trees. Some of her past themes have been: red and gold, santa, angels, homemade, Iowa State, etc. Over the years she has collected so many ornaments that she could probably pick any theme that she wanted. I love seeing what she comes up with each year. This year’s was probably my favorite tree yet! In my grandmother’s words, she wanted a “hodgepodge” of ornaments. What this really meant was that she wanted all her homemade ornaments on the tree first, and then wanted extra ornaments until it filled the tree up nicely. I think the main reason that it was my favorite was because of the memories we got to share while we were putting the ornaments up.

 

This lead me to a realization that I just felt like I needed to share. It doesn’t matter what your Christmas tree looks like, but rather what it means to you. For some people financial reasons can bring them down around Christmas time. Only being able to afford a small tree makes them feel bad. Others are upset that they have passed down homemade ornaments instead of the nice looking ones you see in the store. My friends and family are usually upset because they say my tree always looks better because I am a designer and know all the “secrets.” Truth is….there is no secret to decorating a Christmas tree. And it does not matter how big you tree is or how much you spend on it. What matters is the meaning behind it. My grandma loved having a new theme every year because it made her grandkids want to come out and spend time with her.

 

Enjoy some of these fun, colorful themed trees, and remember to enjoy the time!

 

-Katie Ann