I’ve never decorated a house with out a tree…. we are asked to decorate front doors, mantles and always we have a tree! Most people start their first year by getting a tree, even if they don’t have any other decorations. This really is the best way to start, because every year, you can add to that tree…or another tree…
Some of my clients want “designer trees”. And they are beautiful! But most of us start out with a tree that we do on our own. The kids make things, and we collect special ornaments through the years of the places we visit. The kids put up the ornaments that they make at school for us out of macaroni and popsicle sticks. 
That’s how we fill the tree when we have nothing. Everyone remembers threading popcorn and cranberries, or making construction paper garland…it all fills in the tree. When we put up those ornaments, it is like a time warp backwards. And it is those same ornaments we lovingly place on the tree year after year….remembering our past…hoping for our future. Slowly the spirit of Christmas appears on the tree.
Busy parents working days on end sometimes tell me to put up the decorations and light the tree, but leave the decorating of the tree to them to do with the kids. The kids always run in after school to see the tree lit, and can hardly wait to start putting “their decorations” on the tree. By taking away the stress of the parents doing the rest of the house, they can truly enjoy this time with their kids.
When my clients want that “designer tree”, they still have the “special tree” ornaments somewhere else. Those special ornaments that they’ve collected over time don’t get tossed aside. They go on the “kids tree”, or a wire tree for collectibles. They are always there somewhere. When I see their treasures, I am given a glimpse into their lives, and feel honored that they share that with me. I can see the baby’s shoes, the ornament commemorating their trip to NY city, an acquisition of Patience Brewster, or the tree just for college memorabilia. It all means something truly spiritual to them. As I watch the kids looking over those ornaments, I start to catch the spirit of Christmas…it is family memories.
Trying to get in the spirit of Christmas? Decorate your tree. Turn up the Christmas carols, invite a friend over to help, give the children some tinsel and finish it with some hot chocolate. When it is all done, take just a moment that night, when the house lights are off and only the tree lights are on, to sit by the tree and just look at the shiny lights….remember the spirit of Christmas comes with participation in Christmas.
