trees

Our tree is special just plain, because it was the first present my DH bought me as his wife. It is usually a mismatch of all kinds of ornaments and balls. Many are craft items that the children and I have made or they have made at school. Several are
painted salt dough, cinnamon applesauce dough and glittery stars made from felt. Some ornaments belonged to my mom. My DH always has to have his gaudy gold
tinsel( which I hate, but he hates my Nutcracker collection so we compromise!) Always multicolored lights that are steady, no blinkies!! Inevitably the tree gets knocked over at least once a year, so we are just happy to have everything on, in no particular order. We do enjoy looking at the ornaments we've had for years, especially if they are ones the kids made. I always get a smile when I pull out the personalized wreath shaped family ornament that I bought years ago when "The Shynski Family" only included 2 names instead of 5. Every year we laugh because our first year of marriage before we bought this tree, our neighbors gave us their old tree. Well, we put it up and try as we might there was no way to make this tree
look presentable. It looked like the Charlie Brown tree that squirrels attacked!! So my Dh bought me the tree we have now as my Christmas present. It is
beautiful and full and even after 10 years people still ask me if it is real or fake. Anyway, the neighbor that gave us the tree came over and saw the new tree and says, " WOW!! That's AMAING!! WE never could get it to look THAT good!!!" Our tree is very much a tree of memories.

Our tree is full of sentimental ornaments, it has ornaments that I made when I was little(boy was that a long time ago) to ornaments that my late Grandma made or gave me. Also ornaments that my children have made or ones that we make at home. It is tradition in our house for me to put the tree up and put the lights on, then I hand the kids an ornament and we talk about each one before it goes on the tree. I want the kids to remember about the ornaments so when I'm gone they can pass it down to there kids. One year when my two oldest where 2 and 4 we were putting ornaments on the tree and when we were done we stand back and look and it. Well since they were only little then the ornaments only where on the bottom half. We laught at it. Every year they got a little higher, know they can reach the whole tree because they are 12 and 14. But the new two year old is going to help this year. We even have some broken ones on the tree because that was the year my know 12 year old climbed the tree and it fell over. We laught at those ornaments know. He did that when he was 3. Needless to say our tree is full of a lot of memories. And that is how our Christmas is. Have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Two years ago I started a new tradition to decorate our tree. I was so tired of all the commercialism out there and the ornaments that meant nothing so now we only decorate our tree with ornaments that we have made or that someone has made for us. We get to proudly display the kids ornaments from when they were younger and it gets us all thinking about new ideas for the tree. This year I painted poinsettias and bells on sand dollars that we found at the ocean in Washington State this summer. I am also attaching one to each gift I give outside of my house so that others can enjoy them. I also made shell angels from the shells we found. My son, who is 12, is still trying to come up with a creative idea for what he can ad. We have made cinnamon ornaments, pine cones that we put glitter on, candycanes that we twist out of pipe cleaners, anything that we take a part in making. It is fun and makes our tree more special to us.

I am enjoying the ideas from other freelancers.

FREELANCER, BRENDA

My tree is a Santa Tree, i've been collecting santa ornaments for several years now, and i have some really nice ones, my grandchildren love it. I have clear lights, the tree is huge 7 1/2 ft. I like to just sit and watch the light, it's soothing , almost like a fireplace. (relaxing).

Freelancer, PEARL

My tree takes several days to complete. First, it is an artificial tree because we like to leave it up from latter November to mid January! First, it has 4 hundred colored lights that flicker (not blink!) running in and
out of the tree on the tops and bottoms of the branches. Then it has another 400 colored lights that stay on running the same. Next, I have beautiful antique multi-colored glass beads that drape the ends of the branches. Then the ornaments... no two alike, some turning in circles, some going up and down. One of my boys collects Taz ornaments, the other just likes them all. After all that, I have crystal icicles that must hang just perfectly at the end of each branch... and then throughout the inside of the tree. It is quite a tradition with my family and our friends.

Freelancer, PATTI

I generally choose a different theme each year and we have often made the ornaments for each theme. Lack of time has given way to less "elaborate" crafting of ornaments though. Have had patriotic theme, floral theme,
country crafter theme, victorian, musical, winter wonderland, snowman, red & gold with heart ornaments, silver & blue etc. One year when we were extremely stressed due to 2 deaths within weeks of Christmas we simply
strung lights and displayed all the Holiday cards we received, nesting them on the branches......it was very heartwarming ..... I'm real behind this year-haven't chosen a theme-may be a repeat year!!

FREELANCER LISA

Ya'll are going to think I'm nuts, but we have three trees!!!! Two big ones and one smaller one. I LOVE Christmas and I have LOTS of ornaments. The fancy tree (an artifical one, one of the expensive ones I got on clearance--of course!) is blue, silver and white, I've never tried this color scheme before but it looks awesome!!! I use wide ribbon instead of garland (got it at gardenridge this year 50% off). The other tree (usually a real one) is the family tree with all of our "first christmas" ornaments (wedding, births, etc) and all the special ornaments from friends and family members. The third tree is the kids' tree upstairs which they get to decorate however they want (but without lights). It is a lot of work, but this way we get to display all of our things and everyone is happy because everyone gets to be creative.

Freelancer, DEANN

My tree has sentimental ornaments on it. I have a Santa Claus tree topper. My ornaments are mainly a lot of Gnomes, animals, an ornament that looks like my childhood dog, SenTu. :) I also have ornaments that I made, or were made for my family. I have a lot of musical instrument ornaments & ballet. I have a lot of crystal & glass ornaments. It's all finished with beautiful white lights & pine cones. I buy a new ornament every year. This year it was shooting stars.

Freelancer, DAWN

Decorating the tree has always been a tradition in the family since I was a kid. When I moved out on my own I bought my first tree and had one string of 100 count lights and 10 ornaments that I made myself. It was a really pathetic looking tree but it was my first. One thing that I forgot to do when I bought it was to cut the end off the trunk to remove the sap covered end. My poor tree never drew up water and was dead in about 2 weeks. When my boyfriend and I removed it from my apartment all the needles fell off onto the carpeting in my living room. The only picture I have of it is with all the needles off the tree and on the floor. Before my husband and I had kids we had themed trees, all blue, Red Poinsettia tree and the Silver Tree. Now with kids we have the usual homespun ornament trees. It’s an adventure every time we take out the box to start decorating. It is also a trip down memory lane with every ornament out of the box. The themes are over and the memory tree has taken its place. That is our decorating method.

freelancer, M YORK

We place an 8' tree in our vaulted foyer. I like to start with just the lights for a week to appreciate the simple beauty of it. Then of course, the family is anxious to place an angel or star on the top. Next the decorating begins. It usually starts with something handmade by a child. Then the others want to add their own handcrafts. Next thing you know they are scampering about in the basement looking for boxes of sentimental ornaments. Each year their grandparents and I gift a new ornament to each child. This adds up quickly I have discovered. But when I went to stop one year (thinking that since they get two from grandparents they wouldn't miss one from me), they were so disappointed that we shopped the after Christmas sale for them. Our oldest two are now married. For their 2nd Christmas' I wrapped up their childhood ornaments for them. It was neat to see them nestled among the themes each couple had chosen for their 1st Christmas together.

Freelancer, GAIL

Well, I live with my fiance and parents, so we actually have two trees!!! Both of them are decorated with a plethora of things collected from friends, family, crafts we made as kids, and the such. They are a mish-mash of so many different things, but I absolutely LOVE taking out the ornaments every year and remembering them. My favorites are a little blue bird in a nest that was pretty much chewed up by my first dog and an angel I made in kindergarten!!! Both are pretty much beyond repair, but never-the-less go on that tree EVERY year!! My fiance and I also buy a new ornament every year that we've been together for our tree (that's 8 ornaments so far). Then we use others that family and friends have given us! I love it!

Freelancer, JANET (who is a teacher BTW)

I have the peanuts that surrounds ornaments which look like bubbles...the ones you blow from the wand. Since I do not have the kids I wanted, decorating the tree is rough. My school kids give me pictures each year with their name, year I had them, their age on the back and I have them (the pics) in the peanuts. So, as I pull out the ornaments that are so fragile, and feel some sadness over the lack of kids, I get to see those I have touched and with each picture...their story..their age now...comes back and the feeling that "my" kids are around. It is a wonderful way to wipe the emotional tears away with reality. Each year the kids are older!!! OMG!!!! And then the fun things hit...all the pet ornaments for my real time kids! : ) From the thorns comes the roses.

Freelancer, SAMANTHA

I have theme trees....yes, trees. I have decorated five trees this year!!! At one of my restaurants there is a traditional tree with ornaments that the staff makes from pizza dough(practically free!). At the other, I have a Budweiser Tree and a Flamingo Tree. For the Bud Tree I used mini budweiser hats that were supposed to be bottle toppers that my distributer gave me (free!) with red balls and red ribbon that I've had for years. And the Flamingo Tree was FREE last year. I used it as a New Year's Eve Tree, it has pink and white lights with plastic yard pink flamingos....the boy's have top hats and the girl's have pink feathers!!!!! It is a riot, everyone loved it so much last year I had to recreate it. Then at home I have a 4' mini tree decorated in Atlanta traffic style (also FREE last year)...it has helicopters and HERO vehicles and road signs...I'm! putting all the pets presents under this tree!! And I have a traditional tree at home with lots and lots of white lights and colored glass balls and whimsical ornaments we've been given. You may be wondering how I get FREE Christmas trees!!! Well, my boyfriend has a friend that works in event set up and he does the Festival of Trees in Atlanta every year. After the show they just throw out everything. He knows how much I "LOVE FREE STUFF" and he never forgets me!!!

freelancer, BRENDA

My husband and I live on the road going from jobsite to jobsite and our Christmas tree is decorated with pinecones, birdhouses, birds and other items that you would find in nature. our household tree is decorated with nothing by Santa's.

Freelancer, SUSAN A couple of years ago, I got tired of hanging and messing with the
lights. SSSoooo, I went out and bought a fiber optic tree (4ft). I did away with my 13 year old bulbs and 5 year old bows! Everything that is on this tree is hand made by my boys through their school years and
before. I love it! What's more memorable than that!

Freelancer, JANICE

I would say my theme is Childhood Memories. I use mostly stuffed toys that I have collected over the years. Mostly my favorites from my childhood. Winnie the Pooh, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer series (CVS two yrs ago), The Grinch, and my favorites Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo...still searching for Miss Piggy bargains to complete my collection! We filled our 9 ft artificial tree with wooden handpainted ornaments that my mom and I painted when I was about 5 yrs old...I am sure she did most of the painting. They bring back wonderful memories. My mom also gave me a lot of our ornaments we collected/received as gifts over the years. Some are at least 30 yrs old. I get a kick out of it when aunts visit and they see the ornaments they gave me when I was 6 yrs old. My new husband and I had started collecting the Hallmark ornaments the first year we were together but only ones that mean something to us (Snoopy for me Dan Marino for him). Even if they are in a series we don't always follow thru the next year with the next in the series. We also always pick up an ornament when we visit a new place. This helps us remember our trips together. I now have a new baby boy (Alex 3 mos old) so now I have even more of an excuse to get more brightly colored ornaments. We already added Big Bird and Cookie Monster. SEE PICTURE!!!!!!!!

freelancer, ILONA

My Christmas tree theme every year is "German". My tree always has candle lights and birds on it. Along with other ornaments and garland. I was born there to foreign parents and my mother said in Germany they always had candles on their Christmas tree. She did, too, when I was little and I have always done so, too. I was too small to remember any of it in Germany, but I do love the idea of the candles.

Freelancer, SANDY

We go to Ohio for Xmas! On my Moms tree, she has always put my Dads picture and my brother--he lived in Florida and couldn't be with us! He has passed away since but it is nice having their pictures there!

Freelancer, JILL

Well.... I have those big round glass ornaments (I buy them at Neiman Marcus
after Christmas every year!) They are all different colors, then I also
have an ornament form every country I have visited - the last one I got was
Mexico form our cruise last Dec. We also have a small tree (new this year) just for my son and each year we
get an ornamet to represent that year - this year - SpongeBob! The rest on
that tree are cheap non breakable ones - he's 2!

Freelancer, Rhonda

We decorate our tree with a Teddy Bear theme. We buy a couple of new ornaments every year. I have been doing this now for over 10 years so I have quite the collection.

Freelancer, JOANN

We have a tradition in our house to decorate the tree with all the ornaments that have been handed down to us from my family .we have Germany. American and our first tree ornaments but the most important thing is to (Pop the popcorn and then get the needle and thread going and then string the popcorn and put on the tree it smells so great .and that is something My son at a young age wanted and have done this for 31 years so far .) So this is our tradition to do together,

Freelancer, COLLEEN

I decorate my tree with sentimental ornaments. I have many from my childhood, ones my mother made for me, some I made as a child and my favorite made from an egg that was blown out and a neighbor's granddaughter painted Flower the skunk from Bambi on it. It is dated 1977 and is still without a crack. Every year I get new ones to add to my collection. I usually try to get a dated one as well. I also buy special ones for special events and times such as the birth of my daughter and now I buy ones for her to reflect her own joys. This year I bought her a glass cardinal - her favorite bird and she picked out a train because she likes Thomas the Tank Engine. For my husband, I bought an pickup truck ornament because he's restoring a 55' chevy pickup. For me, I got a glass Matroyshka doll ornament (Russian nesting doll) because I collect the wooden ones. I also like to get Irish ornaments to reflect my heritage. I think we need a Freelancer ornament!

Freelancer Dawn W

We decorate our tree with mostly angels now. My aunt started making angels for the entire family (50+)
about 10 years ago. Each year is a different angel handcrafted, and each one is decorated in a way to
represent that person, IE color of hair or favorite color. With each year our tree has grown from 2
ornaments the first year to lots since we now get 4 specially made angels for each one of us every year.
She starts with the idea sometime in July and works feverishly in autumn to get them all out in time for
Christmas, and many are now shipped away to as far as California for my cousins family and for a time to
England for my Uncle's family who was stationed there for the Navy. This tradition really means alot and we
like to show people them and which ones are "us".

Freelancer, AMANDA

for the past couple of years I have decorated my house in a Winnie the Pooh Christmas. All the ornaments, lights, and othe different Christmas stuff is all Pooh. I have the mechanical Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet and Eyeore. My 2 year old daughter loves it!

Freelancer RHONDA B

I also try to buy a new ornament each year for each of my three boys. These represent something that is happening in their lives like soccer or church, etc. I plan to give each boy their ornaments when they get married and have a tree of their own.

Freelancer BOBBI

I usually dont get into themed Christmeas Trees, but this year our Americas colors Red, White & blue seemed to be very appropiate, so we collected red white & blue things thru the year and now we have an America The Beautiful tree all in these three colors. We even have a red,white & blue standing snowman!!!! Everyone enjoys it!!! Thank you for letting me share this with you!!!!

ANJIE NOTES

My tree is GREEN with White, Silver and Glass ornaments . I collect at least one new ornament each year to try and represent something special during the year...........ie......... a trip or this year key west PLUS a NEW BABY! :) We also do white lights! I will post a pic when we get it up............we always do REAL so we wait to put it up so it stays fresh thru the new year!

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR RESPONSES I couldn't possibly print them ALL so I printed a variety so you could see some of them. MANY of you do the one ornament per child per year and then give them to them when they have their own tree............WOW then you have a NAKED TREE...........hmmmmmmmm what about that for a theme..........naked freelancers??????????? LOL just kidding! AND YES A FREELANCEBYU ORNAMENT WOULD BE THE BOMB................GREAT IDEA FREELANCERS!