random musings

Finding the Perfect Christmas Tree Ornament

Christmas Tree Decorating

Ok, so I really love Christmas which is why I am alway on the lookout for my next perfect tree ornament. Yes you read that correctly, my NEXT perfect ornament, because every one has special meaning and memories of a specific time in my life (single, dating, married, children, vacations, etc) that they are all perfect. So what exactly is the perfect Christmas ornament.

For some (not me) it may be a gold trimmed and jewel studded crystal, for others a delicate hand painted glass ornament, and others simple hand carved wooden reindeer. Perhaps it’s simply a small glass snowman that’s been passed down through the generations. Honestly, the perfect ornament, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder (or in this case – the owner of the Christmas tree).

At some point in our lives we move out to live on our own, or with a significant other, and start having to decorate our own apartment/home for the Holidays. The first time this happens it’s usually a bit of a shock, since we’re so used to just unpacking all the same decorations we used last year. But once you’re out on your own, the decorating is all up to you (in addition to the fact that you’ll probably also need to buy your own tree, but that’s another discussion). So what ornaments should you get?

Typically, we’ll start with ornaments that are familiar to us, similar to those that we’ve seen on Christmas trees of years gone by. To me, these are simply filler ornaments as they just take up space and provide some background color. The decorations that make the tree yours, are the ones that have special meaning for you. You’re first perfect ornament might be from a gift shop at a National Park where you and your significant other first vacationed together. Or maybe it’s from the tropical island (or European city) where you got engaged to be married.

So as you can see, the perfect ornament not only depends on who you are (and what you like) but also what stage of life you’re in. I’m fairly sure that most parents have a perfect decoration that has a picture and/or name of the first child (and everyone thereafter). As your life takes you on your unique journey, you’ll soon find that if you’ve taken a moment to pick up a small keepsake at special moments, that your Christmas tree is no longer decorated with filler ornaments, it is completely perfect. As a matter of fact, it’s very possible that once your children get a little older and they start collecting ornaments from their favorite places, you may end up needing more than one tree.

So as you can see, it doesn’t really matter what the ornament is actually made of, it’s the memories it brings that make it perfect.