Ornaments spark family bonding

Getting a Christmas tree is an essential tradition to any family who will be celebrating the holiday. With lights going all around the house, the Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the entire build of this festive season.

Some of the essentials to decorating a Christmas tree would be different kinds of ornaments. Whether it being the gingerbread men or stars all around the tree.

As families continue to decorate, they always have new things to put on their Christmas tree. With all these festivities, Hannah Nale, ’17, remembers some of her favorite ornaments to put on the tree.

“My family decorates our Christmas tree with all sorts of ornaments,” Nale said. “Each year all four of us kids get a new ornament to put on the tree. As we each put our ornaments on the tree we are reminded of our past years and even our family history. We have collected so many ornaments that we can fit two Christmas trees now!”

Parents make their children learn the traditions of decorating the tree. Their children then grow up to teach their younger cousins on how it the family tradition works.

Stockings are always a tradition that is followed during Christmas time. These are meant for the little things that don’t go under the tree. 

With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas right around the corner, families are coming together. Erin Wilson, ’18, talks about the importance of family during decorating the tree and being together during Christmas as a family.

“I think it is really important to have family together while you decorate the tree,” Wilson said. “We have this one ornament from when I was in elementary school. I made it myself and ever since then we have put that ornament on the tree. One of my favorite parts on decorating the tree is that my family can come together as one and have fun while making the tree look nice. We usually make hot chocolate and sit around talking and making hilarious jokes.”

Families like to get the little ones involved as well. Children usually get their own special ornaments to put on the tree so that they feel more involved.

One of the classic traditions in decorating the Christmas tree is always putting the cherry on the top. With every tree comes either a golden star or a family related ornament that can go on the top to represent your tree.

With family coming home from Christmas, it makes decorating the tree that much better. Having three sisters coming home for Christmas Owen Monke, ’21, talks about being together with his family.

“It’s really nice to have my sisters home for Christmas,” Monke said. “Even though I get to see them during Thanksgiving, I always like having them around during Christmas time. It makes me even more delighted when I can have my entire family around the tree either decorating or exchanging presents. There is no better season than Christmas, in my opinion.”

The tree usually goes up around right after Thanksgiving. With this, families have time to decorate it the way they want to.

Whatever way Christmas is celebrated, it is always important to decorate the tree. It is one of the biggest traditions in all of Christmas and it is not taken for granted with families able to spend time together doing something together as one.

To read another Christmas article check out, Christmas cheer lights up central Valley

This writer can be reached via email: Suky Cheema