Every family that decorates a tree for the holidays has their own special traditions. Ornaments are important to every Christmas tree, whether they are bought a week before, or hold sentimental value. A Christmas tree without special decorations is practically a glorified house plant.
Some families will buy different ornaments every year, but most commonly families will use the same ornaments every year. Most people acquire an array of special ornaments that become a family tradition, sometimes even passing them down from generation to generation.
“We use the same ornaments every year because it seems like a waste if you don’t use your ornaments over again. They can also be more meaningful and sentimental,” said Clara Etheridge.
Most people who celebrate Christmas will still have ornaments saved from when they were handcrafted in elementary school and are used on their tree to this day. Ornaments such as these can hold a lot of sentimental value to people, reminding them of their own childhood or of the childhood of their child.
“It is usually the ornaments that I have made since I was like two or when I was really young,” said Etheridge.
Picture courtesy of Abby Zimmerman
When it comes to childhood ornaments or ornaments that were hand-made by family, people will mark down the date that they received the ornament on the ornament itself. Writing down the date of an ornament may not seem important at the time, but it is helpful to yourself in the future or even to future generations. Either way, it is used to remember all sorts of things.
“Some ornaments have dates because those are usually the ornaments that mark a special date or year in our lives,” said Etheridge.
While there may be a few individuals who buy new ornaments every year, it is more common for people to be completely overgrown with their ornament collection.
“My family does not buy new ornaments, but we get them from friends and family as gifts. We don’t buy them personally because it can take up a lot of room if we just have a stockpile of ornaments,” said Etheridge.
There are a lot of different ways to decorate a Christmas tree. A lot of individuals like to add different themes to their decorations, but the most common theme is the traditional Christmas colors.
“Mostly, Red, Green, Blue, and White. My family uses the festive color,” said Etheridge.
Ornaments can mean a lot more to people than they may seem. To some, ornaments are just plastic balls that you put onto your tree, but they can hold a lot of significance to the owners. Like a wedding ring passed down from mother to child, ornaments are a part of our lives and a sign of love for one another.
“They are important to my family, because we love each other and care about each other,” Juliana Barresi.
