Last week, Michael and I finally got to putting up our Christmas tree and other Christmas decorations in our home. Since this is our first Christmas in our new home and because we just recently moved in, we decided to just focus on decorating our sitting room on the main floor. Our sitting room is where our beautiful, whitewashed fireplace is, so it was the perfect place to focus on for this year, and even more perfect for our Christmas tree.
Michael and I have been married for 2 1/2 years now, but honestly, we haven’t really started any holiday traditions yet. Life has been a whirlwind for us the past couple of years, haha. We do love setting up a Christmas tree and drinking hot cocoa, but other than that, we haven’t ventured into creating traditions until now.
Christmas ornaments are some of my most favorite holiday decorations, as they can hold so much meaning and tell so many stories.
Now that we own our own home, my mother-in-law sent down all of Michael’s collectible ornaments from over the years. Each year, for Christmas, Michael’s grandmother gets him a new truck ornament from the All American Truck Series. What a sweet little tradition, right? We’re both excited that we finally get to incorporate a few of the trucks into our Christmas tree this year. I told Michael that next year we’ll get another Christmas tree that’ll just be for his collectibles – he loved the idea, especially since he can put it in our entertaining space downstairs… aka, his “man cave”.
One of the best ways to decorate for the holidays is to combine the old with the new. Continue on with old traditions and decorations, and make room for the fresh and new. Our Christmas tree perfectly captures the old and the new, and it has brought so much joy to our hearts. Here’s a look at what we decorated our Christmas tree with this year.
Some of “the old” decorations that we included on our tree this year are a few of the truck ornaments from Michael’s collection, my Barbie Ballerina ornament, our ornament from the year we got engaged, and some wedding photo ornaments.
This darling Barbie Ballerina ornament was a gift from Michael on Christmas one year. I have been a dancer my entire life and I have a love for Barbie, so I was so happy when he gave it to me.
My mother-in-law gave Michael and me our engagement and wedding photo ornaments. She also gave us one of our new ornaments this year – an ornament with a photo of our house.
Now, it’s time to share the new ornaments that we got this year from Wayfair. Wayfair has tons of really great ornaments – there are some for everyone and every style.
For some reason, Michael and I both love polar bears, haha. There’s not much of a story to it – we just love them. When I saw this polar bear ornament, it was an immediate “add-to-cart”!
We live in The Pocono Mountains and yes, you’ve guessed right – we live in the woods. It’s something we’ve really grown to love. This wood ornament with the bird’s scene spoke to me when I saw it. Since wood is also a general decor accent for our main floor, I knew this needed to be ours.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree… I love you when you’re gold and sparkly. 😉 Gold and glitter – does this need an explanation?
Our cat, Juniper, is such a joy in our lives, so we couldn’t not get her an ornament of her own. This stocking ornament with cat gifts in it was too cute to not get.
And last, but certainly not least for our new ornaments this year… the “you perk me up” coffee ornament was a MUST-HAVE for our Christmas tree. Michael and I are proud coffee snobs, so this just made sense! 🙂
Michael and I have dreams of future traditions we want to incorporate into our family in the coming years, especially once we have some kiddos! I think it’s so important to start traditions that have special meaning to you and your loved ones. Those are always the best traditions.
Did you know that some people participate in the holiday tradition of having an upside-down Christmas tree? The upside-down Christmas tree tradition surged back into popularity in the early 2000s.
Christmas trees were hung upside down from the ceilings of castles and the large homes of the aristocracy, much like a chandelier. It’s possible the tradition of the Christmas tree dates as far back as the 8th century, where legend credits the spark of the tradition to Saint Boniface – but what is certain is that fir and spruce trees were being hung upside down by the 12th century, decorated with flowers and brightly wrapped food.
In Poland, the tradition of the upside-down Christmas tree continued through the 18th century when it was finally replaced by the German tradition of what today we consider a standard Christmas tree. The modern Christmas tree can trace its roots to 16th century Germany, where Martin Luther is said to have first placed lit candles onto an evergreen tree.
For more information on this awesome trend, read here. Would you ever consider having an upside-down Christmas tree? If so, go HERE and check them out!
How’s your Christmas decorating going? Do you have any holiday decorating traditions? What’s one of your favorite ornaments that you own? Let’s chat!
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