Christmas is one of the most special times of the year. Beyond the sparkling lights and the bustling shopping malls and the mountains of gifts (all of which I love), Christmas is about celebrating the things that really matter – family, friends, and Jesus. Originally, Christmas trees were adorned with things that reflected these values – candy canes to symbolize the life and death of Jesus, fruit and berries to reflect the abundance in people’s lives, and cones filled with special treats for family and friends.

How far we’ve come! Somewhere along the way, the real meaning of Christmas has been lost. So this year, rather than the glitzy red and gold ornaments that I usually put on our Christmas tree, I wanted to make our celebration extra special by decorating our tree to reflect the things that our family cherishes the most.

So how did we do this? Well, let me show you some examples.

We collected pine cones on our honeymoon to the Canadian Rockies, as well as from parks close to home.

We made stars out of twigs that we collected on walks.

We made birds out of birch bark that we collected on a portaging trip.

We also used decorations that we purchased on various trips. For example, a little twig hedgehog that we bought while in St. Jacob’s, Ontario. A wooden carved moose that I bought on the way home from a camping trip that we took while I was in my third trimester with our newest family addition. And then there are decorations purchased by other family members because they saw them and thought of us.

This is the first year that my husband has actually liked the Christmas tree. And this is the most excited that I have ever been about Christmas. Every time we look at the tree, we are reminded of special times that we have had as a family and special places that we have gone.

This year, when we gather around the tree to read the story of Jesus’ birth, we will have tangible reminders in front of us of all of the many blessings He has brought into our lives. This Christmas is the most special one yet.