The family Christmas Tree
I say “family” tree because I have a 2nd tree that I’ve banned the kids from touching! This is the first year I’ve had my very own “fancy” tree. I’ll show you that tree soon.
Today though I’m going to show you our “family” tree.
I pretty much just let the kids go to town on the tree. I want them to have fond memories of getting to decorate the tree each year with all their homemade ornaments. I’ve always wanted a big beautiful matching tree, but the family tree gets to look like complete and utter chaos.
Here it is all light-up at night.
From the time we got married (12 years ago!) we’ve collected an ornament or two each year. I’ve loved this tradition and Ben and I would go to the mall to select the perfect ornament for that year.
We were married in November of 1998, and since it was so close to Christmas, my mom bought us these ornaments our first Christmas together.
I’ve been crafting my entire life so of course I’ve made a few ornaments along the way as well…
I made sets of these angel ornaments for many family members when I was in high school.
And after Ben and I were married I made sets of these ornaments for each of our family members. Unfortunately this is the very last one that I have. All the others have broken.
Once the children were born we started getting ornaments with their names on them, ornaments that reflected the number of members of our family, and ornaments for each of the children that they can take with them when they move away and start their own family.
**Funny Story alert**
We use to have a huge variety of beautiful ornaments with sentimental value including all our family ones we’d collected each year.
When Travis was four he wanted to play with the ornaments on the tree, but of course we wouldn’t let him so we moved all the fragile ones to the top of the tree.
He was so determined to get those ornaments that when he tried to climb the Christmas Tree, the entire tree fell over and all those fragile ornaments at the top of the tree shattered.
Yes, the ornaments we’d collected for the past 7 years were shattered across our floor. Funny thing is, if we had left them at the bottom of the tree they would have had less distance to fall and would have been fine.
I was upset at the time, but I’d rather have a great story to tell about him knocking the tree over than a pile of ornaments. “Remember the time that Travis knocked the entire Christmas tree over…?” Each year he remembers this story and asks us to tell it again and again. He thinks it’s so funny that as a little 4 year old he tried to climb the tree.
So needless to say, we no longer have the first 7 years worth of ornaments. We still collect them each year though.
This ornament is from New Jersey in 2008.
We use to go to Dunkin’ Donuts all.the.time. when we lived in New Jersey. I’m glad we got a quirky ornament rather than a serious one with our names written on it.
This one is from when we lived in Dallas in 2006.
(Can you tell we started buying plastic ornaments rather than breakable ones?!)
I still remember passing this Krispy Kreme every.single.day. as I ran errands. The kids and I would stop here frequently.
I’m beginning to think we have a thing for donuts!
This one is from Travis’ first Christmas.
And Travis selected Darth Vader as his ornament last year.
My mom bought this one for Ben and I before the kids were born.
And of course there are all the homemade ones from the kids. Here are a few…
I love these cute ones my sister-in-law made for me.
Finally, here are the ones my kids selected for this year:
Even though the tree doesn’t look “magazine worthy”, I love it. It’s such a fun family experience each year to open all the ornaments and reminisce about our lives together as we hang each one on the tree. Some seem silly, but each one brings with it a memory and story that brings a smile to our faces.
I guess you could say this is one of our Christmas traditions each year. We go cut down the tree, go shopping for our new ornament, and then decorate the tree together as a family as we tell the stories of each ornament.
Don’t you love my lack of any tree skirt on each of the three trees? I’ve really been dragging this holiday season! Partly because I don’t want to spend any money on tree skirts and partly because I’ve just been so busy with life that I haven’t had time to deal with the fact that our trees look neked without their skirts!
Do you have any holiday traditions?
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Welcome to House of Hepworths! HoH is primarily a Home Blog that specializes in DIY projects and renovations, crafts, and decorating. My name is Allison. My family and I live in Austin, Texas. I'm married to Ben and have two children, a 10 year old son and an almost-8 year old daughter. To find out more or to contact me click 
I love the idea of a family tree! That a great idea for when my daughter gets a little older. My parents bought a HUGE tree one year when I was just a kid and it fell over and broke ALL the ornaments, which were given to us by my Busha (Polish for great grandma). So sad
Live and learn!
Tree skirts are expensive! A couple ideas…use felt (I actually saw a felt skirt at Target for $5) or use that fake blanket snow stuff or I am using red tulle. But I don’t like the tulle that much. It’s not thick enough but I spent $6 on it so I’m using it this year.
Anyway, I think your tree looks cute. A sentimental tree is better than a magazine-worthy tree in my book! 
I think your tree is very “magazine worthy”. It is so homey and special. We all have that tree that was (what I call) the family tree. It holds the special collected ornaments, of kids pictures, kids creations, and the plastic-non-breakable ones!
Can’t wait to see your “fancy” tree. We all have one of those also!
We have a family tree and a Santa tree. I use an old white satin sheet under my Santa tree. Just stage it a bit and you can’t tell it’s a sheet and it’s much fuller and prettier than a tree skirt. This year I’m on the hunt for a plaid flannel sheet or plaid fleece blanket to go under my family tree (I’m going for the winter lodge look). You can even use a large round table cloth by cutting a slit in it to fit around the tree. I like the idea of using a blanket or sheet more though because it serves a purpose once the tree comes down.
I really enjoyed reading this post. Christmas is all about tradition and you’re making sure that your family keeps on with yours, it’s great… I have fabric for a tree skirt. It’s about 3 yards and I went around it making sure to bunch it up for a fuller look and I’m happy with the way it looks
i love how happy and bright that tree is! and i need one of those dunkin donuts ornies… i love that place! the coffee rocks!
I think your tree is beautiful. I only have one tree in my house, and although most of the ornaments are mine from when I was a child, my kids still enjoy doing the decorating. AND I have been much better at letting the ornaments just be where there are, instead of rearranging them!
Hook ‘em Horns! Love that holiday ornament & what a great tradition! Hugs!
Love your tree. I am a family tree girl 100% I don’t have a second tree and I don’t know that I ever will. I have ornaments from when I was a kid and when my hubby was a kid and we add an ornament or two every year.
This year I hinted to DH that I want the starbucks ornament (similar to the dunken donuts one you have) because we buy peppermint hot chocolate there every time we look at Christmas lights, which is at least once a week!
Good luck with that! I’m speaking about getting your kids to take their ornaments when they leave. Neither of my kids would take their ornaments. They both said that the tradition was for those ornaments to be on our tree and they would start collecting their own ornaments for their homes. I still don’t understand it; the whole point of my doing this was for them to have their childhood Christmas with them in their homes but…nope, they had other plans. Ah, kids, don’t you love ‘em. (rolling my eyes but smiling anyway)
My mom and I exchange ornaments every year. Been doing it for 40 years!! Wow! Some of them have broken…but I have most of them.
My tree doesn’t have a skirt either….I need to make one for sure!!
Hugs
SueAnn
I love a family Christmas tree and the ornament tradition. We get ornaments every year too! And, happen to have that very same Darth Vader ornament!
Everything is so cute, except that Hook ‘em Horns one! 
I just did a post about ornament traditions too.
http://www.momendeavors.com/2010/12/christmas-ornament-tradition.html
Random question: What do you use to hang your stockings? I don’t see stocking hangers in the picture. This is the first year that I will have a mantel to hang stockings on and I am worried about using the big stocking hangers as I have small children and would hate for them to fall and injure one of the kids.
Thanks!
TOTALLY dig the Dunkin Donuts. Had no idea such heaven existed until I moved out here (to NJ) 5 years ago. And how funny that I have a Dunkin Donuts donut on my tree. Here’s to you, soul sista! Love the tree!
I LOVE your “family tree”. Christmas (after religious observances) is much more about family and remembering than it is about design or fashion. For those of you who really appreciate those things, there is nothing wrong with using those abilities, but allowing your children to participate in meaningful ways (without re-doing it all later) is the real deal!! I have such great memories from my childhood of decorating the tree and always believed each tree was the most beautiful EVER. Looking back on the photos…..well, if you saw them, you’d laugh, but no one can ever take away those memories!!
Love your kids tree! Fancy, pretty trees are fun too, but this tells a story. Looking forward to your next tree…
I live in Jersey and don’t have a DD ornament?! Maybe if I actually got off my duff and outta the drive thru I can go in the store find one!
Happy Holidays!
Oh my! Your 4 year old tried to climb the tree?! I am officially nervous now. My son is only 16 months old, but I can totally see him trying to do this someday. For now we just put a bunch of non-breakable stuffed ornaments at the bottom that he stays PLENTY busy with.
Your trees look great! We have regular fabric around one of our trees b/c I didn’t want to buy another tree skirt. They’re so expensive!
Love the KK ornament!
Hi…I just stumbled on your blog and love this post about the family Christmas tree. We go to the local Children’s hospital tree festival every other year and I just drool over the beautifully coordinated trees! But our family tree is just like yours….a mish-mash of fun ornaments with sentimental meaning we have picked up along the way. I do have small trees in my kids rooms with their ornaments on them, but we do have some of theirs (especially the ones they make at school) on the family tree. I also have a son born in 2002. This year, he wants the King Kong ornament. Hopeing to get out and get it soon, but we are having a doozy of a blizzard right now.
My hub and I do the new ornament every year we’ve been married (2 years). I absolutely LOVE it!!