You Should Start This Ornamenting Tradition With Your Children.
Growing up, my family did not have a strong tradition of Christmas decorations. Or even one. There were no sentimental handmade trinkets or delicate mementos passed down from generation to generation. The main thing that I remember about our tree is its comical 1980s artificiality, consisting of rare hard branches, and “decorations” of candy that I stole before dinner. I can hardly remember what the rest of the jewelry looked like.
That is why today, as a parent of children aged 3, 6 and 8, I must suppress feelings of panic and fear by learning about the wonderfully sweet and adorable tradition of giving my child (children) a souvenir every year. While in the past two years I have had the foresight of allowing my children to choose from a small set at the Christmas shop where we buy our trees, I have missed a few crucial years to create personalized, carefully selected childhood memories. at the heart of the ornament of tradition. But if it’s not too late for me to start, then it’s not too late for you.
Why should you buy souvenir jewelry for your children?
The goal of creating a memorable tradition is twofold: you, parents, can not only enjoy the soulful moments every year when you see visual reminders of the main events, themes, experiences and interests in your children’s life, reflected in special decorations. they start their adult life with a collection of 18 – or more! – significant decorations for your own tree. (This way they won’t have to rely on a bunch of boring silver balls from Target when they go out and decorate their first tree like the rest of us did.)
How to start a tradition
Yearly jewelry can be made or bought – in fact, for the peak of nostalgic charm, we recommend a combination of both. When they are small, what can compare to a baby’s first Christmas decoration made from a cute chubby photo (easy to do with Shutterfly or Snapfish ) or a classic clay baby hand / footprint ? Other ideas include: anything related to their name and year , or decorations related to major events or their interests. It could be a van or an airplane to indicate movement, a piano to indicate the start of music lessons, or Darth Vader for a villain-obsessed Star Wars fan. The only prerequisite is linking to positive childhood memories.
What if your kids are older?
If your kids are a long way from infancy but are still in the house and want to get started, fear not. In my panicky run to our basement just to appreciate the decorations that could be attributed to each of my own children, I discovered more than I expected or remembered. If your child attended daycare or daycare, chances are you have a few snowflakes with a photo of them in the center (thanks, preschool teacher) or a sloppy but cute styrofoam deer with eyes they made when they were three …
If they are a little further in age, is there a reason this child cannot choose a soccer ball and decoration among us to celebrate this year? Absolutely not. Feel free to double up in any particular year to add to your collection, or remember together what they did when they were six and fill in the gaps for as many years as you can.