It’s here! It’s here! Time to trim the tree, put up the lights and hang up the ornaments! One of our favorite days of the year is the day we decorate our tree and spend time reliving the memories behind our beloved ornaments. My husband has an ornament he made when he was around five years old – a red painted clothespin decorated with white yarn, that we believe is supposed to be Rudolph. I have one that my Mom purchased in her native country, and l love to think about how she carried it home halfway around the world thirty years ago. We also have my son’s first handmade ornament, which he made in preschool that consists of a piece of yellow scotch tape with his name on it.

Every year we purchase a new ornament with the year marked on it, and these ornaments will no doubt become favorites for our kids when they’re older. But we also put other things on our tree that remind us of cherished times. We hang the cork from the bottle of champagne we drank the night we got engaged, a key from our first home, and the baby shoe that my son wore at his christening.

This year, before you go to the store to buy new ornaments, think about how to decorate your tree with things that remind you of those you love, special moments and things you’ve done. You’ll be surprised to find just how many things you already have in your home that would make wonderful memories to hang on your tree. We guarantee those ornaments will glow in the lights more brightly than the others.