When I was a child, I got to hang one or two ornaments on the tree and was told exactly where and how to hang them. The tree had to look "just so." There is nothing wrong with that, but I really didn't enjoy the tree decorating as a child. It wasn't a family thing as my father was rarely present for it. It was a stressful time for me, and I felt like nothing I did was good enough.
As a mom, I wanted decorating our Christmas tree to bring us closer as a family. So, each year, I hand out the ornaments and let the children have at it. They talk to each other, laugh, and help each other. They tell stories of each ornament or look for the ones they made over the years. As a result, our tree looks nothing like a department store tree! It looks a bit crazy, but there is joy, love, and togetherness in the room! Unlike the bland perfect trees, I get warm and fuzzy inside when I gaze upon our very imperfect tree because of the memories we made together.
Take every opportunity to build your families, mamas. There are plenty of things which will tear at your family: desire for control, competing with others, a sense of entitlement, expectations that can't be met, jealousy, resentment, anger, greed, gossip, etc. It's in these seemingly insignificant moments, like decorating a Christmas tree, that big things are being built or torn apart. Merry Christ-a-must!
