Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Kids Christmas Tree

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This is the first year we have decided to carry on a tradition I grew up with. A "kids" or "family" tree. My mom always had a beautiful, more elaborate or formal tree in the main family room of the entry of the house that was the pretty tree. Then every year we would go as a family and pick our our family tree that went downstairs and was decorated with all of our family ornaments, and the ones we made at school or in church. My mom would let us decorate it as we pleased and tree we had all our presents under Christmas morning. Its a nice way to have a pretty and perfect tree in one place and have the kids participate in the other tree.
So this year we started the tradition.
Last weekend when Eric's mom Sue was in town, we took the kids and Uncle Ban to go tree shopping with us.

The kids liked and wanted every other tree they saw but agreed on one in the end.
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Then we came home, turned on Christmas music and took out all the kids and family ornaments we have collected over the years.... and let the kids go to work all on their own..
They were in heaven decorated everything how they wanted...

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They also completely ignored the conventional styles of decorating...
Like spacing out the ornaments
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And not hanging any ornaments too low...
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and using a star for the tree topper (they chose this dunce hat looking thing, that is actually a table decoration, I think its pretty odd looking but who are we to question their creative minds)
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and they for sure didn't worry about over tinseling - any tinsel is too much in my book but my kids thought there couldn't be enough tinsel.
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Lucy didn't help decorate but she did enjoy watching and army crawling towards and decoration left on the ground...
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So proud of their final product.
Kandell Family Tree 2010
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9 comments:

Leslie said...

Great idea! And it looks like the kids loved it! Can you believe Christmas is so close?? Geez!

Scott and Chelsey said...

What a great tradition! Can't wait to do that with Blakely! Your kids are the cutest!!!

Haley said...

I had fun just looking at those photos!! such sweet memories for you guys :) Loved the eclectic ornaments, the paper chain, & the colored lights...and the adorable kidlets, they were my favorite :)

Haley said...

PS - your Thanksgiving looked ridiculously delicious, it actually got me really hungry :) and loved seeing all the pictures of the fam!

Callie said...

What a fun idea, my mom did the same thing growing up! They did a great job, looks so cute! Need to get our babies together, they would have crawling around eating everything in sight, haha!

Elise said...

They look so proud! Such sweet pictures.

Amber Lynn said...

looks fantastic, We always had a kids tree growing up too I thoguth about doing it for our kids, but its hard enough for me to decorate one tree. lol I love addy with her nut crakcer, Makes me think of the NUTCRAKER story. LOVE it.. Hugs

Partyof9 said...

Love it! Same tradition we had growing up. Although, we weren't given free reign on the decorating. How fun! lol

Merry Christmas!

Summer said...

I love it! I will most definitely be doing that tradition when I have kids. In my past life :)and when we weren't in an apartment, we did the same thing...my "grumpy old man tree" as I called it. I miss that thing!