Dave grew up cutting down his own Christmas tree, but since pine trees were few and far between in most of the places where I lived, I’m pretty content with the faux variety. Now that we have a house though, Dave is determined to start the real tree tradition in our family, and I’m more than happy to oblige! As much as I love a super cohesive-looking, magazine-worthy tree, there’s no question in my mind that the unique ornaments are what turn tree decorating into a really special tradition. My favorite ornament in my family has always been a little pink Precious Moments carousel, and I can’t wait to see which ornament of ours becomes Charlie’s favorite in the years ahead! For our tree this year, I’m thinking of picking up a pack of simple metallic ball ornaments, a cranberry garland, and some thick black and white striped ribbon (inspired by this and this), plus plenty of white lights, to use as a base. Then we’ll add in the few ornaments we already have, plus a few of the darling pieces I found below–I’d especially love to add the gingerbread house or the silver gift bow to our little collection!

Do you have an all-time favorite ornament from your family’s collection? I’d love to hear about it!