The Heart of a Christmas Tree

1 December each year is when we put up our Christmas tree.

This year, I decided to do something a little different and use one of our 1.8m White Cherry Blossom trees instead of a traditional green tree.

My mind envisioned snowflake decorations in ice blue and crystal to create a spectacular, shimmering look for the tree. So, off to the designer I went to get these created. When they arrived, I was gobsmacked… they were beautiful and would look stunning on the tree.

Well, 1 December arrived and my 13 year old daughter Kat and I started decorating the tree.

I handed her a couple of the crystal snowflakes to hang and after admiring them, she asked me, “Mum, were are all our normal decorations?”

“Well”, I said. “This year we are using these new crystal snowflake decorations which will make the tree look gorgeous.”

“No”, she said firmly. “We need to put up our normal decorations as well. You know, all the ones I made in kindy and the ones we picked out over the last 10 years. Otherwise it’s not a Christmas tree.”

Our “normal” decorations are a hodge-podge mix of home-made and bought baubles, some quite daggy, decorations given as presents by friends and others made by Kat over the years. They are all different colours and nothing matches. Some don’t even look like Christmas decorations!

So, we pulled them all out and started decorating with Kat giving a running commentary on who made the decoration or where it came from.

Poof went my vision of having a gorgeous tree that looked like it belonged in Myer or David Jones!

When we’d finished, we both stood back and said, “Yeah not bad.”

This got me thinking about what Christmas and the Christmas tree means to kids. For Kat, it wasn’t about having a tree that looked beautiful. It was more about the story that a particular decoration told.

The story of love and friendship behind each one. The Christmas ball that my girlfriend Theresa got me from Hawaii last year. The coloured balls I had made in Myer every year with Kat’s name and the year glued on in gold glitter. The photo star that Kat made for us in Grade 1. The clothes-peg reindeer made by our long-time friend and neighbour, Lindy. The dancing kangaroo with pink feather tutu that Kat loved when she saw it in DJ’s. Each one had a special memory.

So don’t worry if your tree doesn’t look all that wonderful. Don’t worry if your decorations are a little bit daggy. Isn’t that what life (and love) is all about? A Christmas tree with heart.

Rika Southcombe

Creative Loop Marketing & Events