Our Yule Tree

Phew, the holidays are over!  We survived another round of family Christmases, stuffing ourselves along the way and playing games.  It was an excellent time with many memories made.

As people are rushing to tear down their winter decorations, it seems odd for me to (finally) post about our Yule Tree.  But Mike took such lovely photos of it that I thought better late than never!

Unlike others, who have very specific rules about the duration of holiday trimmings, our little tree goes up shortly before Christmas and stays up for the duration of January.  We once had a traditional 7-foot tree, but years of apartment living prompted a switch to something easier to place and store.

This tree cracks me up because it's so obviously compiled from leftover tree bits at the factory -- a little bit of traditional pine, some snow-covered spruce, and a dash of holly berries.

 
The tree's petite stature is also cost efficient - there's no need to continuously buy ornaments for it (or decorate the rest of the apartment, as this is the only holiday item we have).  I splurged on bubbler lights (above) a few years back because Mike remembered having them as a kid and they're really hard to find.

In following my family tradition, all ornaments must mean something.  Sure, we have a few generic glass bulbs, but the rest are connected to our lives in some manner.  Both of these were given to us to celebrate the first Christmas we got our cats.

When Mike asked me to date him back a million years ago, he presented me with a Hershey's Kiss necklace, hence the significance of these cuties.

I wouldn't say our tree is themed, but there is a plethora of Snoopy and Woodstock ornaments.  This is a throwback to my first ornament, which was one of Snoopy.  With it just being Mike and I, Snoopy and Woodstock fits.

Though not always dated, we have one for each year we've been together.

So yes, I bought an overpriced memento from Hallmark, but at least it's only one.  Spending 14 bucks on holiday decorations each year is more than reasonable.  This is the one we selected for this year.

I like that our little tree stays up for weeks at a time, which makes it feel like we get more use out of it than others might.  There's also something nice about having its colorful glow up through January's snowstorms and dark skies.

It goes without saying, but if you're looking toward next year's decorations, make sure to hit up the stores now.  You'll find everything from the ornaments themselves to storage containers and lights 50% off.  There are some good steals you can find!


How important are holiday decorations for you?