Families all over are getting their Christmas trees and setting them up, dusting off all the ornaments and lights in preparation for the holiday season. Tree trimming is certainly a fun time in my house.

I’ve seen the decorating magazines with all the beautifully dressed and lit trees. I’ve seen trees with just snowman ornaments. I saw one donning blue bulbs and blue lights. The nice salesperson at Kohl’s told me about a pink tree that had all pink decorations.

And then, there’s my tree.

I like to think of my tree as a scrapbook, featuring ornaments that remind me of good times, and communicate the unique personality of my family.

I did upgrade the tree this year from our four-foot Charlie Brown replica to one that can hold more decorations. Sure, we have Santa, angels, elves, snowmen and candy canes, and of course, lots of multi-colored lights. But we also have personalized ornaments for each family member, pets included.

We have several handmade creations, like the handprint one of my daughters made in preschool that is larger than our tree-topper. We have ornaments celebrating things the kids like to do, such as soccer and singing. A couple ornaments remind us of a trip we took last summer. We have a ball with multi-colored puzzle pieces, symbolizing autism.

And then, we get to the fun ornaments – the really tacky ones that make the kids and grownups laugh. Like the one with Santa carrying his surfboard, presumably after his deliveries are complete. There’s the pink flamingo wearing a hula skirt, and the pig in a tutu. And no tree in this house would be complete without the Dunkin’ Donuts plastic coffee cup.

My tree may not win any awards, but what it lacks in design, it makes up for in meaning and love, which is really what the holiday is all about.

Do you have any favorite ornaments? What is the cheesiest ornament you’ve ever seen? Please share with the class.

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Ah, the family Christmas tree, lifting our holiday spirits with all of its pine-y goodness:

It’s real, and it’s spectacular

What’s this? I haven’t seen that ornament before. Must be a handmade one that one of the kids brought home from school. It looks like it might be a dove, or perhaps a melted snowman that was tipped over by those neighborhood hooligans. Damn teenagers.

Let’s get a closer look. What the fuck?

That, my friends, is a half-eaten quesadilla carefully placed in the tree just so, right about here (holding hand out at the height of a certain weirdo four-year-old). And here we were calling Jamie-Lynn Spears white trash. Mr. Pot, I believe you know Mr. Kettle? Lou Dobbs has already blamed this circumstance on our lax immigration laws.

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