O, Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree tradition is to pick out our trees on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We love real trees and have a smaller one in the living room and then a larger one in the family room.

We decorate the tree in the living room with white lights and our family ornaments. We place our wrapped books for Jolabokaflod under this tree and open them on Christmas Eve. (*Jolabokaflod is an Icelandic tradition of exchanging books on Christmas Eve and spending the night reading by the fire).

We leave the tree in the family room bare for the Advent season. On Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent), we put on the colored lights. Then on Christmas Eve, we bake a birthday cake for Jesus and decorate the tree before mass.

Both trees bring so much beauty into our home.

We enjoy praying and reading by the tree in the living room. Reading and writing in the dark with just the Christmas tree lights and a few candles is the best! But, seeing the bare tree in the family room fills my heart with so much joy. The natural beauty in its branches and pine scent provide so much comfort next to the fireplace.

It is priceless.

Do you have a Christmas tree tradition you love?