Toy Tree

After Christmas four or five years ago I found my 5 foot tree at Target for about $5.  How could I resist?  The tradition of bringing back a toy tree like the one I had growing up was now inevitable.  I now had the smaller, skinny tree.  I had my childhood ornaments.  I had the fun ornaments I had been given throughout the years and the ornaments I had for my kids.  The toy tree was back!

Here are a few of the ornaments I have on the tree. 

This first one is mine from my childhood that my Grandma made with my picture on it.  Grandma would make an ornament like this for all six of her grandkids.  What a woman.  The detail with sequins is amazing.


This other picture is an example of random ornaments that go on the tree.  Anything that doesn't fit with the "formal" blue, silver and purple tree gets its place on the toy tree.

I have started a tradition that every year my kids get an ornament (sorry Grandma, mine aren't home made).  Some years it is just a fun or nice ornament; other years it has meaning - a football helmet with my son's name and year on it or the matching ornament my daughter and her best friend both got.  Once the kids move out, I can box up their ornaments and at least they will have a few fun ones, hopefully with meaning from their childhood, to put on their own tree.  Or with any luck, they will eventually have their own toy tree to share with their kids and keep this tradition alive.

What traditions from your childhood do you carry on in your family?