Christmas Tree Day

Note: This is the first post in a series that will lead to the unveiling of our first ever Christmas Non-Tree.
For part two, go here.

Can you believe that today is the first day of December? I feel like September was just a few days ago!  Growing up, I always loved the month of December. The sparkling lights around the city, glowing Christmas trees glimpsed through windows, Christmas music playing in the stores. Such a hopeful, optimistic month filled with love and goodwill.

My family has created many many Christmas traditions and I hold each one of them dear. However, once I got married I knew I needed to create new traditions with my new little family. John and I were unable to fly home to New Mexico for our first two Christmas' which was sad and lonely, but I think it was also a way to drive home the point we are each other's family and we created amazing holiday traditions that we look forward to now.

One of the first things we did together for our first Christmas was chop down our own tree and decorate it together. That tradition, however, is going on the back burner this year. We are visiting New Mexico for Christmas and that has forced us to make some sacrifices both financially and with our traditions. We decided to use the money we'd typically spend on a tree towards our airline tickets.

Don't worry, though! That doesn't mean we aren't going to have a Christmas tree! We are simply creating a non-tree Christmas tree!  What is a non-tree Christmas tree, you ask? Well, it's a tree that is constructed from upcycled things you have at home. It's a way to enjoy the lights and ornaments and other decorations without having a tree (real or fake).

For the past week I've been cutting hundreds of snowflakes in preparation for the first ever Holt Christmas Non-Tree.  Our house is covered in little paper flakes and my fingers are bruised and sore. Our computer paper has been diminished and all I can see are tiny triangles and circles and folded paper.

By the end of the day, though, the Holt Christmas Non-Tree will be displayed for all to see. So, stay tuned for periodic updates on the snowflakes, the Christmas lights, the non-tree, and the holiday spirit!

Part two - Snowflake Blizzards