The Beauty of a Christmas Tree Topper

Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 8:07 pm

Whether you're religious or not, getting ready for Christmas is still one of the most elaborate and difficult tasks of the year. There's the Christmas tree, the nativity scene, indoor and outdoor Christmas lights, antique ornaments passed down in your family, and, of course, Christmas gifts. you also have to deal with all the preparation involved in sending out holiday cards, preparing a fancy holiday meal, and getting your clothes ready for the trip to church. But to me, the most important part is the figure that, both literally and symbolically sits above everything else: the Christmas tree topper.

Most families have a Christmas tree topper that they use every year, but in my family it was different. One year, we would have a beautiful Christmas tree angel, while the next year we would use a bright Christmas star.

One year we actually used a pretty outlandish tree topper. we decided to get all the family members together and make something by hand, but we couldn't agree on a theme. my sister wanted to make a Christmas tree star, while my brother wanted to make the three wise men.

I thought it would be nice to make a pumpkin (I was still in a Halloween mood) and my father and mother wanted to make a snowman and an angel respectively.

My parents finally decided that we could each make a part of it - they were so adventurous. What we ended up with was one of the most outlandish Christmas tree toppers the world has ever seen. It had different faces, shapes, and body parts sticking out from every angle.

We loved it but, to be honest, it was not a pretty sight. One of our family friends brought her five year old son over and, when he saw it, he actually started to cry.

Of course, most people want something beautiful on the top of their tree. Usually, an angel Christmas ornament or a lighted star looks best at the top of a tree, but it is nice to be able to mix it up every now and again.

Just make sure that, if your Christmas tree topper is a family heirloom, you are careful when storing it. It might seem like a good idea to let your youngest son be a big boy and climb up on the stepladder with the Christmas star but, when he drops it and breaks it, no one is going to be all that happy about it.

Just remember, there are more options than you might realize when it comes to picking out the perfect Christmas tree topper. sometimes it's fun to be different, for one year at least.