Tree Skirt Tradition

In 1997, I read a blurb in Home Life magazine (a Lifeway publication which our church provided) about making a personalized skirt for your Christmas tree. I took this idea and ran with it. I used a white fuzzy tree skirt ($2-3) and had the boys (then 2 and 4) dip both hands in gold paint and put them on the tree skirt. I then wrote their names and the year by their little handprints.

I pulled some packages away from the tree to take this picture...


and then this close-up.


At the time, I didn't realize how fast they would grow and how quickly the tree skirt would fill up. A couple of years ago, I began having the kids (Chase was added by then) put just one handprint on the skirt each year. Nevertheless, after Christmas last year, there was simply no more room on our tree skirt.

Since I had to buy a new small tree for the kids' ornaments this year (see yesterday's post), I also purchased a new tree skirt, exactly the same, only smaller. We put the 2007 handprints on the new skirt which is under the boys' tree.

If you have little kids and would like to use this idea, I highly recommend putting only one handprint each year. Or you may want to purchase a separate tree skirt for each child. You could alternate which one you used each year, and then give them to each child as they left home for his/her first tree. Just some thoughts!