By: Krystin Miller

As the year comes to a close, there are many cultural and religious holidays being celebrated throughout our neighborhoods in Northeast and beyond. However, the Christmas Tree has become a universal symbol of the season. Everyone decorates their trees differently – each as beautiful as the next in its own way. Over the next few weeks, the staff of the Northeast News will share our Christmas Trees, highlighting what makes them special to our families.

We decorate early at my house, so when we started discussing this feature idea I was nominated to go first as I was the only one with a tree already up. I used to fight the urge to decorate early because you were “supposed to wait.”

However, last year with COVID-19, I needed light and happiness in my life so I gave in and put it up early. And it made me happy, so right then I decided I was going to put my tree up whenever I wanted. As a matter of fact, I’m thinking about doing a Halloween tree next year.

My tree tells the story of mine and my family’s life. It is artificial and stands just six feet tall but it holds a lot of memories. Blue and white lights with a snowman tree skirt and a star on top. Ornaments include a paper chain made by my husband as a child, the house key to the first house my husband and I ever lived in together, a globe holding my daughter’s hospital bracelet and hat, lots of custom family ornaments, and in true hockey fan fashion Mr. and Mrs. Claus sporting matching St. Louis Blues overalls sit right up top and center. Sprinkled in with the sentimental ornaments are Disney princesses and Elmo, of course.

I love spending the time with my four-year-old putting all the ornaments on the tree each year and reminiscing about the memories that go along with each one. This is probably our last year with our current tree as it is very full, but a bigger tree just means room for more memories – and I’m sure more princesses, also.