I am wondering: What is on the top of your tree? Is it the same as what was on the top of your family’s tree when you were a child? If you are partnered, is it the same as what was on the top of your partner’s family’s tree when your partner was a child? (You know what the English language needs? A gender-neutral singular pronoun appropriate to use for people. “It” is insufficient for our needs.)
When I was a child, my family topped the tree with a big huge fabric bow. When I was living on my own, I tried the big bow for a few years but it didn’t suit. Then we bought a little fairy at a craft fair and tried her for a few years, but she was too small for the job. This year I am trying this:
Why, yes it IS a giant green glittery butterfly, more seasonally-appropriate for SUMMER. I’m OPEN-MINDED about tree-toppers, okay? Also, Christmas trees sure look sad and clashy and wirey if you (1) use the flash (2) in daytime.
I don’t even know what Paul’s family used as a tree-topper. Is that….wrong? (Edit: I emailed him at work to ask him, and he doesn’t know either, so I consider myself fully exonerated. Assuming I know what “exonerated” means. Like, totally cleared of all blame, is what I’m hoping it means.)
I think my family always had an angel. It’s pretty sad that I don’t even remember. We were always more into the homemade ornaments than the tree topper.
I collect things that say “believe,” and I just found this beautful rustic-looking fabric star that says “believe.” The star is tea-stained and just looks amazing. I love it!
Let’s see. D’s parents have a fiber optic angel and have always had some kind of angel.
We have a simple star, which I prefer. I like to think of it as the star that guided the wise men to baby Jesus. :)
We used both when I was a kid, but I recall using a star more often than an angel…
Growing up, we had a star my father made out of cardboard and tinfoil.Hubby grew up with an angel.
Currently, we have nothing atop nor ON our tree. My decorating consisted of pulling the prelit “tree” out of the box.
We have nothing year. We used to have cute star shaped Santa but we bought a new BIGGER tree this year and the Santa did not fit well. The other problem with the Santa (bought at Target two years ago) was that it was VERY heavy so it fell off a lot (also, is it weird that I kept writing “him” instead of “it”!?)
We have nothing year. We used to have cute star shaped Santa but we bought a new BIGGER tree this year and the Santa did not fit well. The other problem with the Santa (bought at Target two years ago) was that it was VERY heavy so it fell off a lot (also, is it weird that I kept writing “him” instead of “it”!?)
We have nothing year. We used to have cute star shaped Santa but we bought a new BIGGER tree this year and the Santa did not fit well. The other problem with the Santa (bought at Target two years ago) was that it was VERY heavy so it fell off a lot (also, is it weird that I kept writing “him” instead of “it”!?)
Growing up, we had an angel that was passed down. But once I moved out on my own, I do the Martha Stewart-esque tree, and we have a giant silver star with sparkles. Last year, it was a star with red lights on it. Boring, eh?
Oh and we had a light of angel that was sort of pretty and subtle. However, I have looked all over and have never been able to find anything like it (most everything angel like is sort of garish…) The angel I remember was probably not near as pretty as I thought it was!
Oh and we had a light of angel that was sort of pretty and subtle. However, I have looked all over and have never been able to find anything like it (most everything angel like is sort of garish…) The angel I remember was probably not near as pretty as I thought it was!
Oh and we had a light of angel that was sort of pretty and subtle. However, I have looked all over and have never been able to find anything like it (most everything angel like is sort of garish…) The angel I remember was probably not near as pretty as I thought it was!
We had a star some years, you know the really tacky multicolored light, bright tinsel, garish 80’s star. Then other years we had an angel. Now I have a Santa on top of the tree I picked up at Hobby Lobby this year. Previous years I had a star but I got a bigger tree this year. I have no clue what my husband’s family did for their tree. Almost all of their childhood Christmas ornaments were lost or destroyed when his parents divorced.
My family didn’t really have a tree topper. One year my mom got this giant ball covered with sparkly blue lights, and tried to put it at the top of the tree, but it was too heavy so it ended up falling down a little bit and sticking awkwardly off the side of the tree. My sister and I started calling it the tumor. Maybe that attitude toward tree toppers explains why Torsten and I don’t have one on our tree at all.
Hmmm, we had a big abstract plastic silver star for a while, then a vintage glass pointy thing. Now my has an angel.
Hubby – a hand-made star, the sort from a toilet paper tube and construction paper. He or one of his sisters made it.
Now – nothing yet. We’re still debating the idea of a tree. We have two cats and a baby thisclose to crawling. Might be a recipe for disaster.
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I posted on my blog about my tree topper.. :)
http://todayisadifferentday.blogspot.com
growing up, my mom had a victorian doll (she calls it the “angel”) on the tree. i have had, so far:
a) a stuffed turkey that gobbles when you push his belly, tied to the tree by a string around his neck
b) an oragami cow
c) a “star” made out of looped tinsel
i’m.. uh.. working on something more permanent.
When it was just me and my mom, we had an angel. When my mom and dad got married, they bought star and it officially switched. This is only my second year with my own tree, and we don’t have a tree topper. I have a star somewhere in the attic, but Gerald couldn’t find it when he lugged all the Christmas stuff down.
Growing up, we had an angel.
Now, a Santa shaped like a star. Typing that out it sounds weird, but…it works.
Growing up we had a star, it was gold with decorative cut out and lit up from within. Later we had an angel. On my main tree we use an angel in burgundy and green velvet with feather wings. The main tree has the hodge podge of ornaments from our childhoods and our life together, which I absolutely love. On the two smaller scandinavian styled trees I use simple stars.
We had some sort of star/swirly thing (from the 60’s-so there was definitely some sort of psychadelic element there) that you plugged in. Sounds weird, but it was so pretty when all the rest of the lights were off and just the tree lights on.
As far as my married life goes, we didn’t have a tree for our first two Christmases (small apartment=no room) and I completely spaced that we needed a tree topper of some sort last year. It finally dawned on me this year, so I cruised the local Jo-Anne fabric that is clearancing like mad since they are closing permanently Jan 31 and managed to snag a pretty looking star topper for 1/2 off. I don’t know if we’ll use it forever, but I like it for this year.
We have a star that has lights on the inside. Personally, I think it’s ugly as sin, but my husband bought it and is strangely attached to it.
Growing up, we always had an angel on our tree.
I think I remember a big fancy angel as a kid — nowaways we use an ornament shaped like a compass.
Since I have this uncomfortable cultish/churchy past, stars and angels make me antsy.
We have a Santa hat at the top of our tree, to remind us of childhood and family.
This helps me sleep at night. :)
Growing up it was this ugly lighted tinsel and plastic star that wasn’t considered ugly in the 80’s. When I moved out I rarely had a tree. I bought my son’s father an angel tree topper some time ago, but since he’s moved out I have nuthin’. So I get some of that nice and cheap wired ribbon from Walmart and do the bow thing right now with long tails. My tree is small so it suits it.
Every couple years I make a new topper, usually by pasting 2 cut out stars together leaving the bottom unglued so it will go over the top of the tree. This year on one side of the star is a spiral of colors, on the other a winter scene of a field and a tree. I figure starting next year I will have each of the kids paint a side.
Growing up we had a Santa figure that had bendy arms and legs, my mom just made him cling to the top.
I rather like your topper, it’s different.
Air. There is air on top of my non-existent tree. Maybe we’ll get one tomorrow. Or the day after….
Or we’ll do what my family used to do: wait until Xmas eve and go out in ridiculously cold weather and get one. And the we topped it with a spike-like star kinda ornament. Until us kids smashed it. : )
I’m a dirty heathen. I put a Santa hat on our tree. My 4 year old daughter asked for a star this year, and I told her no. She has no idea what the star is for, but that’s what is on the tree at her day care.
I am still looking for the perfect tree topper. I know what the perfect one would be, in my head, but have not found it yet. And it’s vague enough in my head that I don’t think I could create it…
Right now we have a sad angel on top. I don’t remember if we had just one thing growing up. I want a new angel. A PERFECT angel.
I love your butterfly, but my husband it WAYYYY too traditional to try something fancy like that. BAH.
When I was a kid (pre-divorce) we had a glass bulb thing. Post-divorce my mother stopped doing a tree and my step-mother did an angel.
Now I do a dove.
Growing up we had an angel. Everything was very traditional.
One year we had a bow, another an angel (sent by super-religious MIL) and this year, D and Jeff picked out a plastic $7.99 light-up star because D wanted a BIG STAR.
I like the butterfly. I’m flexible, too.
We’ve alternated between a star and this old, ugly, wicker angel the last few years. I decided I was done this year and bought a new fabric, some what plush angel. I love it. Hub HATES it. Photo is here
I like your flutter-by
Growing up we had an angel tree-topper that scared me. I used to hide it when my parents took the Christmas decorations out because I hated the angel so much. I was a brat. I don’t know what my husband’s tree used to look like, but it is safe to say that my husband’s mother and I have very different tastes in decorating.
Our tree now has a light up star from Target on it that I really like.
PS Yes, that is what exonerated means. =)
We used to have a dingy, silver ornament thing that we bought for $1.99.
This year, we splurged and bought a $4.99 light-up star and it looks awesome.
We used to have a dingy, silver ornament thing that we bought for $1.99.
This year, we splurged and bought a $4.99 light-up star and it looks awesome.
We used to have a dingy, silver ornament thing that we bought for $1.99.
This year, we splurged and bought a $4.99 light-up star and it looks awesome.
I think growing up we had an angel, but that’s not really my scene now; so we use a mitten. It’s cute!
I always remember having an angel on top of our tree growing up. I can’t remember ever seeing a tree at my in-laws. They just don’t do it anymore. They did for a while when the kids were little, but I doubt Matt even remembers what was on top.
I have an angel on top of my tree. This is our 8th Christmas since we’ve been married, and I bought it for our first. It’s still holding up well. I will probably always have an angel.
I think that my parents had (and still have) an angel. I have a star on my tree – although I am loving your tree topper!
My parents always had a star. We have an angel that my grandmother made. My husband is Jewish – they had a tree, but he tells me that it was topped with the Star of David… I’m pretty sure he’s messing with me there.
We always had a star, and my in-laws always had an angel. We put a sock monkey up there.
i love the little reminder of spring on your winter day!
We used various toppers growing up…there was one of those “plug it in and it lights up and bubbles” things (sounds weird, but I think they were pretty common), there was a painted glass bulb, and there was an angel that my sister thought was Crystal Barbie. To be honest, I’m not sure what my husband’s family uses. A felt gingerbread man, I think?
He and I don’t use anything b/c nothing will stay up, but I have a gold star that I really like. If only it would stay on without toppling over. :(
We had a lighty star growing up, no idea what my hubby had. Our entire married life I’ve been looking for a decent tree topper, something that isn’t tacky or so heavy it’ll drag the top down (surprisingly I’ve found lots of those) and have yet to find anything.
In the early 70s, I remember having a sort of ornament-type thing – like a ball shape, with a paeak at the top. Think retro ornaemtn (though it waasn’t reto then – just in style). Then we progressed to a star (from the 70s metallic tinsel type to the 80s…um…80s type). My parents now have an angel, but I have a lighted star that looks a lot like th cute one from the Eat N Park commerical (you may not have any idea what that means, but the locals know)
We used to have an angel. My husband doesn’t like the angel. I tried the bow and I like it (mainly because I like the ribbon down the sides of the tree in place of garland, which I hate). But he doesn’t like the bow either. So we compromised with a cool star.
when I was a kid we had a white bear that held presents. during the falling out of my mom’s 2nd marriage, the bear got left behind. Now that I’m married, we have an angel ornament that serves the purpose, but I need to get a real tree topper.
I like your butterfly though!
We had an angel for a while when I was a kid, then a big bow. I used a cool old-fashioned Santa tree topper for a while, until my kids started making things. We now have big glittery paper stars that the kids made.
When I was very little we had 2 trees. The one is our living room had an angel. The one in the basement (which had the toy train under it) had a star on top. At some point we started having just one tree… and at that point we would switch between star and angel.
Now, we have a snowman star on the top of our tree.
Stars and angels make us antsy, too, so we have a vintage tree topper sort of like this one:
Our Topper
If it’s some sort of religious symbol you all can just go ahead and NOT TELL ME.
We always had the angel in the red dress. She still tops my parent’s tree. Me, I have an angel dressed in white that I love. I think she was 12$ at the Hallmark store….
When I was really young, a cute fabric/stuffed angel topped our tree. She was sort of patchwork and had yellow string hair and a gold tinsely halo. Then when I was jr. highish, my mom started topping the tree with a corn husk angel that I made in Sunday school. Not sure about Hubs family. We have a pretty wire star on our tree. It is an actual topper that I found at Wal-yuck about 6 years back. Every once in a while you find a non-crap gem there. So that’s what we do now. Not sure why. I thought it was pretty. And honestly, every Christmas tree that I’ve ever drawn or doodled has been topped with a glowing star, so I guess that’s what I thought should go up there. Although, your butterfly looks pretty cool.
We had an Angel for the first little bit of my life then we got a star, then we went back to an Angel and my parents still have the Angel. I have an Angel because when I went looking for a tree topper my first year out on my own, all I could find were Angels. So I figured it was a sign. :)
Oh, and my in laws do put a topper on their tree. Never have. My husband thought I was INSANE for wanting one. :)
We have an angel given to us by my mother-in-law. She calls it an angelina, which I think is weird…it’s just an angel, no INA necessary. I do love this angel, though, she is beautiful, with a gorgeous cream colored lace dress and with a mosaic tile-looking chest. She’s one of the things I’d grab in a fire, that’s how much I love this angel(ina).
Tate’s family has an angel(ina) on their tree. My parents have a bow, they used to have a construction paper angel I made in 1st grade who looks constipated.
Jennifer, Le Binky Bitch
When I was young, we had a star made of blinking lights. When I got a little older, my mom bought a beautiful angel that is still in the decoration box.
At my house now, we–erm–don’t have a tree up yet.
How awful is that? Babies first christmas and we’re going to have to fake the pictures in front of my sister’s tree.
Whoot?
When I was a kid we had a really ridiculous little angel that lit up. It was very eighties, very doll-ish, white, and we used to laugh about it.
My husband and I have a glittery white snowflake-type thing on top of our tree now, but it looks dumb because the top of our tree is weird and the snowflake flops over.
I like it.
We have a silver wire star. We stick a light in it so it shines. I like it.
My mom has a beautiful Waterford crystal topper, but it is so heavy that it never gets used as a topper.
we always had an angel when I was a kid, but I’ve strayed from that tradition and I use a star. I guess mass-marketing got to me – a star feels more “perfect” or something. I’m sure my mother thinks an angel is what good Catholics should have. Hee. Oh well.
I like your butterfly. It’s sassy.
My parents had a 3D paper star, with holes in, and a light bulb in the middle. We have a purple cone-y glass thing-y I love. And yes, that’s it’s technical name.
Love your tree topper!
Ours has a cat with a small star on her held-high tail.
Probably requires a photo to picture it!
My mom always used an angel, all white and gold and glowing, and now I use a smaller, ghetto version. Actually it was originally an ornament, but I cut the string off and ripped out the bottom and then squashed the skirt down over the top branch. I’m probably going to hell, because WHOA BOY is that angel looking violated.
We flucuated back and forth between an angel and a star
growing up, we had a cheap but very glittery snowflake that i vaguely remember picking out at woolworths. now, my mom has a fancy angel that she swear she’s always had – her selective memory forgets when we were poor.
i decorated my first tree after a bad breakup so i was feeling irreverent. since the ex got the christmas decorations, my friends and i made ornaments out of plastic spoons and oddlots bulbs and puffy paint. the topper was my boxing nun puppet.
10 years later, i’m still attached to sister mary christina but this year (her 10th) is her last. she’s pretty beat up so, we’ll retire her after this year. not sure what it’ll be next year but this year – a boxing nun!
We had angels growing up. One cheaper looking one (to me) that we had to get rid of when her candles (lights) got to close to her face and burned her cheek; and then a nicer one, kind of a china-doll looking angle which is actually quite pretty. My parents still use that one.
Since getting married we’ve had a “grapevine” star with white lights in it on the top of our tree. It was about $7 dollars at Meijer, but I really love it. It’s sort of gold, but not shiny. My favorite part is the light pattern it throws up on the ceiling. One of these days I’ll have to put some Christmas decor pictures up at my blog! Than you can see what I’m talking about! :-)
So I went to Target today and guess what I saw?
Swistle’s tree topper! I was like, all excited, and it really is a pretty green!
fromheretthere- AAAHHHH! Did you buy it?
Alas, no. It would clash with the red balls on my tree. Why did I just giggle like a twelve year old when I said that?
~Natalie
I think we always had a star or some sort on top of the tree when I was a kid. When I got married, I got an angel which I’ve had for fifteen years. I don’t LOVE it, perse, but it works…but, now it is fifteen years old and starting to fall apart (it was a cheap one to begin with), so I’m starting a search for a new topper for next year….
I loved reading all the comments :)
Tale of woe: growing up, we were the family with barely tree or tradition. Thanksgiving dinner was Taco Bell or KFC if my Mom was in a mood and we had money. The Christmas tree was fake and about three feet high, with presents to match. So now I get the great good luck of a normal family (the one I created) and a middle-class (mostly) life. My kids FIGHT over who gets to put the beautiful, ten year old golden star on top of the tree. And every time they do, I am speechless, grateful for this luxury.
When I was young we had a star, which eventually broke, and then we went through a series of ugly angels, and then finally found another acceptable star. I’m pretty sure Fiance’s family does angels.
Fiance and I saw some trees in Christmasy top hats that we really liked, so we were planning to do that until we went to purchase one and realized they cost $30. So, for the last two years we have put the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter on top of our tree, and we like that very much.