For some people, the most important part of the Christmas season is family.
The gathering of generations, the sharing of tradition—Christmas brings people together over time and distance, uniting them for at least one day while the rest of life stops.
While a lot of focus is placed on presents, gifts and Christmas dinner, the Christmas tree remains a symbol of family and love, a tradition that is literally acted out through compassion and caring.
The Christmas tree is a piece of art, a showcase of collections and memories, journeys and returns.
Not the tree itself really—usually a Christmas tree is only as old as the season. But the tree holds on it Christmas ornaments, small icons that symbolize everything from birthdays and weddings to movies and family vacations.
And perhaps the most popular Christmas ornaments are ball ornaments.
A Million Choices
Ball ornaments are popular because of their simplistic design—they are simply that, balls.
They can made from wood, plastic, glass or any other type of material.
But more importantly, the design options are endless. Many glass and thread Christmas ball ornaments are full of colors, shapes, patterns and glitter.
However, wooden and plastic ball ornaments can be painted, and those options are truly endless.
Not only are ball ornaments some of the easiest Christmas ornaments to make, they are some of the easiest to buy.
During craft time, there is nothing more fun than painting Christmas ornaments, and the round shape of these ornaments make them ideal from anything from landscapes to names and dates.
But this shape also makes them the perfect canvas to immortalize family vacations.
Many tourist destinations and craft shops sell ball ornaments, and while a lot of them are strictly decorative, many of them are painted or engraved with dates and addresses to forever remember a certain trip or landmark.
This is what makes Christmas ball ornaments so special—every year, when it is time to put up the tree, the entire family can join together in the decorating process and remember where they have been, where they have come from, and most importantly, where they are going.
In the end, Christmas is about so much more than presents. It is about unity and joining together in the celebration of birth and life.
And there is no better way than to really think about the idea of family then to actively touch and remember everything that family has done together.