Starting New Christmas Traditions: Christmas Tree Stumps

  In December of 2011 I came across the following article in my Better Homes & Gardens magazine about a family that cut off the bottom of their Christmas tree stump each year and would save them and label each stump with the year and their family's names.   They then hung each stump from the mantle.  I fell in love with the rustic holiday look it created and fell even more in love with the tradition and the memories it captured of each tree from year to year.  I immediately cut out the article.

 

I tried to locate the article online, but couldn't find it.  I know it is from the December 2011 Better Homes and Gardens magazine. 

 

   2011 also happened to be the 1st year DFH and I started living together.   I remember showing him the article and we both agreed this was something we would do each year.  This past week we acquired our third Christmas tree stump together and in addition to adding the #3 and 2013 to the stump we will also be including our newest member of the family, kitten Oliver and will write that it was our wedding year.  

   At this point we only have three stumps so it will obviously take many years to come before we can fill our mantle with hanging stumps of all our Christmas trees together.  (Right now we hang them on our Christmas Tree ). Not to be sappy, but I am looking forward to future  tree stumps that one day hopefully include children's name or other exciting events that happen each year.     

   Each year when we get our Christmas tree we ask one of the employees at the nursery/ tree farm to cut off the bottom inch of the tree for us, and then we keep the one inch slab and let it dry out.  The stump is usually pretty wet from being in the ground and outside and we usually let the stump dry for at least a month and then decorate it the following December.   So as of now I only have our two stumps to show you, number three is drying and will be ready for the mantle next December. 

   What are your favorite holiday traditions??