As the weather drops a few more notches, the air starts feeling magical. The cold, dry air circling around you every time you’re outside makes you feel closer. Closer to the north pole. As winter draws nearer and the night falls quicker, something changes in the air and fills you with warmth inside.

That’s when I know it’s time to take the Christmas tree out. I love the tradition in our home, where we all help set up the Christmas tree, taking out all the ornaments we’ve collected over the years. Sometimes we also get ornaments from places we’ve been to, like mementos of our time there. The Christmas tradition is very profound in the United States, which is why almost all souvenir stores in all states have  a souvenir of a Christmas ornament. Whether it’s a tiny snow globe, or just an engraving of the state’s name on the small colorful bauble, they make the ornaments that much special.

There are various different types of ornaments that we can hang on our Christmas trees, with colorful baubles in all shapes and sizes, some glittering while some glossy, glowing as they are placed carefully and in order on the Christmas tree. There are also tiny snowmen and reindeer, bedazzled in white glitter to represent the snowflakes and light. There’s tiny Santa’s and stocking and candy canes, and anything that even remotely resembles the theme of Christmas.

Tree Decorating in Progress

My parents and I start putting up the tree in mid-November, right before another holiday, Thanksgiving. Playing Christmas carols and belting our hearts out, we squabble and laugh as we all help set up the tree. My mom and I are the most adamant, which is why we debate about the placement of the ornament the most. On the other hand, my dad is usually like the elf, helping us out and cracking jokes. It’s one of my favorite things to do with my parents, sitting together near our fireplace, drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, laughing.

The perfect weather is when it’s super cold in the winter, but there’s no rain. Instead, the sky is pearly white, and indication that there’s going to be snowfall. It’s a day I look forward to each year, and setting up the Christmas tree sets the mood for those days to come quicker.

Even when I was in India, I used to look forward to this holiday, and while out Christmas tree wasn’t as profound because it wasn’t as popular, we would still set up the gifts under it every year. Our tree here is almost 6 foot tall, taller than me! The angel on the top is always difficult to put on due to this reason, and my dad lifts me up so I can do it with a flourish. The angel on top of the tree is like the cherry on top, completing, yet again, one of my favorite traditions.