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.