A Star for the Tree

It's the height in hilarity at our house that the second Hadley saw our finally upright tree after his nap (after shouting "Christmas tree!!! Goody, goody!!!"), he insisted that it needed a star on top.

Huh. Yeah. We didn't have one.

As kids, we had our own hilarious time making fun of our omni-drunk angel tree topper (um, she was always crooked, no matter what we did or shoved up her dress to straighten her out). I guess we weren't a star family back then, and I didn't think I was part of a star family now.

It's even more ironic since we're a pretty non-religious group. We feel that we're spiritual and insightful, but don't relate to one specific religion. We're all baptized Catholics, and at times (usually around Christmas), I feel the pull of mass, but all-in-all, we'd like to educate our son about morality more than doctrine. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

So, there he was, sweetly demanding a star topper, then again later that night, then again in the morning. After seeing some crappy store versions, I turned to Pinterest (clearly my real religion...that's a joke, guys) to see if I could figure something out.

During my star search, I also heard a sweet story about my grandmother, who would annually cut out a star out of cardboard that came from my grandfather's starched shirts, cover it in tin foil, and cut a hole in it. She'd stick it on top, pull a light up through the hole to let it "shine" and call it a day. Classic, sensible and creative. Apparently, everything my grandmother was.

So, I got to work. I cut a cereal box up to expose the two large sides. After printing off a star shape, I traced it onto each box and cut them out. Then, I creased inside each point for some dimension and glued each side together. (Before it was fully dry, I trimmed it further and pressed it together again.) Finally, I glued an empty toilet paper tube to the back.

You could paint the star, cover it in glue and glitter, or put foil on it. I decided to keep it natural this time. I'm not sure if the best part is the fact that it was totally free, that it appeased the little guy's craving for a star, or that it was a pretty old-school way to handle the issue. And not to mention eco-friendly up the wazoo!

Oh, and while I'm at it, I thought I'd share another tree that has taken up residence at our house. It'll probably be up until Valentine's Day, with how long it took me to finally toss it up.

I just cut out a tree shape from a large piece of green felt, then a textured piece for the trunk and a "skirt" from red. Then, I cut out random shapes, including a little snowman and present, and of course a star for the top. I used Command strips (the poster kinds) on the back and the "ornaments" and such attach without any adhesive (one of the best parts of felt). I've also made a felt board for pretend play as a Christmas gift, a "piece of pie" to add to his collection of fake food, and may make another piece if I find the time before Christmas eve.

Felt = the perfect toddler plaything!

So, what type of tree topper do you use in your family? We've used bows in the past, and even a scarf last year (I'd LOVE to find an old antique top hat with holly berries!), but we're always willing to change if the little guy dictates a better idea.