Decorating The Trek Tree

What hiking, backpacking, trail, or trekking ornaments are on your tree? I know not everyone celebrates Christmas or decorates a cut or artificial evergreen for the holidays, but I do. I adorn my tree with an eclectic collection of decorations gathered over the past several decades.

Very few of my artificial tree’s adornments were purchased by me. Some are hand-me-downs inherited from my parents, reminding me of my childhood. Others have been gifted to me by friends and family. A few are handmade, crafted by others or by yours truly. A couple of them are cherished and treasured antiques.

Many of the ornaments hanging on my tree have a story to tell, and as I place each one on the tree, I recall where I was and what I was doing when I received that ornament. One such ornament was crafted just for me by a friend of my brother and sister-in-law. It was not intended to be a Christmas tree ornament but rather an everyday keychain; however I have never used it as a key chain. It has been placed on my Christmas tree longer than I can remember.

This particular ornament is made of a small, flat, wooden disk with a small, flat, wooden outline of rucksack glued to the disk, the sort of thing one might find at a craft shop. The details of the hand painted rucksack reveal pockets, straps and buckles. The flat wooden disc has been hand painted to depict an alpine setting. A blue sky with white clouds hover above a snow capped, verdant mountain. A gray trail leading past evergreens terminates at the snowline. On the reverse side of this ornament is a nickname given to me by my brother and sister-in-law when I was a teenager. The nickname recognizes my love of the wilderness and my penchant for exploration.

A quick search of the internet reveals that there are several hiking, backpacking, and trail related Christmas tree ornaments commercially available. Perhaps you have one or more such ornaments on your tree. Or maybe you are like me and have a one of a kind, handmade ornament adorning a branch of tree, an ornament that is special to you.

In the spirit of the season, I invite and encourage you to post a response that tells the story, meaning, and significance of a tree ornament that represents your love of trekking, trails, backpacking, or hiking.