The Best $15 We Spend All Year

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we always go to the Christmas tree lot and pick out our tree. But for me, the season really starts when we hang our wreath on our front door. Every year since Katie was born, we've had a Boy Scout wreath covered in tiny silverplate ornament frames filled with photos of our family.


One year we spent the holiday at our condo in Sun Valley, and instead of putting up a Christmas tree we transported our picture wreath with us and hung it on our door. Just like home.

The kids always help me pick out the perfect wreath, we pick out the perfect ribbon to hang it from, we cover it in white lights, and we pick out the pictures we'll use this year. Then the best part: unpacking the frames and comparing this year's pictures to the previous year's. Each year flies by so quickly and that project is always like pushing the pause button for me. I look at each picture and remember the moment it was taken.

Then all season, no matter how busy or disorganized our days may seem, the simple act of walking through the front door reminds us of the all the happiness and joy we have in our lives. That $15 Boy Scout wreath is the best money we spend all year.