Every November, Emma Rose and her husband Neil sit down together and look back through their photographs from the past year. Holidays, trips to the park and seaside with their two-year-old son, Joshua, and many other precious family moments – they’ve captured them all.
Viewing these memories isn’t just a lovely way to remind themselves of everything they’ve done together. It’s part of a touching festive tradition that the couple, from Midsomer Norton in Somerset, began when they got married eight years ago, and which they hope to continue for the rest of their lives.
Scrolling through the pictures, the two of them are looking for something special; the one photograph that will be made into a decoration to hang on their Christmas tree for years to come.
“Over the past few years, we’ve experienced a lot of major milestones,” says Emma, 43. “There have been so many moments we want to remember forever.
“Every year, we choose a picture of us at the most important event, or doing our favourite activity of that year, and have a ceramic ornament made from it. The idea is that when we’re old, we’ll have a Christmas tree full of memories.”
The decorating of Christmas trees is a tradition that dates back to the 16th century in Germany, when Hans Greiner first produced garlands of glass beads and tin figures designed to be hung from branches. Recently, personalised baubles featuring favourite photographs – everything from baby scans to pets dressed in Santa costumes – have exploded in popularity.
Emma and Neil’s decorations are simple and elegant: just their pictures on a plain ceramic disc with no explicitly festive flourishes. The focus is on the beautiful memories they show, and so far their bespoke decorations include images from their wedding day, their honeymoon safari in Tanzania, the day Joshua was born, his Christening and their first holiday as a family of three in Turkey last year. “Throughout the year when we’re taking pictures, we talk about whether it’s a possibility for the Christmas decoration,” says Emma.
Neil, 48, adds: “I love how what started as a memento of our wedding year has grown into a family tradition. It’s always fun to look back through pictures of the year to decide which one we’re going to use. Then, every Christmas when the ornament box comes down from the loft, seeing the decorations brings back those wonderful memories.
‘It’s always fun to look back through pictures of the year to decide which one we’re going to use,’ says Neil
“Now that we have a child the decorations have taken on even more significance, and I can’t wait to see Josh growing in them through the years. Perhaps one day he’ll end up with them all and they will be a lovely record of each different stage of his childhood.”
Emma agrees that Joshua’s arrival has made the tradition even more meaningful. “Last year we showed the decorations to him, pointing out Mama and Dada and Joshi, and telling him about when the picture was taken – this year he’ll be able to understand it so much more,” she says.
“We always get a real tree and decorate it together. I can’t wait for him to be old enough to help us decorate it and talk with us about what he remembers from the past year.”
The ritual has also acquired extra significance. Growing up, Emma’s Christmases revolved around her beloved grandmother, who passed away in 2017. “She was incredibly special and her death created a big hole in our family Christmas,” she says. “We used to spend Christmas Day with her at my dad’s house every year, and since she’s been gone we’ve had to find a new way to celebrate it. We now have Christmas at our house, and our ornaments are about us trying to create new traditions for our little family, while also being a link back to my grandmother.”
‘Our ornaments are about us trying to create new traditions for our little family,’ says Emma
When her grandmother was still alive, Emma had a decoration made featuring a photograph of herself, her mother and her grandmother, and all three women had their own. “My grandmother was buried with hers and I have mine out where I can see it all the time,” she says. “So that was another big reason for deciding to make all these other decorations every year – I knew they were really special mementos to have.
“Even before we began this tradition, most of our decorations had a personal meaning – we’d picked them up in different places we’d been, so they reminded us of trips we’d taken. It won’t be long until the entire tree is covered in ornaments that tell a story of our lives.”
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