For many of us, Christmas is the most celebrated and cherished time of the year. We dream about it months before the 25th of December and we try to anticipate the way we'll spend this magic period. In order to make the most of it, we have to choose the best Christmas decorations (the most glamorous and eye catching Christmas ornaments), the most attractive Christmas tree and to be surrounded by our family and friends.

We all seem to be perfectionists when it comes to Christmas decorations. It's understandable, since we wait for an entire year to celebrate the birth of Jesus and to enjoy the reunion of our family. But the best herald of this holy time of the year remains the Christmas tree. It's around it where we share stories and laugh and open Santa's presents.

The origins of the Christmas tree are not known for sure, but they date since ancient times and are connected to religious rituals. The practice of adorning it seems to have started during the 1500s, when an evergreen was associated with the Mother of Jesus and was decorated with roses as Christmas ornaments. A period when the Christmas decorations were represented only by nuts, pretzels, raisins and cookies followed. Then the glass balls appeared and gradually they were replaced by today's plastic tree ornaments, like bells, toys, stars, candy canes, socks, Santa Claus hats and little snowmen.

The first thing to have in mind when searching for a Christmas tree is whether you prefer a real or a fake one. There are some advantages and disadvantages: the real one is very beautiful and smells like winter and forest, but it can make a mess of needles on your floor if it isn't a special type of fir (evergreen) or if it wasn't treated with special chemicals; the fake one will look realistic enough when we arrange its branches, but it will not fool anyone.

The finishing note for the tree is represented by the Christmas ornaments. No matter what you choose, how you decide to adorn it, your tree should say something about you and your family. You may choose a religious theme or a modern one. You may choose only white, red, silver, gold or other fancy colourful Christmas decorations. You don't even have to spend a lot of money to have beautiful and unique Christmas ornaments for the Christmas tree. You can make a lot of them together with your family, in order to give your celebration a personal touch. Children especially are very enthusiastic about manufacturing all kinds of Christmas ornaments by themselves, using materials like white or coloured paper. Snowflakes are one of the simplest Christmas decorations to be made. This will develop their imagination and their skills and you will have less work to do by yourself.

The Christmas ornaments in chief position may be represented by the stars or the fairies on the top of the tree. We have many options for that too, since the specialised stores provide us with endless ideas. Other Christmas decorations that should not be forgotten are the lights. Originally people used candles for this purpose, but they've proven to be dangerous (a source for unwanted accidets), so now everybody buys electric lights which flash and even play Christmas carols. We certainly don't want any Christmas ornaments to fall down from the tree, so it would be recommended to fasten them carefully.

No matter which Christmas story pleases us, about Jesus or about Santa, about angels or about reindeers, we should not forget to tell it to our children during Christmas Eve. This will create a magic atmosphere and, together with the Christmas decorations so carefully chosen, will make us all feel the peace of Christmas in our souls.