Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect: Living Pine Branch Ornament

This month’s Virtual Book Club for Kids is featuring an assortment of Christmas books! Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard Schneider is one of my absolute favorites. It is a parable of sorts, about a tree named Small Pine who sacrifices her beauty to provide shelter to animals in need. My favorite line at the end of the book says, “Living for the sake of others makes us most beautiful in the eyes of God.”

Back when I was in middle and high school, our youth group took a ski trip every year. On the night before we left to come home, we always had what was called a “Pine Branch Ceremony”. Our youth minister cut off a small piece of a pine branch from one of the nearby trees and told us that pine trees are unique in the fact that a brand new tree can be grown just by planting a small clipping from a mature tree. In the same ways, the words and encouragement we give to others can be just as life-giving. During the Pine Branch Ceremony, each person had the opportunity to give the branch to another kid or adult on the trip while saying something encouraging or appreciative. It is one of my favorite memories of my teenage years!

We decided to make our own living pine branch ornament by trying to grow a pine tree using a pine branch clipping! I’m hoping it works as my youth minister said, but either way it makes for a beautiful decoration and a great reminder of a meaningful message!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Potting Soil

Clear Plastic Ornaments

Funnel

Pine Branch Clippings

Printable Ornament Tags

1. Use a funnel to add some potting soil to a clear plastic ornament. Add enough water to moisten all of the soil.

2. Go outside and clip off a piece of a pine tree.
FYI: My husband told me afterwards that this is actually a blue sprue tree. Oops. We will see if it works as a pine branch is supposed to!