Guest Post: What kind of Christmas tree topper will you use this year? by Becky Van Vleet

It’s a pleasure to host Becky Van Vleet as she shares a Christmas memory and how it inspired her creativity. She’s also hosting the day over on my Facebook page: Leagh’s Little Bit of Christmas. We’d love to have you join us.

What kind of Christmas tree topper will you use this year?

The tree topper that appears at the top of our Christmas tree every year is a plastic angel, old and broken. She is about 70 years old. She lights up, which means her cord is also about 70 years old. I’m surprised she still works.

I have precious memories of our angel tree topper going back to my childhood. Back in the day, we always had a real Christmas tree, and we’d all help decorate. My dad would fling those static-filled silver icicles all over the tree and many would land on the floor. But he had fun throwing those things around if he could get them off his fingers from the static. My sisters and I would help with the rest of the decorating. Our tree had plenty of those candle ornaments, the kind that started bubbling from the heat once plugged in. And when our tree was nearly complete, Daddy would add the angel tree topper last of all and plug her in with the other cords.

Oh, the memories of our fun Christmas tree decorating and gazing upon our angel at the top of the tree. As a little girl, I can remember looking at her and imagining she was singing Christmas carols just to me. She was beautiful and, well, angelic.

I was ecstatic when my father passed along this plastic angel tree topper to me after I had a family of my own. We have placed her gingerly atop our own Christmas trees through the years. She’s pretty old now. One of her wings is broken and bears scotch tape. If I were to make a guess, I’d probably say she cost less than a dollar back in the 1950’s. But her value today? Priceless!

She gives me Christmas memories to cherish every year. So much so that I wrote a children’s book about her, Angelina, the Traveling Angel.  Yes, I just had to give her a name! Without giving away spoilers, Angelina sings a special song every year to a child in her home. I bet you can guess what it is! And to make this book even more special, I included a QR code with children singing her special song for all readers to enjoy.

Here is the purchase link: https://amzn.to/46Sxoin

What kind of childhood Christmas memories do you cherish. Any special Christmas tree toppers you’d like to share with others?

Becky Van Vleet is a retired teacher and principal and award-winning multi-genre author. She has been published in Guideposts, The Country Register, Christian Devotions Ministry, Lighthouse Academy, and more. Her children’s picture books are the recipients of the 2020 Excellence in Editing award as well as the Purple Dragonfly award in 2020 and 2021. Becky is the author of Unintended Hero, a true story about her father’s battles, experiences, and adventures in WWII aboard the USS Denver. She is passionate about sharing the values from the Greatest Generation and is frequently booked as a guest speaker for high school classes about patriotism. Her debut devotional, What’s in Your Purse? is now available. A member of ACFW, Allauthor, and Shepherd for Authors, Becky has devoted her website to creating and preserving family memories and sharing family stories for the next generations through her monthly blogs. You can find her at: https://beckyvanvleet.com.