Starting to pack up all of those Christmas decorations? Hold your horses, friends. I have an idea for you that may have you keeping one item out of the attic this year.

I’m turning my advent tree into a family tree. It’s an easy project – and cheap if you already have some of the necessary items.

I’ve never had an Advent tree, but have wanted one for the last year. I didn’t find one in time to start the tradition this year, but that’s okay. My patience paid off. I found the perfect one the day after Christmas – at 70% off!

That’s the “Wooden Wall Tree” from West Elm. Unfortunately, it’s no longer available online. You might find one in a store – closest one would be in Denver (sorry!).

If you don’t want to make the trek to Denver and don’t already have something similar to use – consider making one using this tutorial. For family tree purposes though, you should make your “branches” less uniform.

For now, I’m displaying my family’s mugs in frame ornaments.

I scored a bunch in the Christmas clearance section at Walmart (@ $1.75 each). I’m considering switching them over to something more creative that involves Mod Podge… but for now, the frames work.

I had to pick through the piles to find a bunch that match. I chose white – as it seemed like the least “Christmasy” option (other options were red or green). These are a little formal for me – but I’m hanging the tree in my dining room for now, so I think it’s okay.

There were not enough of the same ornaments, so I bought half circles and half squares. So, my husband’s side is square (ha! That came out wrong. Or did it? Hmm…) and my side is in circles. Our kiddos get one of each.

Honestly, the hardest part of this project was finding photos of everyone. I still don’t have images of any of my husband’s grandparents or my father’s parents. I’ll have to get some printed. It’s difficult to find prints you’re willing to cut in this age of digital images! If you’re a scrap-booker and already have prints ready to get cut apart, you probably won’t have this issue.

There it is… the Advent Tree repurposed for year-round use. Does this inspire anyone to do a similar project? If so, please share – and post an image to the Her View From Home Facebook page.