Tree Topping Ceremony
Star Ceremony
The Christmas Tree Receives Its Crown
About Tree Topping Ceremony
The Tree Topping Ceremony is the finishing touch in the Christmas tree’s transformation. A cherished topper—perhaps a star or an angel—crowns the tree. The task of placing the topper is shared between the oldest and youngest in attendance, bridging generations and reinforcing the communal nature of the holidays. Once the topper is secured, the house lights are dimmed, soft instrumental music plays, and the family gathers to admire the tree in its full glory. For some, a reading from the Book of Matthew about the star of Bethlehem adds an extra layer of reflection and reverence to the occasion. For others, it’s time to pull out Christmas books and fall asleep reading on makeshift beds by the tree (couch cushions are standard in our household).
Ways to observe
(A) Low effort
Place the topper on your tree with a brief pause to appreciate its significance, then dim the lights and enjoy its glow.
(B) Recommended
Make the tree topping a family affair. Share stories about your chosen topper, involve everyone in the process, and celebrate with hot cocoa or cider afterward.
(C) High effort
Plan a formal Tree Topping Ceremony. Assign roles: the oldest as the master of ceremonies, the youngest to place the topper. Dim the lights as soft music plays, and conclude the event with a short reading about the Star of Bethlehem. Take a family photo by the tree to commemorate the moment.
Inspiration
Chances are the kids are still buzzing from yesterday’s tree-decorating frenzy, and possibly still awake. Today is mellower. Once the sky darkens, dinner winds down, and people start slipping into pajamas, it’s time to retrieve the sacred box, the one that holds the tree topper. Now, tradition leans toward a star, a nod to the Star of Bethlehem, which, according to the Gospel of Matthew, guided the Magi to the newborn Christ. For centuries, scholars have speculated about its nature. A comet, a supernova, a planetary conjunction? But in the context of the holidays, its meaning is simpler and more luminous: guidance, hope, and the promise of light in the dark. That makes it a fitting final flourish for the tree.
But it doesn’t have to be a star. It just has to be something cherished. An angel, a mirrored globe, a chandelier of baubles, a family heirloom wrapped in layers of tissue paper. Whatever it is, it’s handled with reverence. The ritual is best shared: the youngest lifts it, the oldest steadies the ladder, and everyone else holds their breath. And if you’re particularly sentimental (I am), you dim the lights and sing a carol around the newly-crowned tree.
Adornments
Watch
3 Godfathers (1948)
Three outlaw cowboys find a stranded newborn in the desert on Christmas Eve and become his protectors, risking their lives to care for the baby; the bandits transform into wise men, redeeming themselves as they follow a guiding star across the wasteland.
Listen
Do You Hear What I Hear? by Bing Crosby
A soaring Christmas classic written during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis as a plea for peace. Its lyrics vividly reference a star “dancing in the night” with a tail as big as a kite, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem heralding news of hope.
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem by The Stanley Brothers
An old Appalachian gospel song celebrating the guiding star that led the wise men.
Read
Baboushka and the Three Kings by Ruth Robbins
A prize-winning children’s book based on a Russian folk tale about an old woman and the Nativity. When the Three Kings pass by her cottage en route to Bethlehem, Baboushka is too busy with chores to join. Later she regrets it and sets off with gifts, but never finds the baby. Instead, her eternal search turns into a beautiful tradition.
The Book of Matthew, Chapter 2
The biblical source for the Star of Bethlehem. This chapter recounts the journey of the Magi from the East, following the star to find the newborn “king of the Jews.” It includes Herod’s fear, the Magi’s reverent gifts, and divine warnings received in dreams.
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
A timeless short story about love, sacrifice, and irony. A young couple each sells their most prized possession to buy a gift for the other: he sells his watch to buy her combs, she cuts her hair to buy him a chain.