Kid-decorated Christmas trees are the best Christmas trees. Like these on display in Milwaukee.

For my husband's and my first Christmas as a married couple, 17 years ago, we realized we didn't have many ornaments to decorate our tree. Most of the traditional family ornaments had stayed at our parents' houses.  So we bought a few to fill up our tree. Ones we thought were pretty. Ones we thought were meaningful. Ones we thought were Christmasy.

Three years later, for our daughter's first Christmas, we added the requisite baby's first Christmas ornament, plus many others along the same theme since our daughter was the first grandchild on both sides of the family. And, over the next three years, Blue's Clues, Disney princesses and Elmo were added to the tree.

By the time our second daughter's baby's first Christmas ornament was added to the tree, there was definitely more of a kid feel than adult.

Over the next several years, all the homemade ornaments from school, Girl Scout meetings and Christmas events made their way onto the tree. Plus the ornaments that were gifts to us, and a large collection of Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh, Spiderman, really whatever character the kids have been most into each year.

As the girls excitedly dove into the boxes of ornaments this year, exclaiming over all their favorites and putting them lovingly on the tree, my husband and I waited patiently for our turn at the tree, and, when the girls finally stood back to admire their work, we realized there was not a bit of room for the pretty ornaments we bought 17 years ago.

And, you know what? That's OK. Because the tree may not be "pretty." But it is beautiful. Childhood memories and nostalgia are exactly what the holidays are about. And that's shown perfectly by the handprints made out of construction paper, the candy canes made from pipe cleaners and the tiny framed school pictures.

The beauty of kid-decorated trees is something that's appreciated in homes throughout the world at Christmastime. And, it's also something that's on display in plenty of public places.

Like the Milwaukee County Zoo, where 63 trees decorated by Milwaukee scout troops, schools and 4-H clubs are on display in the U.S. Bank Gathering Place through Dec. 28.

And Cathedral Square Park, where more than 90 trees have been decorated by kids from Milwaukee schools and nonprofit organizations. 

The zoo trees are animal-themed (obviously), and the Cathedral Square Park trees have various themes having to do with the spirit of the community. And all the trees have that wonderfully homemade kid-feel that shows the beauty of the holiday season.