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Kids decorate Christmas tree on their own and the result is just perfect

“We cried when we saw it,” their mom reveals. 
/ Source: TODAY

When Sheena Schuber’s husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer on Nov. 5, everything took a back seat to his health. As the holidays approached, the mom of two confesses that she “didn’t have the drive” to decorate for Christmas this year. 

“The kids were asking me every day,” Schuber tells TODAY.com. 

The family, she says, “usually goes all out” with two trees and lots of outdoor decorations. Nick, Schuber’s husband, has been dressing up as Santa for years. 

Nick, Sheena, A.J. and Michael Schuber normally go "all out" when it comes to Christmas decorations.
Nick, Sheena, A.J. and Michael Schuber normally go "all out" when it comes to Christmas decorations.Courtesy Sheena Schuber

Their children, A.J. and Michael, ages 7 and 3, finally took matters into their own hands. And while Schuber says she’s normally “a little OCD” about the Christmas décor, she let the kids take the lead this year. 

The result: a perfectly imperfect tree. 

“We cried when we saw it and thought, ‘Wow, the kids are handling this way better than us,’” Schuber tells TODAY.com. 

Ta-da! A perfectly decorated tree!
Ta-da! A perfectly decorated tree!Courtesy Sheena Schuber

Dr. Ashurina Ream, a psychologist who often works with parents, said “so many things” about the Schuber’s tree stand out to her. 

“There are so many lessons we learn when we allow our children to join us in the memory-making,” Ream tells TODAY.com. “We teach them and ourselves that things don’t need to be perfect. We empower our children to make decisions. We allow space for creativity. We make room for fun. We share the load. But perhaps one of the most important things that happens is that we remember these moments.” 

A.J. and Michael Schuber, ages 7 and 3, took the tree decorating into their own hands during a challenging year for their family.
A.J. and Michael Schuber, ages 7 and 3, took the tree decorating into their own hands during a challenging year for their family.Courtesy Sheena Schuber

And while this Christmas won’t be the easiest one for the Tinley Park, Illinois family, it may be the one that imparts the greatest lesson. 

“When we ask the kids what they want for Christmas,” Schuber says, “they just say all they want is for ‘Jesus to fix daddy.’”

The tree decorated by A.J. and Michael may, years from now, be the one the Schuber family cherishes most. 

“Most often the buttoned-up and ‘perfect’ memories get lost,” Ream says. “It’s those memories that hold value and shared meaning that we hold onto forever.”

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