Family Tree Ornaments: Every Name Gets Its Own Heart
Every Christmas tree has a few decorations that mean more than the rest. This year I wanted to make one that holds the whole family on a single ornament, so I made a tree with hearts hanging inside it, each one engraved with a name.
The idea
The family tree ornament is a little Christmas tree cut from plywood, with a heart hanging inside it for every person you want on it. A couple gets two hearts. A growing family might get five. Grandparents who want the whole gang on one decoration can have up to eight.
It works for blended families too, where a normal “family of four” ornament never quite fits. Everyone gets their own heart, and the price is the same whatever number you choose.
See it before you order
The website has a creator, so you can type in the names and see the ornament generated in real time before you send the order through. You can try different numbers of hearts, check how each name sits, and fix a typo while it’s still free to fix. When it looks right, you send it through and I make it.
How it’s made
It’s built from three layers of 3mm plywood, uncoated and untreated, glued together. The hearts sit in the middle layer. A plain tree on the front and a plain tree on the back hold everything in place and give it strength, which makes the finished ornament about 9mm thick.
The laser does the hard work. It cuts the trees and hearts, then engraves each name onto its own heart. A tree board takes about three minutes of laser time, which sounds quick until you remember how many names I have to check before it starts.
Each ornament comes out about 13cm tall and 9cm wide at its widest point. It comes with natural twine, so it’s ready to hang as soon as it arrives. I leave the wood natural, so if you fancy painting or varnishing it, go for it.
Names that fit
Each name can be up to 10 characters. That’s plenty for most first names, and nicknames work too. If someone has a long name, a shortened version usually looks lovely on the heart, and the creator will show you straight away how it fits.
Price and last orders
They’re £10 each, plus postage, whether you choose two hearts or eight. Everything is made to order in the MakerLab and posted within 3 working days.
Last orders for Christmas are on 15 December, but the busiest weeks are always the ones just before, so order earlier if you can. Early orders also give me time to double-check every name.
I’ll be posting videos of the trees being cut and engraved on TikTok, so keep an eye out if you want to see the layers lift out of the board.
Head to the shop, open the creator, and build yours. Happy hanging.