Is this an American cultural thing, a world wide tradition? Why?

The lessons learned during youthful dalliances with both Reformed and Pentecostal churches, coupled with my more recent systematic theological study, have created a contradiction minefield. I’m finding it difficult to speak consistently about God. Above all, I’m an evangelical follower of Christ. Now firmly within the Arminian tradition, I’m a theology student at a Church of the Nazarene university. My pursuit of a systematic theology has led me ever nearer to Open Theism, yet I remain reluctant to embrace the process theology-esque facets that seem to forbid physical intervention. My heart’s trusting God, but I’m trying to bring my head in line! I can and do embrace mystery, but I want a sound theological foundation for my evangelical life that enables me to speak about God truthfully.

But any creative ideas? My mother when we got to be in our 20′s would put my sister’s and my easter chocolate bunny and eggs in a crystal bowl for each of us. I still have that crystal bowl in my china closet. Oh and we would have to hunt for our baskets even at 30. What wonderful memmories. I would really like to start a tradition with my son.

I have never actually been to Alaska…but I want to go really bad…so I was kinda just walking around Garden Ridge this afternoon with my mom and we went through the christmas section (I know they already have christmas stuff out….I love it!). I then had this great idea to get a second christmas tree for our house this year. Our house is big enough and I have always said that I love christmas trees so much that when I grow up and have kids then I am going to have at least two trees…a family one and then one I can decorate with a new theme every year…well now I want to go ahead and start that tradition this year and I want the theme to be Alaskan…so any ideas. By the way we live in Texas so I thought it might be a unique theme that you wouldn’t see in Texas too much. Lol! My ideas include things like:

A partly flocked tree…maybe just the tips and stuff to make it look like snow.
Moose ornaments
Clear lights
Bears
Pinecones????
Any other ideas from people that have been to Alaska or know a lot about Alaska?