Christmas tree disaster

[coffeerevelsrock]

How bad does it look? I feel so deflated and frustrated and I know I need to get a grip but I just can't at the moment.

Getting the tree is one of my favourite aspects of Christmas and I have really loved doing it with my two boys since divorcing 7 years ago. As they are 12 and 14 now I don't expect them to be gleeful about it but need their help, Today we got our usual 6 footer and it just won't sit straight. It's fallen twice and I just feel defeated. we have the usual foot-operated stand we've had for 3 or 4 years and ds1 is usually the expert, but this year it's just not happening. I have no illusions that it will stay up and I'm just waiting for it to fall again and obviously it's massively wonky and I daren't put the star on the top.

We've all fallen out with each other and I just feel like a failure. We also have to go on a fucking Christmas walk with lights that I've paid £60 for that I just can't be arsed with, especially as it's wet. Kids wanted to go at the time but I know they'd rather not tonight now.

To make it all worse, there's a fucking fly in here in December - how!?

Can anyone cheer me up, tell me to get a grip or something? Please.

[winniebago17]

It looks great! No one likes a boring tree anyway.

[Disfordarkchocolate]

It made me smile.

We have one of those stands and it's amazing. Is it working, perhaps one of the bits has got stuck.

[waltzingparrot]

Ah, chin up and tog up and out on that walk you go. All that Christmas cheer of other walkers will rub off and have you joyful in no time and when you get home, that wonky tree with the lights, not quite in the right place, will look wonderful. And if you have a couple of stiff drinks as soon as you get in, it might even look upright too .

I'd just have to fiddle with the lights a bit to light up those dark areas. Embrace the wonk though.

[MsPavlichenko]

Enjoy the walk, have a laugh if tree does come down again. Order a new stand or go and get one tomorrow. Looks beautiful.

[Smartiepants79]

Can you work out what making it wonky? The trunk? Can you trim it??
I agree that the decorations need a bit of redistribution to fill out the gaps but you need to make it’s not going to keep falling first!!
Think it can look lovely if you can just get it to stay up!! I don’t think a bit wonky matters.
I love your decorations.

[coffeerevelsrock]

Yes, the stand has been amazing every other year so maybe it has broken? Can't really do anything - the tree is way too heavy and ds2 and I can only just life it while ds1 adjusts. the lights definitely need adjusting but I think it's all too finely balanced....

[ErrolTheDragon]

Apart from the slight wonkiness, it looks fine to me. Very uniform distribution of decorations can be a bit meh.

[Etherealhedgehog]

If you might enjoy the walk then go for it. If you're all going to be miserable, how about cutting your losses, getting in some junk food and watching a cheesy Christmas movie together while you wait for the tree to fall down again. The fly can keep you company. Fuck that fly! (That part of your post did make me chuckle, I'm sorry )

[SmolCat]

Oh god the fly would have tipped me over the edge.
Stand and fake laugh at it, you’ll all soon be laughing sincerely. (Or crying... it’s a bit of a gamble...)

[ErrolTheDragon]

As to the fly - if you store the tree stand and decorations in a loft, that could be where it's come from.

[AdventStar]

I kind of like him, OP. He has character and charm.

Could you possibly tie something to him and a heavy object nearby to stop him falling over?

[lightisnotwhite]

I put mine in a pot of water with three carefully placed bricks inside. Takes forever to get the perfect balanced triangle. Nothing worthwhile is easy.

It looks an amazing tree. You’ve got time. Do it tomorrow once you’ve assessed what it needs.

[RandomRoulette]

I'm sorry to tell you this, but your tree has been infected with fly-borne fucked-up-xmas-itis.

No matter what you do, the tree is always going to look slanty because the fly has burrowed into it and created tiny tunnels which collapse wherever the foot-operated stand attaches.

Thankfully, fly-borne fucked-up-xmas-itis can often be treated (not fixed, but lived with) by adding copious amounts of wine and chocolate. Embrace the slant, and you will live to laugh another day...

[EventOfTheSeason]

I like it. Maybe on your walk something will happen to break the tension of the day and you'll all come home having a laugh.
You have planted a small seed of doubt that I won't manage to put up my real tree by myself tomorrow though

[campion]

Get some garden string, or even string(!), tie it round the trunk about half way up and attach the string firmly to the wall. You just need a small nail or tack hammered in and the tiny hole doesn't show afterwards.
That'll stop it falling over.

Otherwise it looks perfectly OK. I might have another go with the lights and make them a bit more symmetrical, also push them in the tree a bit more but, honestly it's fine.

Christmas trees are meant to cause angst from choosing to worrying that they're going to die too soon. Or is that just me?! We've yet to get ours so I've got all this to look forward to. Again

[MrsTophamHat]

Oh, I think it looks lovely. It's kind of endearing really. It'll probably go down in your family Christmas lore.

[Kbyodjs]

Completely perfect trees make me feel a bit sad, I love a wonky tree or anything other than all the perfect ones you constantly see

[HighlandCowbag]

It's lovely OP and the dcs will eventually laugh about it. 'Remember when mum lost her shit cos wonky tree, soggy walk and that fly'.

Fly is annoying. The huge, huge wasp thing that emerged from a pine cone I think one year as fucking terrifying. It was absolutely huge and also quite pissed off. At least its not a weird, giant wasp thing.

[coffeerevelsrock]

Well it just fell down in quite spectacular fashion. This prompted me to saw a bit more off the bottom and then for ds1 and me to swap roles, with me lying underneath and him lifting. Turns out he may not be the expert I'd thought as when it went in and I tightened it it was clearly up and felt like it would stay there! He's also a lot stronger than me and could lift it higher. So it's up, looks like it'll stay up and decs are going back on. Thanks for all your comments, they've helped a lot!

[miltonj]

Aw I love it!

[AdventStar]

No pics?

Happy you're feeling better OP

[sittingonacornflake]

Oh OP I have the same bargain slim artificial Christmas tree that I bought with an abusive ex 6 years ago with my parents old Christmas lights on it from when I was a child.

So I do honestly mean when I say your tree looks so magical and real and big I would love it.

[CheddarGorgeous]

Our tree now has string tied round the stem about 4.5 feet up which is then tied to the window frame. DH used eleventy million wedges to get it upright and it still kept on throwing itself forward.

[TheChosenTwo]

I’m with @Kbyodjs - I feel sad when I see a completely perfect/symmetrical/tasteful tree too!
Every year my dc manage to pick one with ‘charm’ - odd sticking out branches, one side fuller than the other, a bent top, massive bottom, whatever. They’re so unique!
We think they have character when they’re a bit quirky, embrace it’s shape! Glad you’ve sorted out the sturdiness, sounds like a slight user error but all sorted now.
Redistribute the decorations and lights if you so feel inclined but our trees are always a bit weird and wonderful and the dc decorate it themselves - I don’t touch a thing.
I adore your tree
Are you going out for the Christmas walk?

[IamEarthymama]

We always have a living tree in a pot, about 5ft tall. It stays in the garden and usually lasts about 3-4 years.
Last years from B&Q was a nightmare and died by May.
So we have a new one and it was very wonky indeed!

After our dog walk we had to identify a new pot big enough to put the tree in at an angle. This involved emptying a pot with plants in, saving said plants then finding a bag of compost to fill up the gaps.
We should have lifted up into a garden table as DW and I were bent double and frozen into place!

After getting the decorations down from the loft I was so tired that I fell fast asleep on the sofa. We had our booster injections yesterday so are both discombobulated and a bit achey! So it's a matter of conjecture whether the tree will make indoors this evening or have to wait another day.

I don't have children at home so no one is bothered but I know that when mine where young I would feel exactly as you do, it's disheartening when you have tried so hard.
I second pp's idea of pulling it into place with a piece of string.

I hope you have gone out to see the Lighted Walk and enjoyed it. I promise you will laugh with your children about the Wonky Christmas Tree in the future just as we do about the Tiramisu that Had ti Be Eaten about of a Cupboard!

Take care 🎄💐🎄