Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Christmas tree decorations, do you change them every year or so?

102 replies

EleanorLavish · 04/12/2019 22:27

We have been married 16 years, and I think our first tree decorations were very cheap multipacks which I gave to charity shop after a few years. Since then we have been gathering decorations each year. The kids get to pick one each every year. We go to a garden centre or similar and they pick whichever one they like. So the decorations are all individual.
I have a few glass baubles, a few gold ones etc that I’ve splashed out on, but there is no theme. It’s lovely when we decorate it though as the kids (mostly teenagers now!) love getting out ‘their ones’ each year. They can take them with them when they have their own houses and families.
But I’ve noticed people on here talking about ‘themes’ or ‘this year we have gone for’ type comments.
Just wondering whether many people do switch decorations every year/few years?

OP posts:
Excited101 · 04/12/2019 22:29

My family and now me does the same as you op, getting rid of them like you say is wasteful and tacky imo. I think it’s lovely when individual decorations can be collected over the years.

Itsashame · 04/12/2019 22:30

Same! So wasteful to buy new every year and that way there will never be any favourites or looking forward to seeing the decs again. Christmas is all about tradition, not replacing each year!

Howmanysleepsnow · 04/12/2019 22:30

We do the same as you.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Christmas Events & celebrations
Greenglassteacup · 04/12/2019 22:32

We have collected, inherited and made over the years, love a busy tree full of family history

Steamfan · 04/12/2019 22:34

we love using the same decs, brings back so many happy memories. Our tree topper is a Wise Man, made out of a toilet roll middle when our son was at primary school - and that was a long time ago!

StrongerThanIThought76 · 04/12/2019 22:34

I did have a bit of an overhaul a couple of years ago - late 90s gold and red baubles (dusty with that ancient loft smell) were an appreciated donation to our school pta Santa's grotto decorating kit, replaced with some more modern stuff. But we still have our lifetime's worth of personal baubles, DIY ones, kid's school-made ones, decs we've picked up abroad, and some family heirloom bits. I love the eclectic mix!

NobJobWinker · 04/12/2019 22:35

It seems incredibly wasteful to replace decorations every year and I'd be surprised if there are many people who do that

Every year I might buy a couple of new bits and throw out anything that is broken or looking really tatty but 95% of it gets packed away in a box ready to be brought out the following year

JellicleCat · 04/12/2019 22:36

Also collected and inherited. Isn't that part of the joy of decorating your tree and remembering where everything came from? Ours include some things my DD made at preschool and she is now 25 as well as ones I had as a child.

Purpletigers · 04/12/2019 22:37

We use the same ones every year . Started off with a colour theme 17ish years ago but that soon went out the window . I don’t understand anyone who would change it every year or few years . Seems ridiculously wasteful . I can’t imagine many people with common sense would do this .
My children get a new Newbridge one every Christmas in their stockings .

northernknickers · 04/12/2019 22:39

Same as you...I still have all the salt dough and badly stitched felt decorations made by my (now adult!) children. Every year, for the past 30 or so years, we add one or two special new ones. It's lovely 🥰. I just can't imagine not opening my box each year, and spending hours reminiscing about them as they get put up ☺️

Pollaidh · 04/12/2019 22:43

Mixture of ones we bought as students, ones as adults in first house together, a few things from my childhood, all the random ones the children have made/bought/won. It's messy but lovely.

I don't like colour coordinated trees, it's like being in a supermarket or hotel. Also hugely wasteful if you change them regularly.

dalmatianmad · 04/12/2019 22:43

We have boxes with different colours and used to change them over every year. Cant be arsed any more and we've used the white ones for the last few years Xmas Smile
We have a few special decorations, mostly from Disneyland.
Dd had left home now and was hoping to pass some onto her but shes been to Asda thisbweek and they have got their own new ones....

Comradesally · 04/12/2019 22:59

I can imagine people who buy colour sets will change them.

It's not tacky and I assume they are passed on not thrown away.
We have built up Dec's I wouldn't chuck and some I would pass on.

BackforGood · 04/12/2019 22:59

No. We do the same as you.

Lostmyunicorn · 04/12/2019 23:05

DC are allowed to buy one new one each year, provided they find one they love and not just for the sake of buying one. I buy one new one from unicef or Oxfam or similar each year. We make a few home made ones each year (useful in case any of the previous home made ones have fallen apart / rotted / got mouldy) Then we get all the accumulated previous years out of the loft and spend ages working out which year they date from and who made / chose each one - it’s one of my favourite parts of Christmas.

Cookit · 04/12/2019 23:09

I hate the idea of themes.

We do the same as you. An odd new one every now.

rainbowlou · 04/12/2019 23:14

My mum always had a themed tree and we were not allowed to help decorate in case we ruined it. Every year the theme changed and it was so wasteful, stressful for her (apparently) and not to mention very, very boring for a child!
Now I have my own children we have a mixture of decorations that we have had for the last 15 years or so and they choose a new one each year.
Nothing matches, nothing is symmetrical, it all clashes and it looks gorgeous 🤗

Walnutwhipster · 04/12/2019 23:19

Some of ours are almost a hundred years old. There's one DS made in nursery, he's about to turn 24. There are so many memories attached but it is especially poignant this year because many were bought individually as gifts by my mum. Little did we know that she wouldn't be here this Christmas.

DamnYouAutocucumber · 04/12/2019 23:25

We inherited beautiful, breakable, child unfriendly glass baubles, which have been I storage since DC1 was tiny.

Bought a set of plastic unbreakables, which have been supplemented with creations from playgroups and school.

I appreciate the beautiful, ornamental trees, but I can't picture a time when I'll ever be ready to get rid of the homemade stuff.

FrancisCrawford · 04/12/2019 23:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Titsywoo · 04/12/2019 23:27

I have some from my parents tree when I was a child and the rest have been bought over the years and i add a couple each year and buy nice quality ones from the garden centre. I do only have certain colours on our tree but I wouldnt call it a colour scheme it's more that I find these colours the most xmassy - red, green, gold and the odd bit of white and silver.

Hippee · 04/12/2019 23:34

Our tree has no two decorations alike. I have actually photographed them all no and tried to remember where they came from. Some made by the children. Many from the craft stall at the school Christmas Fair or our local Fairtrade shop. Love them all!

CrotchetyQuaver · 04/12/2019 23:40

No our decorations tell a story! I've tried to stick to certain colours and buy one or two really nice ones each year, depending on what I see. Seems wasteful to me changing them every few years, but each to their own.

katewhinesalot · 04/12/2019 23:43

Good good no. They are too expensive.

However I did change them once many moons ago when Alders was still in business, and I kept my old gold ones. Given that gold appears to be coming back, you never know they may get a second coming.

PixieDustt · 05/12/2019 00:04

No just add to them each year.