to hand over complete control of tree decoration responsibilities to dds, aged 8 & 2?

[TreeMayhem]

I would normally lead strongly towards the anal and control freakery end of the spectrum on this kind of task.

Today however, I am not feeling very well and I just CAN'T BE ARSED.

They are having a whale of a time putting any different coloured tinsel they can find on it.

The top of the tree, I fear is going to be somewhat on the bare side as neither of them can reach up there.

Dh did help them put the lights on but he has wrapped them round so tight that the branches are all stuck upright and it resembles something like I imagine a kidnapped christmas tree would look.

There's all manner of different beads, garlands and homemade glittery things going on there.

So, do I a) get up off my arse, take it all off and start again amid expected tantrums galore....

or b) rest my weary arse, leave the kids happy as pigs in muck, but then have to look at this monstrosity in my lounge for the next 3 weeks?

' I just' even!

Oh that's good to hear Honey. Hope you feel better soon. I think my laid back approach is helped by the fact that I have no taste whatsoever and even if I did decorate the tree myself it'd still look like a 5 year old did it. I go for the scattergun approach.

My most successful cunning plan for a halfway decent tree was to involve them in the actual buying of decorations and the deciding of colour schemes. We also bought a little real tree in a pot for the kitchen/dining room. So the kitchen tree was the repository of those dreadful creative efforts that came home from school, the other "proper" tree was decorated with the more selective stuff.

Admittedly, there was always more tinsel that I'd allow in the house nowadays but at least you got a tree that was covered in, say, only red and gold tinsel. Not something that looked like an intoxicated elf had chucked up all over it.

People have colour schemes??

Well I call it a colour scheme. But I doubt that any Monica interior decorator would have been convinced.

Twitching at the thought of children let loose on the 'PruTree. You're a braver woman than I, OP. Yes, I recognise I may have a problem.

DS2 (11) did ours and it's fantastic. He is a lot older though I suppose.

YABU if DS1 2.8 had his way I would now power ranger figues as mary and joseph in the nativity and his willy on the top of the tree

A lot older does make an awful lot of difference, in my experience. There's an optimum age for tree decorating. Unfortunately, it tends to be followed fairly quickly by the optimum age for not wanting to be arsed with it.

I think the point of a xmas tree is to be full of decorations and never colour co-ordinated - I'm with maryz - I've decorations inlcuding lights going back to when I was kid - plus we traditionally ghave to buy a few new ones each year - plus we've the home made ones - we've tinsel in five colours! I love it. But I really hate v colouer - coordinated ones - apologies to those fwho lovethem!