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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that DC should be included when putting up Christmas decorations?

80 replies

KittyFane · 14/12/2011 19:53

Our tree is lopsided, garish and covered in tat.
Put up by DD (8) and me.
Friend's tree is pristine and centre piece to a range of carefully selected, colour coordinated tasteful decorations throughout the house. Her DC aren't allowed to touch it let alone help decorate it. It is beautiful.
AIBU to think that this is not right or am I just jealous of her beautiful tree?!

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 14/12/2011 19:54

Yabu!!

maybenow · 14/12/2011 19:54

i hate tat - i have been collecting old fashioned wooden tree decorations at one a year for ages... kids can help decorate, but they can't put tat up.

santastooearlymustdache · 14/12/2011 19:54

sorry, you mentioned something about DCs and decorations?

you'll have to explain, i've never heard of this before Xmas Grin

Esta3GG · 14/12/2011 19:54

Child does tree.
Child goes to bed.
Parent fixes tree.

That's how it works round these parts. Grin

Original poster
KittyFane · 14/12/2011 19:56

Boo, I'm just jealous aren't I?!

OP posts:
SantaDesperatelySeeksSedatives · 14/12/2011 19:57

What do you mean by tat exactly? YANBU to think DC should be allowed to help decorate the tree. My 4 year old loved decorating the tree and the lower branches are groaning under an array of cheap, tacky baubles that came with our fake tree. She keeps making "finishing touches to the tree every day Xmas Smile

Personally I think it looks great. And I got to put our nice ones up higher. A win-win situation all round.

MrsHeffley · 14/12/2011 19:58

My kids have one,I have one.

Nobody touches my tree until Xmas morning when I let the kids take the candy canes off-under supervision!

CrotchFlakes · 14/12/2011 19:59

If you want all of the decorations on a single overloaded branch, get a small child to help.

If you want a proper, decent tree, you need someone over 12 to help.

civilfawlty · 14/12/2011 20:00

With guilt, what esta said.

shazbean · 14/12/2011 20:04

We have Half a tree this year cos we decorated and moved things and the whole thing wouldn't fit.

Strike one...tree is not complete and slightly wobbly.
Strike two...it's covered in the finest of make your own decorations including a green and orange angel and old Christmas tags that DD took a fancy to.
Strike three..the theme is party in a tinsel factory, every colour you can imagine.. We have half a tree with the whole tree decorations on.

..it's the only time you can do tacky so go for it!

Original poster
KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:06

Santa tat (on our tree) = 10 years worth of mismatched, multicoloured decorations from everywhere and anywhere with no sentimental value, randomly placed on fake tree.

OP posts:
shazbean · 14/12/2011 20:06

Oops yanbu!

Sassybeast · 14/12/2011 20:07

Gaudy, over loaded, lop sided, tinsel heavy, garish mess carefully constructed by small people here. I love it Xmas Grin

Original poster
KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:08

Oh shaz I'm liking the sound of that! Maybe ours isn't so bad
(sounds similar!)

OP posts:
Pixel · 14/12/2011 20:09

I've always had a 'helper' before but this year I have a lovely tasteful tree. DD is being a 'too cool to decorate trees' teenager (although I did notice she couldn't resist appearing halfway through and pointing out where there were spaces Xmas Grin) and ds is autistic so just sat about looking worried and then disappeared to his room.
I'm torn really, YABU because my tree does look exceptionally gorgeous, on the other hand YANBU because it does seem a bit sad to be doing it by myself (dh did manly fetching of tree from garage and then scarpered).

Original poster
KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:10

Sassy I'm feeling better already...!

OP posts:
mrsravelstein · 14/12/2011 20:11

yup, what esta said

shazbean · 14/12/2011 20:12

I'm sure it's beautiful and on Christmas eve after a few Baileys it'll look perfect Grin

FredFredGeorge · 14/12/2011 20:12

What if your over loaded lop sided light heavy garish mess was constructed by DP with no input from DC? (who didn't even seem interested that a large green tree covered in lights and colour had appeared next to her play mat)

'cos I love it. I do think Kids should have input, but seriously you can't make christmas trees or decorations tasteful, colour coordinated christmas decorations still look rubbish, they just look like you actually tried to make them look like a department store window good, but failed.

EdithWeston · 14/12/2011 20:13

I turned th whole job over to the DCs as soon as I could [very idle parent emoticon]. Now that the youngest is 7, they do a pretty good job of it.

CinnamonStar · 14/12/2011 20:13

OP I am definitely with you! Christmas trees are supposed to look tacky and garish and mismatched anyway . We bought new decorations last year, and I let DD, then 3, choose them all. Every one was a different colour Xmas Grin

ImpOfThePerverse · 14/12/2011 20:15

I let my DS1 3yo help, he's not quite tall enough though so mainly he directs operations while I do the decorating. Apart from the bottom branches the tree wasn't too bad until DS2 got hold of it, now it's all a bit wonky. Grin

I love Christmas now I have DC, used to find it utterly pointless before when we had a beautiful tree, complete with beautiful, breakable decorations.

The glass baubles are resting in the attic awaiting the end of the toddler years...

stuffthenonsense · 14/12/2011 20:18

the DCs now have their own tree for all the things they made when small, and as i am so big with DC5, and tired looking after DD4, that this year DDs1-3 have decorated the entire house (with supervision and artistic direction, and it looks fantastic) but when they were small, the tree magically appeared overnight courtesy of the 'tree fairies'....did they believe in the tree fairies? no idea, but they played along

Xmasbaby11 · 14/12/2011 20:19

I'm happy with tat and DC being involved - nothing pristine or classy about Xmas in this house!

LaurieFairyCake · 14/12/2011 20:19

Yabu

I don't even let 13 year old dd help much as she refuses to hang in 3's!