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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

lljkk · 14/12/2011 20:21

DC (7 +10) did all the decorating, and the tree actually does look glorious!

MrsChemist · 14/12/2011 20:22

DS1 (2.3) helped us this year, but he decided he was the tree foreman. He just picked baubles and yelled, 'put this one there, mummy!'

He did a good job directing us, it looks great.

MudAndGlitter · 14/12/2011 20:24

We have 6 baubles on one branch and a star on top. The rest of the decs have been put somewhere by DD 18 months and DS 2.9.
of people with nice trees and wooden decs

ChristinedePizanne · 14/12/2011 20:29

I have no tat and nothing is garish. And I am ashamed to say I took everything off after he went to bed and rearranged them

I am extremely proud that I stopped myself from directing his decorating of the gingerbread house

Wallace · 14/12/2011 20:32

We went away for Christmas one year and returned to find that MIL had been in and reorganised our tree!

She had removed most of the tinsel and evened out what was left, and redistributed the decorations. Still 6 years later!

knockneedandknackered · 14/12/2011 20:32

dont fall for the designer xmas shit xmas is fun when you get the wine out you wont give a shit and you can look back at your crappy photos of your xmas tree and laugth.

Cadsuane · 14/12/2011 20:38

Our tree is not up yet but my DDs (11 and 9) have made me promise I won't do it again after they are in bed or let them do the side that gets turned to the wall.
They have conceeded that I might need to do the lights but want to do most of the rest on their own. Do you think some heavy hinting and some tactical coughing would help me have a symmetrical tree?

Original poster

KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:43

this got me thinking hence thread. Ours is same but with 100 times more stuff on it.

OP posts:

RedHotSanta · 14/12/2011 20:44

YANBU, DCs should help. However not before the lights are put on, as that MUST be done by me and must involve hours of me circling the tree in the dark checking everything is even . DCs are in charge of baubles and chocolates!!!

Original poster

KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:46

Wallace :o!!

OP posts:

clam · 14/12/2011 20:49

My DCs are a bit older (15 and 13) these days, and we have finally arrived at a place where I've trained them decorating the tree together is fun. (Terribly stressful when they were little. I used to let them put stuff on, then move it all when they'd gone to bed!). We go and choose it together, I am in charge of trimming it to fit through the French windows and onto the stand, DD is the DJ i/c of Christmas music, I supervise them placing the lights and the beads, and we each choose a favourite bauble to place on it first. DS invariably then gets bossy about where the rest go so I prissy about placing candles and other bits around the house. DS helps me put up the outside lights on the gutters and is responsible for turning them on/off at night.
DH wanders about watching us (usually shopping/cooking dinner) and telling us how nice it all looks at the end. It's his job to put all the empty boxes away and clear up.

Original poster

KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:49

Ours is a flashing LED one with two extra sets of lights Red.
There isn't a fake branch left unlit or undecorated!

I'm starting to like it now!

OP posts:

Original poster

KittyFane · 14/12/2011 20:53

:( clam I'm now jealous of you having a DH who compliments the tree and tidys away!

OP posts:

tethersjinglebellend · 14/12/2011 20:57

I let DD (3) decorate it this year; yes, the decorations include some Thomas trains and bits of toast; yes, the tree is decorated only at toddler head height and completely bare above and below; yes none of the chocolate decorations survived, but by God it kept her quiet for three solid hours.

It was completely worth it.

clam · 14/12/2011 20:58

Thinking about this, I think kids' memories about Christmas are made through being involved. When we were doing ours this weekend, my two were adamant about where certain things "had" to go and I realised that traditions had crept up on us without me realising.

2rebecca · 14/12/2011 21:02

I'm with esta, although mine as teenagers prefer to supervise me decorating the tree "up a bit" "left a bit" and are too idle to join in unless there is a particularly exciting bauble. When younger they helped me do it and I made it less lopsided when they went to bed taking care not to move their favourite bits. I was quite good at ordering them around though "I think there's too much gold here...ooh look there's a nice space"

Cherriesarelovely · 14/12/2011 22:05

Oh YA SO NBU! I LOVE doing the tree with my DD and have done ever since she was very little. She actually does a great job and it looks lovely. I cannot bear overly coordinated trees in only one or two colours. I think they look like they ought to be in hotels or shopping centres not in homes. But then my home is quite lived in and not to everyone's taste!

Esta3GG · 14/12/2011 22:12

@ too idle to join in unless there is a particularly exciting bauble

redpanda13 · 14/12/2011 22:13

I loved helping decorate the tree as a child. I think it was my favourite thing about Christmas. Last year was the first year DD really took an intrest in being involved in the decorating. I cannot get anal over the tree as we have two Siamese cats and a nosy dog. Siamese cats are famed for eating strange things so no tinsel ever for us. Tree will be lopsided in no time.
My funniest Christmas memory is the year my mum bought a giant real tree. We lived in an old house with really high ceilings and my mum had always wanted a tree that filled the room. She spent a fortune on it and many hours decorating the tree. It was the mid 80's and my brother was into break dancing and carried around a polished bit of lino. He had been spinning some moves beside the tree and it fell on him trapping him underneath. We rushed into the room to see just a pair of silver Nike Vandal Supreme boots sticking out from under the tree! There was hardly a needle left on it after that and it was so lopsided!

troisgarcons · 14/12/2011 22:15

I think it depends whether you treat Christmasas family celebration or whether you think its another anal thing to micro-mange in your life!

I can think of better thigns to get all worked up about - mine is the cat wrecking any tree - artistically or child-inclusion decorated.

exoticfruits · 14/12/2011 22:18

YANBU. I now get to have a very balanced, stylish tree and it isn't a patch, or half as much fun, as having DCs hanging things.

Shutupanddrive · 14/12/2011 22:21

Ours has most of the baubles on the top half as ds2 (19months) keeps taking them off! [ fhmm]

Shutupanddrive · 14/12/2011 22:21

Bollocks!

manticlimactic · 14/12/2011 22:32

I do the tree, it always looks shit. I say DD has done it.

youarekidding · 14/12/2011 22:36

DS (7) helped me decorate. There was absolutely no input from me about where to hang things, I totally allowed him to help with the lights and tinsel as it doesn't have to be evenly spaced and I wouldn't dream of rearranging baubles when he's not looking.

My fake tree decorated pink, silver and white does look beautiful though and DS is very pleased with how well he's done.

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