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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:

CocktailQueen · 14/12/2011 22:39

YANBU! I dislike perfect trees with tasteful decs - I love our tree with my mix of tasteful decs (pre-kids!) and their decs they have made at school . Wouldn't change it!!!!!! The kids have such fun decorating the tree, and their little tees in their rooms. Makes me :)

CocktailQueen · 14/12/2011 22:40

Little trees, not tees!!!!!

Letchlady · 14/12/2011 23:39

Nope, in my house - the tree is all mine .

But decorating the house is a joint effort - so whilst the christmas music is playing and I'm decorating the tree, my children are making the paper chains and finding homes for all the Christmas bits (snow globe, candle etc). Also, they put baubles in a large glass vase to look all christmassy and nice. By the time they've finished doing all that and have decorated their own trees, they're bored with it and have sodded off to do something more fun.

DodieSmith · 15/12/2011 00:40

DD (3.5) hands me the baubles and I hang them. She has dun decorating the tree and it looks nice.

DodieSmith · 15/12/2011 00:41

Aargh! Fun not dun obviously. FUN.

Laquitar · 15/12/2011 01:15

I don't mind tat.
The tree is for the dcs they can put as much tat as they like.

But then again we are not classy the rest of the year anyway, why would we make an efford for class on Christmas?

rubyrubyruby · 15/12/2011 01:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Laquitar · 15/12/2011 01:23

xyfactor · 15/12/2011 01:25

I'm with Esta3GG on this one,it's the only way :)

piprobincomesbobbobbobbinalong · 15/12/2011 01:33

I put up the tree and lights - my DCs (8 and 3 yo) did the decorating.

It looks lovely, although all the chocolates are artfully arranged on the bottom-most branches.

complexnumber · 15/12/2011 04:11

We weren't moving quickly enough for DD2, aged 8, so she not only decorated the tree she put the fake tree together too. She may have her own Monica-like tendencies soon.

nooka · 15/12/2011 04:25

My big sister always directed tree decorating when I was growing up. I don't know if my parents ever got much of a look in! dd seems to have inherited some of that tendency, we usually do it together. It always looks good because I enforce the rules about where tinsel is allowed to go (only next to the tree truck, not draped over the branches) and we have nice decorations (I'm sure some would be tat in other people's books, but they have been accumulated over 20 odd years and are all special to me).

nooka · 15/12/2011 04:25

Love the toast decorated tree though

Sloobreeus · 15/12/2011 05:36

Decorated our (real) tree with the help of uber cool 17 year old DD. She loves this and the tree looks good. Apart, that is, from the necklace of small, red, shiny balls, which she loves and I despise But hey, it's Christmas. If you love it, great, if you hate it hope you manage to get through it OK

HughBastard · 15/12/2011 05:46

Our tree is decorated from 1 foot high to 3 feet high. Everywhere else is naked. I have a 5yo and a 3yo.

CheerfulYank · 15/12/2011 05:48

Mine looks exactly as though it was decorated by a mad four year old. It was. :o There's a pic of it on my profile, feel free to look!

I may do the whole "two trees" thing someday, but it's nice the way it is. We think so anyway! :)

differentnameforthis · 15/12/2011 06:04

3yr old & 8yr old currently decorating tree while I scoff chocolate & MN.

It has huge patches of naked branches, and most of the decorations are at 3yr & 8yr old height.

But they love it, are loving doing it & that is what Christmas is about in this house.

Gonzo33 · 15/12/2011 06:16

I do and Esta - kids help, and then I fix it after they have gone to bed

camdancer · 15/12/2011 07:07

I didn't grow up having Christmas trees (different religion) but always wanted one. I wanted a big tree with lots of lights, lots of tinsel and lots of tat made by children. This year DS made some decorations at school. I almost burst with pride when he put them on the tree - all on the same branch! I've never understood classy trees. I love buying something new each year and now I'll have child made things to add each year also.

JoandMax · 15/12/2011 07:16

We have a house of Christmas tat - DH took 3.5 yo DS1 to buy some new decorations and we now have multicoloured lights, baubles, tinsel, 2 fake reindeer, snow spray, tinsel on every edge available and a 4 foot high snowman by the front door.....

It's so hideous I'm actually starting to like it! The DCs absolutely love it so that's the main thing (keep repeating this on the hope it sinks in) - we're not having any visitors at Christmas, if we were I may have to do something!

Dreaming of a tasteful even tree with classy accessories doted subtly around the house.........

SealLullaby · 15/12/2011 07:16

YANBU - I never get the whole perfect Christmas thing! Our tree looks great but was decorated my DCs (8,6,3) and rearranged by puppy! Co-ordinated trees look so boring (and a bit naff - imho!)

Trying to make Christmas all perfect and immaculate just adds unnecessary pressure, I think. So what if nothing matches? It's the magic & sparkle that counts!

ben5 · 15/12/2011 07:22

we put the tree up and put the lights on. ds 8 and ds6 then put tinsel, balls, xmas art from school etc on. tasteful in my eyes and of those in our family but not of other people

ChristmasIsAcumenin · 15/12/2011 07:23

Children always! We still tattify decorate our tree at home and still have a running battle as to whose angel gets to sit on the top. My brother usually wins with the one he made in reception.

In 1977.

cloudpuff · 15/12/2011 07:34

I am shit at decorating trees. I'm happy to let dd(6) decorate it as she makes a much better job than me, I just pass her the stuff and listen to carols and drink wine while she gets busy.

I remember the first christmas when I lived with dp, Dad had given me a tree and a few decorations,dp busied himself in the garden while I "decorated" my first ever tree, bloody thing didn't last long as dp took one look at the pitiful thing and pissed himself laughing then picked the whole thing up and threw it one the fire he had in the garden to burn a load of old crap.

*Just to add he did this in a funny way, not in a controlling, abusive "leave the bastard" kind of way.

SHoHoHodan · 15/12/2011 08:00

The dss helped do the tree in the sitting room. Ds1 (15) likes to hang the heaviest ornaments on the very tip of a branch so it droops alarmingly. Ds2 (4) has decorated a one foot square patch near the bottom with about twenty ornaments. DH and I do the lights, DH gets to put the star on top.

Ds2 helped with the tree on the landing. There are several ornaments exactly the same in a small patch of tree with bare patches elsewhere. Evry time I go past I stealthily rearrange a bit.

I'm hoping that they're all 'treed out' now so I can be left in peace to do the real tree at the weekend.

Oh and I also have two small trees that are solely for ds2's nursery school-made decorations. I think I like those most of all...

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