Decorations with or without kids?

[Obie4]

Our decorations will go up on the 8th. After dds birthday. We have always done this as a family. But our kid count has grown, so, thinking it would be a little crazy with all the kids, I dropped into conversation with dh that I might do it while kids are in bed, or at least the youngest 2. He wasn't happy. My sil does it while hers are at school and said it's a lot easier, and loves seeing there faces when they come home.
I know it will be great with there excitement but with the smallest who are both 2yo (one about to turn 3) and a 6yo and 13yo I'm sure it will be hectic.
Dh always does outside while we do inside so he doesn't see all the exited craziness.
I do love it, and i suppose I would miss the fun of it all and there faces, and feel mean for thinking about not doing it with them, but dreading it at the same time.
So what do you all do about yours and your kids?

Get your DH to help with the indoor bit and do the outside another time.

Ours will be going up the same time as you after ds2's birthday. I will be doing it when they are in bed and telling them the christmas fairies must have done it. They are only 3 and 1 (nearly 2). Thye can help when they are older though.

31st November? :D

My parents never let us help decorate the tree... I still feel the injustice.
I'd get the tree up with lights and some tinsel and then let the DC do the rest.

In 20 years it has never occurred to me to just put the tree up while the DCs are in bed and let them decorate the next day. I've always had impatient kids standing over me while I work out which fake branch goes where and faff about with spreading it all out, then, because i didn't get the tree out of the loft until about 6pm and it the whole thing takes 5 hours, they usually ended up going to bed too late.
Now, thanks to the handy tips on this thread this year me and DH or older DD will put the tree up in the evening and get young DSCs and DD to get on with decorating the tree the next day (with DS strolling past occasionally to dump the odd bauble on), viola!
I would never leave DCs out, but then again I'm not a perfectionist and don't claim to have any interior decorating skills so as long as the tree looks as OK it's fine. If I was one of those people who could create a magnificent winter wonderland, I might be more precious about it.

Yeah but very late on the 31st so really by the time it's up and decorated we're into December

I think hamster was pointing out that November only has 30 days ...

Our kids decorate the tree we have in the kitchen which was always real and and a bit wonky and full of their lovely creations. Random rules on this tree so anything goes. They are all grown up now so it is a bit more organised but to be honest it stresses me to hell because I'm a bit of a christmas tree control freak.

The big tree in the hall is mine. My way is the only way as far as the big tree is concerned and baubles placed in the wrong place would send me beyond demented. Did I mention I am a total christmas tree control freak

Dd has insisted I do not put up the trees or decorate while she’s in school this year. She is very nearly 17, will get bored before the job is finished and I will have to do the deep clean beforehand. Ds 12 will do about 15 minutes worth before getting bored.

Christmas is for children. I find it amazing that adukts dont let kids help. Just tidy it up when theyre in bed.

it's been a long day

DD has her own tree. Nobody is allowed to decorate or touch my tree unless I say so! :)

I do it when the kids are at school. They love coming home and seeing the house all lit up and the tree sparkling away beautifully. They are not in the least bit bothered about helping but then they are teens 😂

Together. Definitely. Don't you remember doing it as a kid?

DS1 asked last night if he could help with the decorations this Saturday. I said "....sure!!!" through gritted teeth.

My anally retentive self has to have everything just so unfortunately, I've had so many baubles shatter (cos they're shit) and tinsel hung wonky and I can't cope! DS1 and DS2 can "help" and then when they get bored/ go to bed, and DH is at his Christmas party, I can rearrange, make everything pretty and then enjoy a bottle of wine, watching Elf and sighing happily that everything is just as it should be...

I let the dcs do it, they find it so unbearably exciting and I find it so bloody dull - I used to put the lights on the tree and then let them decorate it but now they do it all, they'd be gutted if I did it all.

I definitely think with. Also I suspect this is easier with an only child, like I was, but my parents always maintained exacting standards of tree decoration from me for as long as I can remember. It was always quite a serious undertaking in my house but I still loved it.

One of my favourite memories is decorating the tree as a child . I also do the getting tree set up night before and then decorating next day with children . I do a bit of reorganisation when they go to bed but they love doing it .

'Cakes' I was deprived . We only ever had a small tree on the windowsill. Think it was ready decorated.

Had a few giggles reading these posts. Few ideas too. Never thought of a hall tree. So thinking a 3ft one for the hall table for the little 2 to decorate and let the older 2 do the big tree. And having the trees set up ready to decorate the night before. Save arguments and stress I hope.
I'm not overly fussed how the trees turn out, had our few years of perfect trees before the children arrived.
It's great to see them doit. Was just quite stressful last year with the smaller children too young to understand that baubles arnt football's, or food, and they couldn't keep every single one that they liked most.

we all go and get the tree together and cart it down the road on foot
then all decorate it together
I like it all random
the only rule is no tinsel but we do have lametta

Growing up my mum always decorated when we were in bed and we’d come down one day and be surprised and exited! I never felt like I missed out - I loved coming down to the house all made up. I’m doing the same with my lo - it’s less stress for me plus his little face is a picture when he sees the house transformed over night. Different strokes for different folks - don’t feel bad for doing it either way.

We’re not decorating as we’re moving in a fortnight then immediately going on holiday then spending Xmas at family’s.

I always let my kids do it, with a bit of suggestion (not always listened to!). I am in charge of the lights only! I then re-jig when they are in bed, but only a little. I removed most of the decorations I hated (DM bought them) one year, only to find ones the kids had made from paper to replace them the next day! So, now I just go with it.

I remember being really disappointed that I never got to decorate the tree as a kid and I think as they get bigger they enjoy noticing what they can do now, that the couldn't last year. E.g. being able to put the star on the top was a biggie for my son.

They're only kids for a short time, I'd say if they want to do it let them!

We always go to the farm together on a Sunday to pick the tree. Then home, I pour a drink while dp saws half the thing away to prove a point that a 9ft tree can fit because he saws a foot off it.
I put the lights on, then the 3dc do the decorating. I couldn't care less is baubles aren't evenly dispersed, it's their tree, they can have it how they like. I don't rearrange anything when they're in bed.
We don't go mad with the rest of the house, a few other decorations, dp puts the outside lights up, that's about it.
We were never allowed to touch the tree as kids, it went up while we were in bed which I always found an injustice! My dc would be outraged if I did it on my own, although in all honesty, it's not a 'classy' tree, it's a mismatch and would be regardless of who decorated it!