to think there's a grain of truth in this article about Christmas decs

[PiperPublickOccurrences]

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6430199/Etiquette-expert-William-Hanson-reveals-Christmas-decorations-make-look-common.html

Yes it's a Daily Mail link, so what.

Totally tongue in cheek article about how Christmas decorations are a class thing. Very funny. Highlights include:

"Covering your PVC door in some enormous, shiny taffeta bow is not going to make the door look any better. "

"The rule is: the further away from green it is, the more common it is. Thus: pink and white trees - the pits."

"should your husband (and it is always men) return home with an electronic dancing Douglas Fir, or a fake mounted reindeer head that bleats Good King Wenceslas to passers-by, then you have two options: get rid of it, or get rid of him."

"If a house’s baubles have gone up in November then however much repenting you may do during Lent, it will never be enough. "

So, so true.

I wonder what a ‘restrained elegant decoration’ might look like?

One of these is restrained and one isn't. Your choice.

It's Christmas.

Shiny stuff that glows is inherently low class.

Oh, what a surprise?! Another article in the daily mail saying let's laugh at the people on the council estates who put up a shit load of Christmas decorations in November. Like another PP said, it's just classist sneering at the chavs.

These 'common' people are also probably the only people actually still putting money into the economy at Christmas buying all this tat every year. They should be applauded!!

At the same time we are all weeping over the oceans filling with plastic Fatted.

Umm . . . yeah great, lets get loads of plastic to fill the house cos it's Christmas right.

@Ohshitwhatnext anybody with any sense would quickly realise real foliage and fresh lilies, in a room with an open fire is clearly set for a photo shoot. It is completely impractical in the real world.

I found some decorations yesterday that get stuck on the wall that my dm used to have in the 90s I've bought them and stuck them on I love Christmas and tacky stuff, I'm also quite Common and don't give a crap about being told it, I think there's something quite endearing about being common sometimes

Does anyone remember these stuck to the walls with two sided tape or was it just my dm who stuck them everywhere... it was only £1.79 too

My granny's house looked pretty much like the fist pic in ohshitwhatisnext's post, we adored it!

My ultimate goal is the Griswold's house in the National Lampoon film, I reckon we're about halfway there. I really don't give two hoots what anyone else thinks of it - that 'restrained' pic looked like a hotel lobby, how would that work with kids?

I confess those articles are my guilty pleasure. I am never quite sure if the writer is completely nuts or secretly has a room full of pink Christmas trees and glitter back at home.

I think we are meant to laugh at the wreath buyers as much as the tinsel shoppers.

FiRst pic! Fist pic sounds like something from a very different sort of site...

Yes anitagreen my mum has those along with lots of satin baubles and foil ones...
TBH they’re not really disposable, and were not filling the ocean with plastic tat, as we have my grandmas beautiful glass baubles which we keep (along with all the home made stuff from my children)

I enjoyed the article but let’s not forget they are Christmas decorations - as long as they bring pleasure, who the hell cares what colours they are and when they are put up etc. Each to their own and Love to fellow men and all..?

Who gives a shit about what others think of your decorations/when you put them up/plain or blingy etc etc ... if it makes you happy, do it [santa]

OP, I agree with you, but the "determined to be offended" crew here on MN will never find anything amusing if, a) it is written in the Daily Mail, or b) it appears to gently rib anything perceived to show a lack of class.
Happy Christmas.

It does bemuse me that anyone opining on good taste would cite the Daily Mail as supporting evidence
Absolutely this!

I think the fact that people put decorations up at all is lovely.

It doesn't matter if they are wooden or gingerbread with gingham ribbons a la 'Country Living' Magazine or if they are pink glitterly plastic tat, it's what it represents that's important. That it's important for people to still feel the weight of tradition and to join in the collective fun and enjoy themselves despite whatever might be happening to them.
Christmas is meant to be camp and fun and OTT and brilliant.

I completely agree with OP and the DM - I like elegant, restrained decorations - no plastic tat. The worst things of all in my opinion are those inflatable Father Christmas things which some people have in their gardens/on their rooves. So tasteless and tacky.

We will buy a real tree this weekend and it'll last all month, you've just got to keep it in a stand that holds water. Not keeping it up until the 5th though, it comes down on the 1st swiftly as I can't stand decorations up after that, not because the tree has lost all its needles.

The Paper that Supported the Blackshirts is the last to lecture people about etiquette. Probably most of those who work there lack any, and support someone such as Michael Gove who apparently lacks good manners.

I like elegant restrained colour themed decorations.

I have kids.

My kids do NOT do elegant, restrained, and colour themed.

Life's too short to worry if someone else thinks my tree is trashy as a result. Yes, it looks like a unicorn's thrown up over it - 6 year old girls do not generally have very good aspirational taste - but they love it and by and large they decorated most of it (which is why 90% of the baubles cover the lower half of the tree)

I do prefer more "traditional" decorations myself. That's a personal preference. I'm allowed (although not as "restrained" as the pic above - that's just boring) . I hate tinsel and coloured lights. BUT, although may have a wee (non malicious) laugh at the outrageous tat some people like to plaster their house and garden in, actually I think it's nice. They're excited.

What's not to like about that?

What is really bad etiquette is making people feel uncomfortable about their choices and taste.

Self-proclaimed "etiquette expert" William Hanson should know this.

What a horrid article. I went to school with the sort of people who made up rules about what made you socially superior or inferior. Naively, I'd thought the world had moved on a bit since then. The writer of the article and I have similar tastes in Christmas decorations, to my embarrassment, but definitely not the same sense of superiority. Nasty sneery man. If you want a pink Christmas tree and an inflatable Santa, please don't let this article put you off.

What an absolute pile of crap from the DM, as usual.

Our Christmases are full on, more is more, and it's not about class.

For several years our mixture of tree baubles was joined by a couple of dozen 'egg box bells' - cut up egg box cartons, lovingly crafted into Christmas bells by the artful addition of glittery pipe cleaners, made by the proud DC.

And as for It’s easy to spot someone’s social class at the best of times but even easier once the baubles get brought up from the cellar, what a bellend. Is he for real? By the way we keep wine in our cellar; our decorations are in the attic .

As soon as I saw it was a Daily Mail article I knew it would be William Hanson. This is what he does, tongue in cheek snobbery. He's funny to follow on Twitter. I enjoy it very much when he gets into a faux froth about waist coat buttons being done up incorrectly and Megan's un-be-tighted legs.

A particular favourite comment of mine if how you should stir your tea and coffee; it's back and forth not round and round don’t you know