Who is BU about Christmas Tree decorations?

[GooseOrTurkey]

DH and I do not see eye to eye on this topical topic.

We have a small tree in the family room for the DC with non-breakable baubles in bright colours and tinsel etc, and a more tasteful red and gold tree in the front “adults only” (in theory!) room.

Over the last couple of years, DH has been sneaking additional baubles onto the tasteful tree. And I hate them. I really don’t think I am being precious; it’s not that they’re not quite the same size or colour. It’s that they are great big random shapes, and that they are hideous.

This year he has added a roast turkey on a platter, a car with a Christmas tree on the roof, a neon blue glass crab, a glittery green lizard, and a rainbow ice lolly. The last four aren’t even remotely related to Christmas FFS.

I keep hiding them around the back of the tree (“so people can see them as they come up to the front door, darling”), and he keeps moving them to front centre.

I say they are ugly and they just plain don’t go. He says I am being snobby (I’m not, they were more money than the red and gold ones!), and that his DM bought them for us (yes but only because he wanted them, and she spoils us; left to herself, she buys pretty ones).

We can’t put them on the DC tree because they’re fragile and the DC are too young. Plus, I don’t want to be explaining a Christmas lobster to a 5 year old and a 3 year old and a 1 year old .

So, who IBU? Should he be allowed to have whatever makes him happy, or should he leave my lovely tree alone and stop spoiling it with ugly things?

(Disclaimer: Light hearted but he might end up with a Christmas lizard up the arse if he keeps it up!)

Or maybe even "keep" your tree!

You either need another tree for dh to decorate or pull your tree out abit and let him loose on the other side. Like a half and half style tree, might be a new trend!
And now I have the urge to buy a Christmas lobster 🦞 for my tree!

I have a bright pink fluffy flamingo on mine, dd was allowed to pick a new tree ornament and that’s what she chose. Although, it’s not on the tree at the minute as she took it off to play with it with the play mobile!

I have OCD and have always liked things to match but I think matching trees are for pubs. We go to both sets of parents and they come to me and we go and have a look at the tree. My mum has ones that are over 50 years old, MIL has special ones she bought back from America etc tis part of the joy.

Op your dh needs a shed.
Far end of the garden.
Get another tree and he can have all the baubles he wants.
Maybe an air bed and a heater also!!

Haha I am loving the differences of opinion .

For the record, his decorations aren’t too precious for the DC, it’s more that they would shatter into quite nasty splinters if dropped, and we have hard wooden flooring in that room, so they definitely would smash.

But I do like the idea of them accidentally falling off the adult tree all at once

We go every year to the local garden centre and deliberately chose tacky, gaudy, daft decorations. I chose a Christmas canoe, dh a Christmas sloth, dd a fluffy pink Christmas pig and ds (5) was the most relevant with a little Christmas snowman.

I love our daft decorations. It's tradition, and memories and fun which is what Christmas is all about, not insta trees and decorations.

When the dcs leave home am going to start chosing for their tree and buy 1 the same for my tree. Some poor dil is going to be you in 20 odd years 😂😂😂😂

I hate a ‘tasteful’ tree, YABu

Does he work near a paperchase by any chance? I've just (wasted) spent half an hour on the hunt for lovely tasteless decorations and found all the ones you've described (I'm not employed by Paperchase, you just reminded me I wanted to track some down for Christmas stockings!).

Settled on a hammerhead shark, flamingo, cactus, pretzel, sandwich and a turtle, but also tempted by the roast turkey and iridescent crab!

Yabvu for having your tree up already.

Personally I hate tasteful, matchy matchy trees. Your DHs decs sound much more fun!

Get him his own little tree in the family room
Make out you thought he'd love it. Lol

This is why we have 3 trees!

I bet he’d be thrilled to have his very own tree!

This reminds me of the episode of friends with Monica’s posh dollhouse and Phoebe’s fun one.

Matchy matchy trees are deadly boring. I bet your DH goes for the most bad taste decorations he can find as a counter to it.

Baffled by the idea that there's anything tasteful about putting a massive tree in your house with stuff hanging all over it!

It is inherently a gaudy silly tasteless odd thing. And all the better for it

I'm looking for a decoration with a Chinese theme if anyone has spotted one. I buy a new decoration each year related to something nice from the year.

lol

I have the car with a Christmas tree on its roof . Poundland last year I bought that.

Is it time to review your husband’s access to the grownup living room?

I hate the idea of a “children’s tree” and an adult tree. So sad and unChristnassy.

Our tree is a random collection of ornaments acquired over several decades. Some were bought because they are pretty. Most were bought to signify an event or some meaning.

I get the appeal of a perfectly decorated tree. I’d kind of like one myself And if I had more free time I might have an additional tree
For that purpose. But I will never drop the eclectic tree full of memories.

If you want to keep your curated tree, you are going to need to add a third.

This year he has added a roast turkey on a platter, a car with a Christmas tree on the roof, a neon blue glass crab, a glittery green lizard, and a rainbow ice lolly. The last four aren’t even remotely related to Christmas FFS

OP, your husband has definitely been shopping unsupervised in TKMaxx or Homesense as I've seen every decoration you listed in there this week! Both these shops are notorious for 'popping in for a candle' and coming out with said decorations, or a 2 foot diamante dog ornament/cheap cava/pink Himalayan salt. It's not his fault, it's just what happens in these shops.

As for who is being U, well, neither of you really, and you're already doing what we do by having two trees so you can have one random tree (our random tree has an avacado, a T Rex, a tiger, a llama, a surfing santa, some welly boots and a pair of flip flop decs amongst other things on it thanks to our daughter) and one tasteful one (but I even found a singing mouse on that the other day!) So I'm not sure how oyu can resolve it - it's his tree too, so if he fancies putting a blue crab on it, there's not much oyu can do about it, sorry.

Hmm, bold failure above, the first paragraph is OP's :-)

'BertrandRussell Mon 09-Dec-19 14:28:30

I hate the idea of a “children’s tree” and an adult tree. So sad and unChristnassy'

We have two trees because our sitting room is upstairs and the family room is downstairs, if we only had one it wouold be pretty unfestive somewhere in the house!

Tasteful trees are wrong. I hate themed trees as well. Zzzzzzzzzz.

Luckily DH and I are both lovers of kitsch shit eclectic decorations (I'm gutted my DC are too old for the elf on the shelf thing, I wanted to do Elvis on the Shelf and move my little Elvis figure around the house overnight) but we have a tried and tested solution to marital disputes...Scissors paper Stone.

Obviously this only works for lighthearted stuff like decorations and what takeaway to have, not whether to have another DC for example. We have been known to do "best out of fifty three" on something very important to us but we always end up giggling and the loser trying to give in gracefully. It's the only fair way, really. I highly recommend it.