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!)

Hurrah one it's brilliant 🦖🦖same here re the aubergine!!

Three trees is obviously the way to go.

Dd is 18 and has a sushi bauble, a broccoli bauble and a sloth in a Santa hat bauble (thanks selfridges for those joys )

OP do you have a porch or entry hall? You could get a lovely tree for your DH and let him decorate it to his hearts content. Or buy some more eclectic decorations of your own!

We have a competition each year to find the most horrendous bauble we can.

Baubles and an aubergine on one thread!

First reply said it perfectly @PurpleDaisies is so right. Our tree has tons of baubles all collected over the years and all really bright. I love it.

I saw a pic of a quite classy tree of a school mum’s tree.

It looked sterile and unfestive.

I don’t get the fuss about trees . Enjoy them

As much his tree as yours...

Coordinated trees are the worst. The mum started doing that for a few years when I was about 10. They had a bland gold and red thing for about a decade but have slowly started accumulating extra bits and pieces over the years so it's on the mend now

They absolutely wouldn't be on my tree. Stick them on the children's tree to get broken.

This so sounds like my house. We now decorate one tree each. Mines is the tasteful tree with matching sliver decorations in the living room and DH is the tacky one in the kitchen/dinning room.

YABVU cos there is no such thing as a tasteful Xmas tree. They are all garish, OTT and pointless. The only differences in trees is the degree to which they are these things.

(I love em, more garish the better. Embrace the schmaltz OP, embrace the schmaltz!)

Personally I love the idea of a Christmas lobster 🦞😁

I don't get the idea of 'themed' perfect Christmas trees. Surely Christmas is a time to just have fun with the decorations. My signature theme is 'lob a bunch of random festive tat at the tree and ignore the fact that it all clashes'. Although I do get odd looks for having Henry 8th sitting alongside Rudolph

I have this same problem with teen dd.

Not helped when she won £150 worth of xmas decorations from Urban Outfitters last year.....seriously.

We now have;

A sloth in a santa hat
A flying pig
a giant chihuahua
a carton of almond milk
a giant panda
a sushi roll

various other food type items which I'm too traumatised to remember.....all interspersed with my nice Gisele Graham ornaments.

I have a tasteful and 'boring' tree - YANBU in my opinion, I'd be most upset if DH bought some hideous bauble for it!
That said, I absolutely love the weird and wonderful decorations around now and would happily change my tree to be a 'theme' around those instead and probably will as DS grows up.

On another note Is it strange to only have one Christmas tree?! It sounds like multiple is now a new norm and am feeling embarrassed that it's something I haven't heard of before!
Where do the presents go?

My compromise is that I have a tastefully decorated tree, but it's in his rugby team colours !!

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

^ This. But not as bad as having an 'adults only' living room!

YANBU! This would irritate me beyond words, I love my lovely tasteful tree. My husband sometimes buys funny unbreakable ones to put on the children’s tree, could he compromise on that?

What an odd comment, lazy. Why is it so “bad” to have just one room in the entire house that’s free of children’s toys and general clutter for when we have friends round and the DC are in bed?

Personally, I find 'tasteful' trees with matching baubles and one colour theme really boring. Each to their own, but I think they're dull and impersonal, and look like something in a posh company foyer, not a family home. I like a christmas tree covered in colours and random baubles collected over the years that don't match or go together or look tasteful, but which have some significance or a bit of humour. I haven't bothered decorating for the last couple of years, but when I do, I have tree things that include a lavender bag dalek with sequin bumps, a glittery photo of my toy mouse, a snowglobe containing a model of my cat, some sparkly guitars, a knitted bagpuss, some rainbow mirrorballs and a big stuffed bird covered in sequins. I posted a photo here once and was told it looked like a bloody mess, but I'm the one living with it, so whatever.

But yes, if you can't agree, get a tree each.

But yes, if you can't agree, get a tree each.

And that’s the true spirit of Christmas.

The first year in our home (we were doing it up and it was a right mess) we couldn't find any of our christmas decorations. We went up to b and q on Xmas Eve (just finished laying the lounge floor) to get some cheap Xmas decorations. Picked up a real tree for a fiver then we were choosing reduced baubles. DH found loads of disco ball baubles knocked down to a ridiculously small price. He put about five packs in the trolley. I just looked at him and said "not on my tree". He went and grabbed another five pound tree and with much giggling we took it home and "disco treever" was born. We now have a massive disco ball for the top 😁. It wouldn't be Christmas without that now! Of note, he is really particular and if it isn't a disco ball it doesn't get put on his tree. Mine is full of Christmas sloths, skiing squirrels and kid handmade decorations. The point being that Christmas is about fun, so maybe let go and enjoy it a bit! Or kidnap the crab and send your husband a ransom note 😁

I have santa riding an alligator, a New York cab a sparkly camera on mine. I used to be precious but I'm over it. I won't have tinsel though.

 @PurpleDaisies

Ah! I’m having this row with my dd11! She wants a perfectly matching tasteful Christmas tree and I don’t! Luckily ds5 is on my side