He cut a foot off the Christmas tree

[AnxietyDream]

I've deliberately posted this in aibu because I'm being a fucking idiot and need someone to tell me so.

We went out to get our Christmas tree today. Lovely Nordic pine, 4ft, just fits in the space we have. Beautiful. Feel so happy and excited to decorate it with the kids.

DH pops out to the garage to trim and fit it into the stand - and comes back in with half the tree. Ok, about 3/4 of the length but all the busyness gone (all taken from the bottom despite it having a very long top spike).

I am now making the kids dinner and trying not to cry. I feel crushed. It's ridiculous. I know, nobody died, it's a fucking tree. We'll be recycling it in three weeks.

I don't even want to look at it now.

Sometimes things just get to us.

Any chance of getting another tree?

Make him go and buy another one. They’re reduced in b&q now, less than a tenner for a 4ft one I think.

What a twat though, what was he thinking?

Get another one and trim it yourself. You will feel angry and disappointed every time you look at it and it will ruin your mood for Christmas. Better to face the music now and all be forgotten by the weekend. DH once insisted our tree was put in a certain place and it wasn’t right so I waited until he was at work and moved the entire 6ft tree complete with lights, decs and a stand full of water to the other end of the room

Buy another. It sounds like it will be 3 ft of disappointment every time you look at it. Does your DH understand why you are upset. And also, what the fuck was he doing!!! You take an Inch off to trim it, if that!

Has he explained his rationale for trimming it in such a strange way? I don't know if you are BU or not, but I'd be disappointed and pissed off too.

Can you use the branches he cut off elsewhere around the house? Maybe stand the tree on a small table or similar? I'd be annoyed with him though - we get our tree from a local farm that grows them and you pay by the foot!

Stand it on a box? Drape a festive tea towel over the box?

Kill him and mount it on him?

Well I’d be poking the long spike up his arse and telling him he is our Christmas Angel this year. Use the off cuts as a mantle bough if there's enough or make a wreath with it. ( Not necessarily for the front door iykwim ) There’s a reason Pedro Ximenez is the flavour of Christmas historically - knock back a sherry or two !

Has he explained his rationale for trimming it in such a strange way
I imagine it’ll be a similar reason to why I ended up with a Dave Hill style fringe in the seventies tbh. cut a little bit, not straight, cut a little bit more. And repeat. Until, well, before you know it, you look like this

Any chance of a photo so we can assess the damage?

You know that scene from the movies when they buy a huge Christmas tree, tote it home through busy streets then manoeuvre it into an improbably small space? And everyone is laughing, laughing, laughing.
Well, my personal experience is very different. A tree is bought that doesn't fit the space or pot. So there's lots of sawing and swearing (and children hiding) before a very diminished effort takes pride of place.

Every year! It's a kind of tradition

Tell him he'll have to stand in the corner holding it at least a foot above ground level for the rest of the Christmas period.

The year my Dad did this was the last year he was allowed to help with the tree. That was over 30 years ago.

OP, I'd be fuming too (but my tree is up from the 01st December, so I am not be the most helpful person on here)

The tree will look a lot better once it's decorated.

Thanks all, I've pulled myself together - it was a reduced price B&Q one and I can't really justify buying another - DH did offer when he realised I was disappointed, so he's not heartless!

It's already on a piece of furniture (hence having to be 4ft max), so we can't stick it on a box, and it's the bushy width we lost that makes it look a bit pathetic not the height.

As to why he did it, he claims that he didn't take much off, and that he asked me and I told him to do whatever he thought best. I did say that, but the question he asked me was 'do you want it right to the ceiling or, say 10cms lower?'. Taking a foot off was never mentioned, and I assumed we were talking about taking off the top, not the bottom.

I'm sure covered in lights etc it will look lovely, and the kids are too young to notice.

Loads of lights, tinsel, smother it in decorations. He has been silly if there’s a huge top spike. No logic.

This is exactly why when DH and I went out for our tree today I got a 9ft one OP! The height I need is 7 ft. He can hack away with gay abandon and I still get the size I want.

Aww at the end of the day you have a great story to tell your children and laugh about for years you live n learn and really isn't Christmas all about wonky nonperfect trees? Make it a quirky one make a display with the bits he cut off or stick them in a pot and decorate them it will look great none will notice or care and all will be fine