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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think it's a little sad to pay someone to decorate your Christmas tree

183 replies

DuckyMcDuck · 19/12/2020 13:41

and house for Christmas?

A colleague of DH's was telling everyone how they pay a company to 'Christmas' their house including buying and decorating the tree and buying and wrapping all the presents. The kids come home from school to find it's all done.

I know everyone does things differently but that would take all the fun out of it for me.

OP posts:
DesMartinsPetCat · 20/12/2020 12:14

@Ideasplease322

I think I am in the wrong profession! 40 hour weeks are unheard of. Even amount my friends no one has been able to keep to the standard 9-5.
What do you do?
Fizbosshoes · 20/12/2020 12:23

I just used that as an example but I have read people on MN before, earning very good salaries and working fairly standard hours.
I cant share the secret, I'm afraid, I earn very average wages and if I had a spare few hundred quid would put it towards better presents for my family, or a holiday, not someone doing my christmas tree. Smile

DecemberDiana · 20/12/2020 12:26

The people I know on high salary with normal to low hours reduced their hours after they'd reached peak earning power.

Emeraldshamrock · 20/12/2020 12:30

If I could afford to I'd outsource everything.

LindaEllen · 20/12/2020 12:37

When I was a child I loved decorating the house and the tree. Now, I'm happy for the house to look Christmassy, but have no motivation to actually do it myself.

So I would be perfectly happy to hire someone else to do it for me!

Everyone has different priorities, and just because someone doesn't enjoy the same things as you, it doesn't mean they're 'sad'.

Parker231 · 20/12/2020 12:39

A friend of mine set up a business a couple of years ago. She batch cooks to fill people’s freezer. She cooks different things dependant on the meals people like. She fills our freezer on a regular basis. I hate cooking and both DH and I are also short of time to cook properly.

Since Covid she has continued to deliver the meals. The business has become very popular in our area.

NotMeNoNo · 20/12/2020 12:40

It seems sad but actually I'd love to do that job!

Ideasplease322 · 20/12/2020 12:41

DesMartinsPetCat I work in finance. Very jealous! I work twelve hour days, hen a bit at the weekends.

Any less and I would never get my job done - it is expected. If someone clocked in at 9 and out at 5 it would not go down well🥺

Fizbosshoes · 20/12/2020 12:48

Although I said I would rather spend the (theoretical!) money on something else I actually think my Ddad would have liked this. My DM used to do their decorations (Ddad was allowed to sort out the cardsGrin) After she died he sort of lost motivation to do it but was really happy when my Dsus put up and decorated a tree for him.

Ponoka7 · 20/12/2020 12:48

"I think that if you have money, you should use it to make your life easy and fun."

Absolutely agree and if it provides employment at the same time, it should be encouraged.

The people who I now who do this are very busy, have a lot on or have health problems.

DesMartinsPetCat · 20/12/2020 13:18

@Ideasplease322

DesMartinsPetCat I work in finance. Very jealous! I work twelve hour days, hen a bit at the weekends.

Any less and I would never get my job done - it is expected. If someone clocked in at 9 and out at 5 it would not go down well🥺

My husband is the same. He’s in finance and the hours are very long. They’ve lessened as he’s become more senior but he was regularly doing 14 hour days.
NotMeNoNo · 20/12/2020 13:22

@NotMeNoNo

It seems sad but actually I'd love to do that job!
Actually having read down, I'm a chartered engineer earning nowhere near £80k, I probably should move into Christmas styling where I might be more successful.
Notgoingouttoday · 20/12/2020 13:32

I enjoy putting them up but would happily pay someone to take them all down and clean up after Christmas.

hansgrueber · 20/12/2020 14:19

@PoppyOppy

It's only what a lot of menfolk do anyway, outsource it all to their wife...
A typical MN response! If a woman allows this to happen more fool her, who wouldn't like someone dumb enough to have everything dumped on them? My late OH always did the outside stuff and most of the indoors, we shared the tree though roped in the grandchildren to 'help', however this year it's all been down to me and it's a pain in the derriere. I've decided to have far fewer decorations than usual but the grandchildren notice something missing every time they call so I then drag it out.
letsmakethetea · 20/12/2020 14:30

@PoppyOppy

It's only what a lot of menfolk do anyway, outsource it all to their wife...
Men have been outsourcing Christmas to women years, but without paying.
Henrysmycat · 20/12/2020 14:48

@Ideasplease322 depends. Some days, I’d do 10 hours but never more than that, never weekends or week-in/week-out.

CottonSock · 20/12/2020 14:51

I would pay for wrapping presents, and taking down the tree. Luckily I have a lovely dh

HeronLanyon · 20/12/2020 14:54

I am now wrapping the fairly meagre pile of not much I managed to get. Large cold beer to hand. Not looking forward but may get into the spirit.

ChequerBoard · 20/12/2020 14:56

I agree, OP it's soulless to pay someone fto 'curate' a commercial Christmas look for your home.

Not my idea of Christmas at all. And yes, I could certainly afford to pay someone to do this if I chose to.

Henrysmycat · 20/12/2020 14:58

@NotMeNoNo if you are in London/SE, a graduate (most with MEng/MSc), chartered engineer, with 10-15 years of experience, Full time and you get paid less than 50-60 then you need to move. All the multinational corps I worked for, from BP to infrastructure like Laing O’R, did paid that much or even more in many engineering disciplines. True, I left the industry some years ago so I don’t know with Brexit/covid how things are now but that was the case pre-Brexit elections.

NotMeNoNo · 21/12/2020 07:19

@Henrysmycat ah you've backtracked a bit. It's ok I don't live in London. I find your statistics surprising but I'll try to avoid going and looking for data in an engineer like way!

cologne4711 · 21/12/2020 08:19

I can't really see any difference between doing this and paying a cleaner, or a plumber or a window cleaner.

Something you don't like/have the time/expertise to do - pay a professional. If you can afford it, why not?

Mustbe3ormorecharacters · 21/12/2020 08:43

I pay a company to do this aswell we have a living tree in the front garden and a smaller one inside they arrange and put up all of the Christmas lights as well. It’s not cheap but it’s professional and looks great.

Henrysmycat · 21/12/2020 09:58

@NotMeNoNo, what is the backtracking? I worked in London, suburbs and along the “M4 corridor”.
If anything this is what I was earning pre-Brexit when I left to go back to uni to retrain. I know ex-colleagues, that went up career-wise and the pay grade increased. For some the Brexit hit hard and they staled or lost jobs. And that was my basic pay.

If I did an overseas hardship assignment (3-months plus in North Sea or equator/African/Ex-USSR countries) then it was way way more and it was very common, to have over 6-figures earnings, especially in Oil and Gas. I was not exceptional. Many engineers with my education and drive that were on a managerial path were on similar pay grades.

Livpool · 21/12/2020 10:14

I love decorating the tree as a family - and did with my parents when I was younger. It would take something away from Christmas to me