AIBU or is decorating the Christmas tree excruciating?

[slippersandfleece]

All the furniture being moved around and the mess it reveals. All the tangled lights and mess of stuff everywhere. Clutter. So much clutter. My kids suggesting frankly ugly arrangements that I just have to suck up and allow for the sake of Christmas spirit, it's all so triggering. Every year I feel claustrophobic and panicky. Is it just me?

Nope, I hate the very thought of it. Fortunately, my partner does it all. This is because she loves it.

If something makes you claustrophobic, triggered and panicky don't do it!!

Yes, it is, but not nearly as excruciating as taking the bloody thing back down.

I've got one with the decorations stuck onto it - otherwise my cats would just pull them all off.

I feel exactly the same, and wouldn’t do any of it if I didn’t have kids. I hate everything about it.

I might not do it this year.

I might rebel.

I can’t stand Christmas. It’s too in your face and hot and bright and cluttered.

I don't enjoy it, but that's the perfect reason to let the kids crack on and enjoy it. Just let them throw the nonsense at it so they're happy.

Doing it now. At the looking for lights stage. Hate it.

I love it, takes all day. I take my time, have a glass or two of wine and some shortbread.
In the middle of it now. Normally do it next weekend but will be busy so just getting on it with it.

Not everything has to be done by committee, benign dictatorship is fine in some situations: let them each pick out two or three favourite ornaments (or go and buy some a couple of ones of their choice, it if helps) which they can put anywhere in the tree they like, then decorate it yourself whilst they’re in bed.

I love doing ours, but we’re childfree so the process is a joy and the tree doesn’t end up looking like a shitshow.

I know what you mean For me the key is to do it in stages; don’t do tree and other decs on same day. Also , kids will never last the distance. Put on festive music, pour a glass of whatever and do it in your own sweet time.

This is my philosophy too, DD enjoys her creation and I don’t have to use any headspace.

If you hate it that much I'd be thinking of ways to make it easier, smaller tree, pre lit one, less decorations.

Personally no, I like Christmas trees and this isn't something I can easily relate to.

Leave it for a while. It's only the 1st of December anyway.

My favourite bit of taking it down is the part where you’re absolutely certain you’ve taken off every single bauble, then start to move it, and a bauble falls out of somewhere in the tree and smashes.

THIS IS IN CAPS BECAUSE IT SAVED MY SANITY
About 15 years ago DH dressed the tree (fake) beautifully with very lovely ornaments and a gazillion lights.

after Xmas he put a sheet over the whole thing, put it on a wheely pot mover and stuck it in the corner of my adjacent office.

Every Dec he wheels it into the living room and plugs the lights in.

takes 5 mins

No I hate it. It's nowhere near Christmas yet anyway. Bah.

We buy a small potted tree for the children to decorate as they wish, it’s regularly redecorated throughout December. We also have a big tree that the adults decorate and the children aren’t allowed to touch, we do it in the evening with some snacks and a drink at a leisurely pace!

Love it! I'm not very good at it but each ornament is connected to a special memory and I love it lit up. We don't get a massive one though

the trick is you gotta drink cocktails while doing it then it becomes a fun activity.

We started yesterday and are almost done. It's been fairly straightforward to be honest. Very Zen my partner said. Just waiting on Amazon bringing some new lights and we are done. Bar the henrying and floor mopping

It s about how you pack the year before. My lights will not be tangled, all baubles in tissue paper and / or own boxes; ribbons are in plastic bags and new ribbons have been purchased.
the better the packing, the easier the decorating the following year I find.

so i agree a bit that it is annoying to push all the furnitures etc, but if you put lovely music, make some mulled wines for the house to smell christmas then it isnt so bad.

but I love decorating at christmas.

It's not that's I'm precious about decs. It's all just all the upheaval and change. I don't think I'm autistic but I feel genuinely stressed with everything being out of order and cluttered and chaotic and in the 'wrong' place. I only suffer through it cos the kids love every minute. My DD is autistic and sensory seeking. It's like heaven for her to be amongst all the stuff and lights and tinsel. She's currently wrapping herself in the stuff.

I'm ambivalent about it. Don't find it painful but not particularly exciting either. I fake it to make it for the DC. DH likes it though so takes charge and this year is doing it all while I'm away.

I never found it exciting. My mum used to try and make a big thing of it and get me brother and me interested and we just weren't.

Luckily we don’t have to move everything around (only a hall cabinet)

okus I did it gradually -replacing lights and freshening up linen a few weeks ago

the kids wanted to decorate the tree / but still was a siege of work