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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

Do you have any traditions for putting the tree up?

27 replies

storminabuttercup · 27/10/2011 18:56

This year I shall be warming some mince pies, drinking mulled cider whilst we put the tree up, putting carols on while we do it, turning the lights off and turning the tree lights on to get a pic of ds's face when he sees it lit up and finally make something a bit special and festive for tea!
I'm hoping this actually happens and we don't revert to bickering about it :-)

Over to you,

OP posts:

ASuitableGirl · 27/10/2011 19:11

Failing to find fairy lights in working order, treading on a few decorations, getting cross in general and being worried it will all fall over.

Then turning the now working lights on and main light off and it looks lovely :)

RefereezaWanka · 27/10/2011 19:16

Control freak, here. I decorate the tree with lights, tinsel etc while DH takes the kids out 9and with a glass of sherry or port to hand). But leave a box of baubles and other little tree decs for the kids to hang up when they get home .

IwanttobeShirleyValentine · 27/10/2011 19:17

That sound lovely Storm! Nothing as lovely as that here as it always seems to just cause rows and tantrums!

Even lat Xmas at 9 and 11 my girls bickered over who's Disney Princess bauble was whose and whether theirs was the Pooh or Tigger Xmas stocking!!

I love it tho! All the tacky Xmas decs from years gone by. All their creations from nursery and up through school. I dont go for a colour cordinated tree. Mine is just chaotic nostalgia! Probably looks totally shit to those that measure their carefully selected tree decs but for me every dec on our tree (including the really cheap Woolies January Sale Disney Princessess hold memories of Xmases past.

Tigerbomb · 27/10/2011 19:17

The only tradition we have is that it goes up on Christmas Eve and that it comes down on Boxing day

ThePumpkinKing · 27/10/2011 19:20

We decorate together on the first Sunday in Advent.

That gives me plenty of time to redo the whole thing several times before the 25th, to make the lights symmetrical

Original poster

storminabuttercup · 27/10/2011 19:25

See there is lots of bickering here I too am a control freak, dp tends to sit and watch, this year he will have to restrain 18mo DS, it's just one of my favourite bits of Xmas, I have booked a long weekend off from
Work so will have plenty of time to clean up and get the house all ready!

I love reading what others do so thanks for sharing and keep them coming!

OP posts:

Original poster

storminabuttercup · 27/10/2011 19:25

Iwanttobe your post really made me smile

OP posts:

noddyholder · 27/10/2011 19:27

I am total control freak and then back pedal and let dp and ds add a few decs near the end which I re position as soon as they are out of sight!

oldraver · 27/10/2011 19:31

My DB's birthday is 9th December and my Mum always used to put the tree up the night before his birthday so he thought it was especially for him as my Mum says "we didnt have much money, so it was part of his present" (theres more ot it than that lol)

I have put it up depending on what we were doing, the last few years as early as I can get away with. usually around the first. My BF birthday is also 9th December and he is a Bah Humbug and doesnt like Christmas to overshadow his birthday so asked for it to go up after

My folks are down 9th/10th and I wont be seeing them till next year so will get Mum to help

Bunbaker · 27/10/2011 19:32

I always put on Christmas music. DD decorates the bottom half - as far as she can reach, and I do the top half, plus the lights. I will leave it until as near to Christmas as I can get away with. I cannot get my head around those Christmas freaks who put theirs up on 1st December. I prefer to keep Christmas at Christmas, not to have it hanging around for 6 weeks or so. By the new year I can't wait to get everything cleared away and the house nice and tidy again.

rubyrubyruby · 27/10/2011 19:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mrsrobertduvall · 27/10/2011 19:39

Dh and dd go to buy it.
Dh puts lights on.
I decorate it in tasteful symmetrical way, not allowing anyone else to touch it.
I then forget to water it and it droops horribly .

ChunkyMonkeyMother · 27/10/2011 19:48

We put our first Christmas songs on and sort all the baubles out first then put the tree up, decorate it and the other rooms, then we have a drink and watch our first Christmas movie - We're changing it all this year though, going to pick out a real tree across the road from my mum n dads (a huge Market gardens with rows and rows of trees) and letting our DS help to decorate (although I'll probably have to have a few vinos as having no order makes my brain cry) then we'll all sit n watch something Christmassy! [Rose tinted spectacles emoticon]

WillbeanChariot · 27/10/2011 19:53

Our only one is one that my parents started, and it's that the angel at the top goes on last and is put on by the youngest family member.

There is also the traditional near divorce argument caused by getting the buggering thing wedged in the stand.

Ormirian · 27/10/2011 19:56

No traditions as such for putting it up - apart from me being overly-precious about how it gets done and fighting a rear-guard action against tinsel!

But we have a tradition of getting it from a particular place. Always 2 saturdays before christmas and we go out for a pub lunch afterwards and then put the tree up on Sunday.

BlondeBatgirl · 27/10/2011 20:51

Ds birthday is on the 7th, so we put the tree up the sunday after his birthday. I put the lights on and we will both decorate the tree this year. (Last year hes was only three so I did most of it!)
Dh will sit on the sofa doing nothing wondering what all the fuss is about!
I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Moblem · 27/10/2011 21:08

Tree goes up first weekend in December.
Children will go to the Christmas shop to choose a decoration on the friday after school.
We go together to choose a tree in the morning and put it up in the afternoon.
As we put it up, DH puts on the Christmas music.
He and the children make paper chains and the children put up the other decorations whilst I do the tree. The children are allowed to hang some decorations on the lower branches which I then rearrange once they have left the room.
We have hot chocolate (with Baileys) whilst putting the tree up and usually start on the mince pies.

HauntForTheBeast · 27/10/2011 21:24

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on request of its author.

Cheeseandseveredfingersarnie · 27/10/2011 21:28

ds2 birthday is very close to xmas so the day after his birthday we visit santa and then come home to put the tree up.most of the decorations are hand made-some from pils decorations from theyre first xmas together,they couldnt afford decorations so made them.(romantic).we thread popcorn together.oooh i feel all christmasy!

kelliegh76 · 27/10/2011 21:44

every year my hubby says i have to wait til closer to christmas to put tree up, but every year i put 5 trees up 2nd week in november around the house when he at work.... he has a quick moan when he gets home and tells me i cant put christmas lights on til december but always puts them on couple of days later himself lol.... just seems tradition now after 11 years together :-)

WhatWouldLeoDo · 27/10/2011 22:20

Go buy a tree on the first weekend of December with DH and DS.
DH gets all grumpy because he struggles to saw the bottom off.
General falling out over trying to get the tree straight in the stand.
Sweeping up stray needles from the tree. Hoovering stray needles from the tree. More sweeping of stray needles from the tree.
Get the tree decorations out. Curse that I've forgotten that I don't like the christmas tree lights.
Search the shops for new lights and find everything I'd like has sold out.
Decorate tree in control-freakery type way
Lift DS up to put the santa or snowman on the top of the tree (he can choose which one)
Get really, really excited about Christmas

10. Sweep up more stray needles that have been dislodged during decoration process.

I used to decorate the tree myself on the Saturday evening whilst listening to Christmas songs and drinking wine but last year I did it on the Sunday morning while keeping DS at arms length before letting him hang one or two decorations on carefully selected branches. He's three now, so I think he can have a little tree in his room to decorate however he likes while I do the tree in the living room

mylittlepeanut · 27/10/2011 22:28

The elves normally decorate our tree whilst everyone is asleep. We normally lay the decorations out ready for them around the 1st and then wake up amazed at how symmetrical the tree looks the next morning without any 'helping' from the kids. The chief elf likes to listen to christmas songs and drink mulled wine whilst decorating but does usually leave two much smaller trees to be decorated by the younger human residents of the house.

Beamur · 27/10/2011 22:32

DP is most particular about Christmas trees. There is a big trip out to buy the 'right' tree, plus purchase of a couple of new decorations and this years new bits of tinsel.
He then puts up the tree, I may be asked for some creative input (but no actual touching of the tree) and may be called on to admire it when it is festooned and properly done - he is very careful to ensure the lights are evenly spaced and decorations in the right place. He loves tinsel though - it's always a very sparkly affair.

ObviouslyOblivious · 27/10/2011 22:33

Yes we wait until the last fecking minute every year. Of course we've bought it in good time and it will be looking decorative in the garden, but can anyone be arsed to go up in the loft to get the decorations? Can they bollocks.

Hopefully this will change now DS is here....

LordOfTheFlies · 27/10/2011 22:34

BlondeBatGirl my DS is Dec 7th as well. Snap!
Mine will be 12 this year and we've always delayed the decorations til after his b/day (last year he didn't have his b/day day out until a week later).
It means we're the last house in the street to gets the decs out

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