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Christmas

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Original poster

Is your tree themed or 'eclectic'?

52 replies

0pheliaBalls · 23/10/2014 13:24

As in, do you go for a colour scheme/'look' or is it a glorious mishmash of much loved decs?

I've done a colour scheme type thing for years - last few has been natural wood and red, a few years ago we had blues and purples and so on. Over the years we've collected some gorgeous bits and bobs and this year I'm tempted to chuck them all on the tree, reds, purples, wood, glass, metallic, all of it together. Will it look sweet and eclectic or just a bit clashy and crap? Will I itch for order?!

What do you do, tree wise?

OP posts:

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Dropdeadfred2 · 23/10/2014 13:28

ours is always white, crystal and silver

Dropdeadfred2 · 23/10/2014 13:29

why not do two trees in different rooms?

iseenodust · 23/10/2014 13:35

It's mishmash here - lots of bits with sentimental value. Why not try it and then change if it irritates you? If you start with a look you will not think oh I must add those not-matching sequined baubles.

VainVulva · 23/10/2014 13:40

I love an eclectic look, mine is eclectic but a very considered eclectic if you know what I mean!?

If I were you I would get out all my favourite bits a pieces from over the years and lay them out on the floor and play around with what looks well together before you commit to putting them on the tree!

BedPig2013 · 23/10/2014 13:45

Ours is usually a mix of reds, greens, golds and purples, the tree lights are multi coloured too and I think it looks lovely. You could try eclectic and then just change it if you don't like it

CMOTDibbler · 23/10/2014 13:48

Mines a riot of our loved ornaments, stuff ds has made, and whatever else we feel like.

Personally, I don't like matchy matchy themed trees

glenthebattleostrich · 23/10/2014 13:51

Totally eclectic but thats what happens when you put a 4 year old in charge!!! DD chooses the decs and we just keep adding to them.

We used to have a perfect tree pre child, lovely slim black tree with white and red or green (alternate years) decoration but I honestly prefer it now, reminds me of our trees growing up.

Twitterqueen · 23/10/2014 13:52

Mine is a story of battered old angels from the DCs' primary days, even older ornaments I inherited from childhood days, new baubles that take my fancy... in other words, unique to me and my family.

I buy the DDs a new tree decoration every year so that when they're grown up and have a house and children of their own they too can have a non-designer, family history tree.

mummylin2495 · 23/10/2014 13:55

Every year I decide to stick to a couple of colours, then I see all my little things and think " oh I can't leave that off " then in the end I find my theme tree is nowhere to be seen and I have every colour under the sun ! But I like it, reminds me of my childhood.

PrimalLass · 23/10/2014 13:58

Eclectic. I love my tree decs and look forward to them, so I can't understand people who change them every year.

RunawayReindeer · 23/10/2014 14:00

I once heard a quote... 'christmas is a time where big is beautiful and gaudy is great' and I dress my Christmas tree accordingly

Dropdeadfred2 · 23/10/2014 14:02

our dds have their own tree in their rooms..they can be as eclectic as they like

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 23/10/2014 14:08

We have a 5-or 6ft real tree, and it's decorated with white lights and all the decorations I've gathered over the years. They're loved decs, and everyone who comes to the house says what a lovely tree it is.

I personally don't particularly like themed colours, but it is personal choice. If I go to someone else's house and they have a colour-coordinated tree, I will also think it looks nice.

DS was showing me pics online yesterday of very expensive "designer" trees. Basically, twigs with baubles. This was a thing back in the 70s. Made me think, I might grab a branch from the garden, spray it silver and dangle some pretty ornaments from it. Displayed in the hall, that would look lovely too.

Christmas trees, like general décor, are personal to the owner. They are all lovely, in their own way.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 23/10/2014 14:11

Mummylin - I'm with you on that! My children are now grown, but they still delight in finding their little home-made ornaments from when they were tiddlers, tucked within the branches of the tree. Makes them giggle, and makes my heart sing when they find them!

Alexaa · 23/10/2014 14:22

The baubles are red and the lights are plain white, but we have so many of the DCs decorations that it's quite multicoloured.

LokiBear · 23/10/2014 14:26

Ours is red and green with a mix of special ornaments and plain ones. It is sweetie themed

Didactylos · 23/10/2014 14:29

my theme is eclectic....

mummylin2495 · 23/10/2014 15:02

evans I too have lots of little things collected over the years! my children are also grown and now have children of their own! but still love the tree ! I also now have some little things of my mums , who sadly is no longer here and also a little robin that a poster made for a few of us on a bereavement thread, so I have to have a mixed tree, I just cant leave anything off !!! I no longer hang decorations though, but I have lots of fibre optic figures and there are so many of them it looks lovely despite there being no other decs. I will post a pic of some my fibre optic " people " all ready to go back in the attic !

Original poster

0pheliaBalls · 23/10/2014 15:46

I'm far too soft, I'm a little bit choked after reading everyone's comments about their DC's decs

This will be our twelfth Christmas as a family and in that time (and over several 'themes') we've gathered together so many lovely bits. DD is 17 now and was saying yesterday how a red pear decoration we have reminds her of being six and every time she sees it it makes her happy. That's what got me thinking. I've loved my themes and colour schemes and they look lovely generally but I think this year it's time to give in to sentimentality. Vulva I think I'll do what you suggested and have a play about, see which old and loved bits look good together (but strictly NO matchy matchy!).

OP posts:

BonaDea · 23/10/2014 15:53

I have to say that I always think my tree is absolutely gorgeous. We have high ceilings so usually have a 6-7ft real tree with plain, small white lights. On decorations they have been gathered over the years, but try to stick to broadly a red, silver/gold and natural them (by natural I mean we have straw, wood, pine cones). I always think it looks classy, traditional and just so lovely. I love looking at the decs with DH and saying 'ooooh, remember that weekend we had in Cornwall where we bought this' or 'ahhhh, I bought this on that work trip to wherever'. And last year when DS was 4 months we got one of his footprints on a bauble too.

Can't wait! (but I always wait til really late to increase excitement and avoid tree fatigue - usually the weekend before Christmas!)

AlmaMartyr · 23/10/2014 15:58

I have a collection that I've been building over the years. Some my mum gave to me when I was little and I normally add a new one each year. I buy the DCs one every year as well so they have their own collections already. I love it, and love getting them all out and remembering where they're from. I think it looks pretty good personally, but others might disagree.

MizLizLemon · 23/10/2014 16:00

Ours is a massive mishmash. I like to bring things home from our holidays for the tree, I've got things DD has made, including a brown something that's a dead ringer for Mr Hanky, and old baubles that have sentimental value for me. My husband is also obsessed with lights so it has I have at least three strings of lights on it, frankly it looks like Christmas threw up on our tree, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

WestEast · 23/10/2014 16:05

This is my first year in my new flat, with new DP and cannot wait to get my new decorations! I like eclectic myself, a rainbow of glitter, tinsel, bells, ribbon, baubles and ornaments! We're going to start a new little tradition of getting three nice baubles/ornaments each year, one for DSD, one for DP and one for me :)

JingleSpud · 23/10/2014 16:09

Mine is totally random

JulesJules · 23/10/2014 16:56

Ours is a total mishmash eclectic too

Several different strings of lights, flashing white ones, multicoloured ones, Moroccan lantern ones

Every decoration I've ever had or been given, all the ones the children have made, purple glitter camel with three legs, knitted cat, peacock made of glass beads, scented fluffy heart that has to be put high up because it's my cats favourite and she'll pull it off and lick it, etc etc

No tinsel because it sent my first cat mad - he would dive into the tree and rip it off in a frenzy. He's no longer with us, but we still don't have tinsel, I tie bows on instead.

A few things like tickets on ribbons.

The last couple of years Jimi Hendrix has been our angel on top of the tree

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