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Christmas

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Original poster

Do you have a themed tree or an 'anything goes' tree?

153 replies

TasteLikeCherryChapstick · 27/11/2016 08:17

My tree is usually mismatched 'tat'. I have attempted themes in the past but then think 'oh I can't leave that off....or this' so I end up with our much loved and mismatched bits and bobs yet again. I always put on the decorations the children have made (and they've made a lot ) but some friends of mine won't put their children's makes on or put them on 'round the back'. Even when said children were only 3 or 4 and were very proud of their efforts.

Neither way is right or wrong, everybody has to please themselves in their own home. I'm really not judging (I am in fact jealous of the beautiful trees my friends have!) I was just wondering what is the norm.

OP posts:

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PreemptiveSalvageEngineer · 28/11/2016 22:30

Theme, if any, is "precious things"

illegitimateMortificadospawn · 28/11/2016 23:21

I think Glow's peacock is from John Lewis. I nearly bought one, but we are somewhat careless and hamfisted and it had lots of breakable pointy bits. JL had some awesome decs this year.

illegitimateMortificadospawn · 28/11/2016 23:26

Bad news - sold out online

Becstarlenski · 28/11/2016 23:32

Anything goes

I buy my two a decoration each year in the hope when their all grown up I will pass them on and they can keep and cherish them ( I bloody love Christmas!!)

Famalam13 · 29/11/2016 09:40

Theme at the moment but once DS is old enough to make decorations I will be displaying them proudly :)

GlowWine · 29/11/2016 14:12

Hi again demented and illegitimate, wow well spotted, though I actually bought mine in a german department store (karstadt) last month. I just couldn't walk past it, it was with lots of other graceful birds like swans etc in pinks and whites. And yes it's glass, not sure how I managed to get it home (UK)
Last time I looked in JL, I couldn't get over the 'British' themed decs, yes those are nothing new, but this year that included a red EU/British passport

mmgirish · 29/11/2016 15:12

Mine is eclectic. I have lots of decorations from all over the world. I mainly like wooden, felt and glass decorations and always white lights. (Never tinsel) Each to their own with trees but I sometimes think that matchy matchy trees look like department store trees.

We live overseas and my husband was recently talking how he is more attached to possessions than I am - he claims I could walk away from anything in our home. I probably could...except my Christmas decoration collection!

Soon2bC · 29/11/2016 16:00

mine is all whites, silvers and glass with a couple of muted splashes of colour. however we add to it every year and just seem to buy the same colours automatically.

my fave decorations though are key rings. i bought Eiffel tower keyrings last year while in paris they were 6 for 1 euro or something like that, i kept a silver one and hung it on my tree. i also have similar ones from london and amsterdam. (and a pair of clogs!) Im not OCD enough to say no to colours, but when they are all on it looks beautiful and frosty. i have coloured christmas 'tat' all around the house too

my new fave one is one i have bought this year. my DS has joined the army and I have bought a Toy Story soldier keyring which i will turn into my special decorations representing him.

Revealall · 29/11/2016 16:37

The problem with themed trees is that they possibly look a bit dated. Purple, black and turquoise were all the rage a few years ago, white before that, gold and red before that etc.
A multicoloured tree never dates.

My excuse and I'm sticking to it.

wizzler · 29/11/2016 19:22

I love my tree which is covered in all sorts of baubles, from holidays and trips away. So I have bears peering round pine trees from canada, red and gold fans from hong kong, and green glass christmas trees from whitby.All colours, all types, and lots of memories.

I usually describe the style as rainbow... or unicorn vomit.

Sadly, today the DC( 12 and 9) have gravely taken me aside and explained that they do not believe in my " more is more" approach to dressing a christmas tree , and wish to ditch the thomas tank engine bauble et al, in favour of a mature, themed approach.

I am mortified but am holding the line.

winterisnigh · 29/11/2016 20:28

wizzler.

SmellyChristmasCandles · 29/11/2016 20:46

Oh, wizzler. Do they have no taste? Stay strong. They will come to see the error of their ways soon enough.

SmellyChristmasCandles · 29/11/2016 20:58

These are some of my favourite decorations. The holly bauble was a souvenir from New York nearly 30 years ago. It's porcelain and cost more than our first Christmas tree. The Robin bauble is one I bought in memory of my lovely man, robins were her favourite bird. The Tarsus was a gift to me from my ds 's partner who knows how much I love Dr Who. I like to imagine that every now and again the door opens and The Doctor has a look outside to see where he's landed this time.

Do you have a themed tree or an 'anything goes' tree?

wizzler · 29/11/2016 22:23

Thank you for the moral support.

I have explained, that I compromise on what TV we watch while we have our breakfast ( Pokemon instead of the News), and I compromise on the films we go to see at the cinema ( Marvel), and that a meal out more often then not means we go to KFC instead of somewhere with cutlery. I have said that as I spend all year compromising, I expect them to accept my tree decorations with good grace.

They nodded sagely, but I fear they will come back with another line of argument tomorrow. Quite unnerving when they agree with each other on something tbh.

Bertucci · 29/11/2016 22:28

Our main tree has decorations acquired over several years - but they are all glass - nothing else apart from a bazillion white lights. It may look anal in its glassy perfection - but some of the decs are 14 year old little glass cherubs, bought as a gift when ds was born.

When our dcs were very small, they had their own trees in their rooms or in their playroom so they could put all their homemade crap lovely stuff on with abandon.

CloneClubSestra · 30/11/2016 00:38

So sorry wizzler... We too have angels made of pasta and travel momentos on our tree usually... I lost that battle this year (dd18 & 16). I demanded dh and I got to hang the first two baubles but we had to choose from their selection. They edited our collection and bought some new ones. To be fair, our house has never looked so elegant/magazine-worthy.

Next year the power returns to me .

jojomii26 · 02/12/2016 00:17

Just chuck it all one, rearrange it until your happy with it....job done

We used to have a white tree and I tried a silver and lilac theme one year.....had it in my head and google images of how i wanted it.....but it was more expectation vs reality kinda things

Musidora · 02/12/2016 17:40

We've only had our own tree in the last couple of years so haven't had long to accumulate decorations. It's not themed as such but I get things that fit my taste so it does all look quite matched, even though each thing has come from a different place - mostly antique-looking glass, white, burnished gold, etc, no bright colours as yet. No DC; if/when they appear on the scene I will obviously let them do what they like with it, so I'm enjoying a few years of a 'calm' Christmas tree!

My parents have a more rustic-looking tree with fabric and folksy wood etc., which I love, but they live in a country cottage and I don't think it would work as well in a townhouse.

The one thing I really don't like (sorry to anyone who does this!) is when trees are covered in stuff and you can't see any tree. It seems to defeat the point of having some nice natural greenery indoors!

MyGastIsFlabbered · 03/12/2016 15:22

This is this year's tree...I'm twitching to even it up but the boys decorated it so I mustn't.

misson · 03/12/2016 17:43

mygast you must be so proud

It made me smile. Am sure there was lots of giggling involved.

winterisnigh · 03/12/2016 18:35

MYGAST love your star atop the tree AND TINSEL.

Just chuck it all one, rearrange it until your happy with it....job done

I find re arranging never works, I have a flow the first time, and it never looked as good if I try and re arrange.

My poor innocent DH has said he wants to get a taller tree this year, we usually pop a 5ft on a chair. I am delighted but have not yet broken to him we may need more decorations in that case he is so innocent and I feel so naughty.

Sniv · 03/12/2016 21:20

I have my first proper Christmas tree this year. I like a tree where everything is more-or-less cohesive but few decs are identical (and nothing at all is plain old round bauble) so have been rummaging in the Charity shop 10p a bauble bins and have ended up with some lovely finds. Victorian style in gold, green and burgundy is what I've mostly gone for but I also have some toadstools, a lion, some fruit and a few other bits.

I helped decorate the tree at work and it was so blah. Obviously at some point someone had been sent out with a tenner and told to buy the biggest multipacks of gold and reds decs money could buy within a 10 minute radius. If you had to sum it up in a word it would be 'default'

ITCouldBeWorse · 03/12/2016 22:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SimplyNigella · 04/12/2016 08:11

Sniv you've summed it up really well. I think it's the matching decorations that upset me more than a theme. We have an element of coordination but no more than 2 or 3 decorations the same so lots to look at and definitely not default!

BingBongBingBong · 04/12/2016 15:35

My gold/red 'theme' tree! Not great but I do love it!

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