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Original poster

My 'pet hate' about Christmas trees (other people's)!

103 replies

BillHadersNewWife · 02/12/2019 04:53

I have nothing against artificial trees...we have one ourselves...have done for two years now...what I keep seeing though, is pics of people's beautifully decorated artificial trees with BARE STANDS!

Shock

Why?? Do people just look at the ugly bases and think "Oh yes, that looks lovely!" ??

Or have they not noticed it's detracting from the rest of their efforts? You don't have to buy a tree skirt...you can just ruffle some fabric or tulle or hessian or even paper around it! Or hide the base with gifts...why have the stand on show?

Petty yes. But genuinely curious too.

OP posts:
bintang · 02/12/2019 10:53

I don't know, I always thought tree skirts were an American thing. Or maybe a LMC thing you know where you couldn't possibly let people see the base of your tree because then they'd know it was a tree!
I'm surprised it wasn't mentioned in Betjeman's How To Get On In Society... Grin

No-one had skirts when I was a child- they were bare or hidden by presents, or wrapped in tinsel.

BlastEndedSkrewt · 02/12/2019 11:01

tinsel, I hate the stuff on trees

WendyMoiraAngelaDarling · 02/12/2019 11:09

The one I have ordered looks like fake snow. I don't care if that's tacky, it will go beautifully with the two Anna and Elsa ornaments I have on there. Ours doesn't really have a theme. My children choose or make an ornament each year then I fill in the gaps with glass baubles. We love it!

wontletmelogin · 02/12/2019 11:13

They piss me off too Grin I have a white sheepskin under mine.

Thestrangestthing · 02/12/2019 11:16

I hate it too. I have a wicker basket that goes round mine. I would love to have a real tree, they are a bit too wide though but I love the smell of them.

Thestrangestthing · 02/12/2019 11:31

Only coloured lights, warm white lights and slowly twinkling lights are permissible.

Agreed. In the last couple of years I have noticed a lot of blue lights, especially outside. I'm not a fan at all.

riotlady · 02/12/2019 11:54

Have literally never considered it, or heard of skirts for trees Confused

Original poster
BillHadersNewWife · 02/12/2019 11:54

GiveHErHell Oh I know, I know...I have a thing for that sort of stuff...I can't be doing with "tasteful" trees. I like loads of colour. A lot of my ornaments are glass...vintage from the 40s and 50s. My oldest is from around 1900!

OP posts:
Original poster
BillHadersNewWife · 02/12/2019 11:55

The people who've never heard of them....they're everywhere! Have been for years...can't believe you've never seen them in the shops or in photos.

OP posts:
Lipperfromchipper · 02/12/2019 11:57

Tinsel!!! Hate the stuff!! Looks so tacky!!

LustigLustig · 02/12/2019 12:00

I am with the people that say it will be hidden by presents.
I do put presents under as soon as the tree is up (goes up around 20th usually). There will generally be a few presents under until New Year, as we don't manage to see everyone before Christmas.

I always have a real tree, but it has never occurred to me to try to decorate the stand.

Thestrangestthing · 02/12/2019 12:01

I also hate tinsel but I love the smell of that too, reminds me of being little and the Christmas decorations coming out.

PuffinDodger · 02/12/2019 12:07

I like fake ones that are in a pot like mine. The pot of mine is made of wicker.

PuffinDodger · 02/12/2019 12:10

Here

My 'pet hate' about Christmas trees (other people's)!
WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 02/12/2019 21:07

I've always hated the bare stand look OP, but hated fabric tree skirts more. I discovered the wicker base covers a couple of years ago which are perfect for our tree. AND you can hide excess tree light cable inside them.

septemberismyfavouritemonth · 02/12/2019 21:11

oh wow, this is something I had never even thought about, we have an artificial tree, and we have a bare base, I'd never noticed and if I had I am not sure I would ever have known about tree skirts!!

Spacerader · 02/12/2019 21:19

I personally think tree skirts or tinsel wrapped around the bottom looks tacky, but each to their own.

Gifts go under our tree as soon as it’s up, usually all the gifts that have been bough for family members (the children’s are obviously hidden away) so my stand is always covered. And as pp said there are usually gifts still under there until a few days after Christmas.

PuffinDodger · 02/12/2019 21:49

I'm not a fan of nutcracker Christmas decorations that seem to be popular at the moment. I think they look sinister, although i like the ballet

TheChosenTwo · 02/12/2019 23:02

I really dislike artificial trees! Obviously personal taste and some people will have real ones for various reasons. The worst offenders I have seen include a black tree and a purple one Confused
I also don’t like matchy matchy themed trees.
No tinsel or that stuff that’s like tinsel but stringy and pulls apart in strands giving a tree the appearance of it entering a room via a 1970s game show. What’s that stuff called?? I’ll have to google it.
Our tree is a riot of colour, mismatched ornaments collected over the years and decorated by the children. I don’t even bother moving or relocating any of the ornaments - It’s their tree really.
My Mum always did ours after we went to bed and I was always sad because I wanted to help so mine do it all. They’ll probably be sad when they’re older that mum never bothered to decorate the tree for them Grin

Leflic · 02/12/2019 23:19

I ‘m not keen on themed trees which then actually have a whole load of unmatching sentiment stuff. Has to be one genre or another ( mis matched for me).

I always thought covering the base was because people alwayys stuck trees in old ugly buckets. New fangled stands don’t need covering do they?

Maxusmaximus · 03/12/2019 00:09

I dislike tree skirts - I think they look naff - we all know why they’re there and what they’re hiding. They remind me of lace curtains or those antimacassar things people put on sofas. Very twee.

2018SoFarSoGreat · 03/12/2019 00:14

i'm with you, OP. I feel sorry for the poor tree all dressed up with bare legs - or feet, or whatever. I have gone through several iterations of base dressing, including a beautiful cream brocade skirt with gold threads and lush gold border (the cat peed on it day one, never to lose the scent, sadly), rich red velvet skirt, with big bold buttons, latterly swathes of limish green tulle, which I absolutely love! I know, I'm a little weird. Just today I ordered a new skirt. White fake fur. Like a sheepskin rug only fake and white. Probably it will look really terrible, but just maybe it won't. Thank goodness for free return shipping. :)

HeddaGarbled · 03/12/2019 00:17

Another who hadn’t heard of tree skirts until I read this. Just looked. Naff. Like those dolls with knitted skirts my mum’s generation used to hide their toilet rolls.

WendyMoiraAngelaDarling · 03/12/2019 01:05

Lametta @TheChosenTwo

Cookit · 03/12/2019 05:58

I’ve only seen a tree skirt once in my life and honestly didn’t know what they were before that
I was visiting a friend’s house and when I asked what it was she was a bit embarrassed and said her quite elderly mum had put it on and she hadn’t the heart to take it off! They were compared - by her - to those carpeted toilet seat covers old people buy.

I think a tree with a load of tinsel around the base would look awful as well. I’d probably go bare base myself.