The dc have just done the tree morally is it ok for me to errrrm tweak it when they're in bed?

[MilaMae]

2/3 of it is bare and they seem to have put my lovely Shaker style decs to one side and used all the hideous mismatched charity shop stuff I used for my classroom tree when teaching.I stupidly didn't weed it all out. Should have know the electric blue hohoho diamante dec would take centre stage

Don't want to hurt their feelings so is there an art to tweaking if it is morally ok?

how old are the dc? If they are under 5 you could say Santa sent his elves around to check they were behaving and they accidently knocked it over and had to redecorate it.

do it they wont notice

definitely- I am sooo anal about my tree- I know I am far too control freaky about it, but I wince when they want to put 2 decorations the same too close together!! I think the idea of an elf or someone rearranging it is great!

my mum used to decorate most of the tree and then leave us to put on the final decorations we had made ourselves. These always had to go low down of course cos we was small!!! Maybe you should have kind of done a bit first and then let them loose on a few later. However, done now. Yes of course you can have a play around!!!!

Thanks will tweak away tonight then,hands are itching already. My dc are 5,5 and 4 so will go with the elf thing

I know someone who has a small fake tree for the children to decorate from about now, and then on christmas eve when they are in bed, has a large real tree sneaked in, decorates it and puts the presents under it for some father christmas magic

Shaker style decs

Dd 2.6 has thrown tinsel at decorated our tree , it looks GREAT

lollll@ this thread.

I did more than tweak when my 3 yr old went to bed.

We have an artificial tree which resides in the playroom and is decorated by DC. Tis a vision of all that is naff and wonderful about Christmas . Masses of tinsel, home made decorations and is ablaze with a technicoloured baubles . I love it because they are so heavy handed with the decs at the front of the tree that it resembles leaning tower or Pisa for duration of Christmas hols!

However, being total control freak that I am, we also have a real tree in the sitting room which is always decorated by me with some carefully controlled help from DC. I am mean, I realise.

Love the elves rearranging thing though

I think I need a second tree .

"Shaker-style decorations"? Are they, perchance, twiggy hearts?

I am totally anal and mean. My children aren't allowed to decorate the tree in the living room, it is my domain . However they have another 6ft one in their playroom that they have free rein over and dd has a smallpink fluffy one to decorate in her room.

deffo tweak, otherwise there is a whole bunch of decs on the bottom close together!!

Thankfully DS lost interest in decorating the tree after putting the first decoration on!

loving the idea of a second tree

may have to steal that concept for next year!

i'm anal about my tree too so i don't think there's anything wrong with tweaking... i bet they won't notice and if they do stick to the elf story

ROFL, i read the "is it okay for me to tweak it" and thought naughty things LOL

How on earth can anyone really be control-freaky and anal about a ... Christmas tree???

Give me strength.

Our eight-footer has been abused decorated by the DCs, and very lovely it looks, too. The dog-eared home-made Teletubbies from four years ago have pride of place.

If it's really that important, I'd go for the elves.

I can't blame the elves. My dsd will arrive for the weekend and dob me in. She already takes the mickey out of me for not having tinsel and everything being colour co-ordinated.

Of course - it is not only ok, it is essential. I tweaked our tree and they didn't even notice (although we are talking 5 and under here, so I may not get away with it forever)

I'm not sure what dp and I will do when we get to this stage. We are both incredibly anal about the tree being perfect. I think we might have to go by the small tree big tree route if we can find space!

You are very generous to allow your children to do the tree in the first place. I am very mean and insist the dcs do it my way. I'm so mean that I don't let them resurrect the crappy old decs that dd knocked together at preschool and in her first years at school. She is now in year 6 and has made some really nice stuff in tech this year, so those have gone up and we'll be using them again next year, I reckon. ds's preschool efforts can go up this year, but will be relegated to the junk pile next year. Bah, rearrange your tree after the dcs are in bed - bet they won't even notice.

Bolshy - there's nothing generous about allowing children to decorate trees. It is the obvious thing to do. If Christmas isn't for things like children making a tree look as naff as humanly possible, what on earth is it for?

I'm afraid (in our house, at any rate), small children and any kind of domestic perfection really don't go together!!

(Am I the only MNer who isn't anal about trees?? I knew I was odd in lots of ways, but is this an extra, unsuspected one?)

LMAO this reminds me of one of my SILs who has a perfect home. She always has a MASSIVE real Christmas tree beautifully decorated and one year, when my niece was 4, I was admiring it when she (DN) pointed at one bauble and whispered in my ear 'that's the one that mummy allowed me to choose for her to put on the tree' - so the poor kid didn't even get to put it one there! She was thrilled at being allowed to 'choose' a decoration, however, so I bit my tongue...

oh no!!! You can't tweak it - my DS's (8 and 5) decorated our tree this afternoon after I'd put the lights on for them. It looks very happy and twinkly in teh corner and they are extremely proud of it.

Actually so am I - so much so I even took a special photo of it for them as DS3 is sure to wreck it and posted it on my profile