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?

no,
you hve to suffer ! like we do, year after year ,
actually looking quite nice now, i think dc's have learned the lesson the hard way!
that too much tinsel doesnt look good

I don't even wait till their asleep. I say, oh, look at this bald spot, maybe we should move this one over there......

Oh no lovecat now I feel really mean, but I do let them do the playroom one all by themselves, so I'm not too mean am I?!?!?! I can't help being anal, I have to have books on bookshelves in height order, ornaments etc have to be set in a certain way on shelves (height/angulation), I cant leave a picture if it is crooked etc. God I'm odd

Come - we are all odd in our different ways!!

But how on earth do you combine children with ornaments full stop, never mind ornaments at a particular angle??

You could probably sell this information!

God that's better-I've tweaked!!!!!!!

As a compromise the plastic icicles are still on as are the collection of decs dp's cousin sends us from California every year-wierd stars with faces and feet and a snowman flying a plane -the dc love these.

They're tucked nicely behind my tin stars and gingerbread hearts

really needed done.

no one will fault you

In answer to Dottoressa: I would have to be feeling very generous to allow my dcs to decorate the tree, although my dd is almost as anal as I am and will be a top "just-so" tree decorator in another year or two. I know that my need for a "properly decorated" tree stems from the childhood trauma (haha) of having a mother and grandmother who both subscribed to the idea that a Christmas tree should be decorated completely randomly with whatever comes to hand first out of the box of ancient sparkly tat - just keep on whacking it all on until the tree is so overloaded that it threatens to fall over. Then top off with an indecent amount of tinsel in as many different colours as poss. In fact, my ds (3) could do a better job of decorating the tree now than either my mother or grandmother ever did. Needless to say, my mother thinks my "tasteful" efforts (with a colour scheme) are completely hilarious. Well, at least everyone is happy (even ds, as his dodgy pre-school robin has made it on). I probably win some kind of award for anality or meanness, but hey, I'm happy with my tree.

Bolshy - I think your mother and grandmother would like our tree!!

What is funny is the thought that one of the DCs might get their revenge on me by having something tasteful in years to come...

i redid ours - tatt to the back - and our dc (5 and 2) didn't notice!

YES! DS (age 4) has tweaked my tree decorations by moving as many baubles as he can reach to the lowest branches so the cat can bat them.

morally wrong I'm afraid and completely missing the point of Christmas (massive overstatement!) can't you lot find somewhere deserving to donate all your time money and emotional energy to.

(I think I'm going to rename myself 1scroogedilemma does that work do you think?)