How do YOU decorate your Christmas tree?

[Hassled]

See here for categories. I have to confess to being an "Arboreal Aryan" - decorations are only red or gold, and I spend hours faffing around with it until it is "perfect". The DCs' input is not welcome.

(love the name Lizzy!)

agree with the no tinsel approach. Evil stuff - turns up in the newly washed clothes out of the machine and gets stuck in the hoover!

I think we come under the "what a load of Jackson Pollocks" decorating.
We just throw all the decorations on and hope it looks pretty

Our is British Entire World Domination. You wouldn't even know there was a tree under the bling that smothers it.

Why thank you Display, your moniker is lovely too

This year was the first year that my boys "helped" to decorate the tree, I have surprised myself by not having to move stuff around too much. It is nice that is a free for all and I haven't been too bothered that there are two wooden snowmen too close together

I am firmly British Imperialist. You know those sentimental christmas cards featuring Victorian family christmas scenes with huge trees crammed with baubles, tiny toys, glittery shite, etc? That's what ours looks like.

It's what it's MEANT to look like! Minimalist, pah. I did once go a bit Aryan (well, Scandanavian actually) and insisted on doing an entirely white and red tree, Swedish-style, with only stars and hearts, and lots of felt and gingham. But I missed my mismatched tree.

But I don't do tinsel. Horrible nasty bauble-obscuring stuff. And DH and I have the same argument each year about lights. he likes coloured, I like gold. So hell, we put both sets on the tree.

None of the categories really fit - the tree/decs are predominantly what I got when DD was three (red, green and gold) with a few extras added in the 7 years since, including DD-made.

DD decorated the tree virtually single-handed this year, I only had to put on the star and a couple of the uppermost baubles. It looks pretty much the same as if I'd done it.

Another category - 'Quirky Comedian '. Usually male IMO. In the library at university the staff have erected a Christmas tree upside down. Ahahahaha! Not. In the Psychology department, they have installed a sparkly Dalek. Ohohohoho! Not x 2.

God I hate match matchy trees, up against the wall with the lot of you!

I am probably Imperialist lite. And I love decorating it with DC's and talking about each one (yes DD, these are the little birds, you smashed one when you were 2, another when you were 3, none when you were 4, keep it up this year, now where is the leg of that reindeer....).

Matchy trees are for offices and other souless locations, IMO.

British Imperialist, me.

I love the fact that some of my decorations belonged to my grandmother and mother, neither of whom are alive now. Some are very 60s/70s and remind me of advocaat, Babycham and cocktail cherries, although my mum had fantastic taste so hers are mostly very tasteful. There are photos of me as a baby with some of those baubles up on the Christmas tree behind me - some are a good 40 years old. I love the continuity. I tend to get rather pissed tearful doing the tree, but then so did they

My mum was so British Imperialist, she was probably Queen Victoria. Like Hullygully, you couldn't see the tree under all the decs. It was just a mass of lights, baubles, tinsel etc.

I am a cross between British Imperialist (use old decs - some matching, some not - and tinsel, colour lights (but not flashing) and the same angel each year) and Arboreal aryan (everything still has to be hung to perfection, baubles spaced properly, tinsel draped perfectly).

So far haven't had to worry about DS's intervention as he is too small but am guessing this year will be the first time (he is 2 now) but it will be fun to let him help by taking the things out of the box and handing them to me so I can place them perfectly!