Christmas Trees - How do you do yours?

[icowden]

I don't know whether it is a family thing or whether there is a North / South divide when it comes to decorating a Christmas Tree.

Growing up we always had tinsel, baubles and coloured lights. Now that I live down South we follow my wife's family traditions which include a ban on Tinsel, and lights have to be white. Occasionally elegant beads may be permitted but the tree has to look elegant.

Peripheral decorations also have to have a degree of elegance, so no paper chains or ceiling garlands, no Christmas cards hung on fishing line on the wall.
I still think it feels a bit bare, even after 17 years of this!!

On the flip side, we never had outside decorations and my adoptive family are into this big time (although still rules exist around colours and placement).

So - how do you do yours? Are we midlanders / northerners just more tacky than the southerners...?

Let the festive battle commence!

 

[MontyVeda]

Not put one up for nearly 20 years. They're the epitome of tacky tasteless tat

 

[fossyant]

Daughter likes the tree to be colour co-ordinated, so different themes each year. That said it only looks good for a short time as the cat's trash it.

Our Christmas tree in the front garden is currently wearing white lights and silver baubles.

 

[Mo1959]

Haven’t put one up in 24 years, but yes, Molly would mostly definitely destroy it anyway! 🐱

 

[Threevok]

I usually do the tree and won't let anyone else help

It usually took days to get it right - and just a few minutes for my cat Lucky to destroy it

Unfortunately Lucky passed away earlier this year.

Ironically, I couldn't be bothered this Xmas and just threw everything on ad-hoc

 

[icowden]

But did you TINSEL?

 

[Electric_Andy]

My partner has just put mine up. It has coloured lights, tinsel and baubles. Growing up, there was never a fasion to ours. It had some 30 year old decorations on it, some crap ones that us kids had made in school, and sometimes even fake snow. We stopped using fake snow when my Dad told us it could start a fire. The tree was more about us kids having fun decorating it, than making it look nice.

Nowadays my boy isn't interested; he only wanted the tree up becasue he was worried where the presents would go

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Our Christmas tree is 8 inches tall. It doesn’t take long to setup.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Growing up we used to have a branch painted silver and baubles hung from that. Wrapping paper was re-used from year to year. Never ever had lights. A product of my parents' war experience I guess.

Wish we still did that, I think Xmas trees are a complete and utter waste of money.

 

[icowden]

Wish we still did that, I think Xmas trees are a complete and utter waste of money.

To be fair we got an artificial one a few years back rather than forking out for a cutting every year. Much easier to maintain and no hoovering required.

 

[FishFright]

I don't because I struggle at this time of year but love it when I see other peoples done up so nicely

 

[markemark]

 

[marzjennings]

We have one rule regarding the Christmas tree, every ornament we own will go on the tree. And as we don't ever throw away ornaments unless they're broken and I buy at least two new ones each year our tree is crazy. It looks great though from about 15ft away where it's hard to discern individual pieces like the Enterprise, a voodoo doll, a talking Darth Vader, and of course the bike helmet ornament.

 

[swee'pea99]

'Tasteful' Christmas trees are an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. Garish, tacky, lights, baubles, tinsel. It's what Jesus would do.

 

[presta]

I think 1967 must have been the last time I decorated a christmas tree. After that we stayed with family at chritsmas, then after I passed school leaving age we never had one. Right now, the only sign of Xmas in the house is the cards on the shelf. Coming from Yorkshire, we had baubles tinsel and coloured lights, but I'd not noticed a N-S difference until you mentioned it.