Decorating your tree

In My Humble Opinion
1

We went and picked out the perfect tree yesterday afternoon and set it up in the living room. That’s about the end of any agreeing that went on in the house where the tree was concerned.

I have a certain way I decorate the tree and it goes in this order:
[ul]
[li]lights[/li][li]garland[/li][li]ornaments[/li][li]tinsel[/li][li]angel[/li][/ul]
I have been doing it this way for as far back as I can remember. When I put the lights on the tree I always start at the bottom so that I make sure I have enough cord to reach the plug. My boyfriend, who was joining us this year to help out, insists that you are supposed to start at the top of the tree with the lights so that you are sure you have enough to plug the angel in. Ok fine, I can let that one go just to keep the peace. But then he wanted to put the angel on the tree as soon as the lights were on, no no no I say! That’s just not right! The angel HAS to go last, that’s a rule, don’t you know anything. ;)(I had my way on that one.) Once all the decorations were on we started to put the tinsel on the tree and I’m almost embarressed to say.

[sub]::whisper::they were actually just throwing the tinsel on the the tree in hadful’s::whisper:: [/sub]

Oh the horror! :eek: I carefully explained to both my daughter and boyfriend that you are only supposed to put one strand at a time on the tree to make sure it falls nicely, they just looked at me :rolleyes: and continued throwing the tinsel on the tree.

So my question is How do you decorate your tree? Do you have a specific method, routine or am I the only one that is this anal about decorating the tree?

[sub]PLEASE TELL ME THERE ARE OTHER’S LIKE ME AND I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE.:([/SUB]

2

The lights have to go on first, because otherwise it would knock everything off when you did put them on. The garlands go next, for the same reason. I wrap the lights top to bottom, same with the garland. Then I put on anything else that I want on the tree: Topper, bulbs, ornaments. Then the presents go underneath. If you don’t have a bunch of presents to go under it, you have to wait until you do, because what’s a plastic tree without bright, happy boxes beneath it?

The lights and garland going on first are my only rules, and if the S.O. decided that she wanted them to wrap differently, or to go garland-before-lights, that would be just fine with me.

Oh yeah, and no tinsel, and plastic ornaments tward the bottom of the tree. But that’s just pure practicality. The car and ferret would choke-to-death/destroy-everything otherwise :slight_smile:

3

For about the past five years I’ve been the one to put the lights on the tree, although my brother has “helped” the past two years. I usually end up doing a lot of it by myself.

The order goes something like this:
[ul]
[li]Assemble the family. Go out and get a Christmas tree – a really fresh one, preferably 9 to 10 feet tall. Have a 30-minute argument on the proper way to tie the tree to the roof of the car.[/li][li]Sit in the back of the car and make jokes about the tree falling off the roof. Watch dad turn six shades of purple as he tries not to explode.[/li][li]Arrive at home. Put the tree in a bucket of water in the garage so it can fall out for a day or two before bringing it into the house.[/li][li]Lift the tree out of the bucket and put the tree stand on the trunk. Get at least three people to carry the tree into the living room.[/li][li]Take 45 minutes to arrange the tree at an angle that makes mom happy.[/li][li]Get the lights from the box in the garage. Check to make sure that they all work before putting them on the tree (trust me on this).[/li][li]Put the angel on top of the tree. Have a huge argument with mom over how much of the top of the tree to cut off to get the angel to sit properly.[/li][li]Put the motion lights on the tree, working from top to bottom. (This is the part that my brother helps with, since he’s taller.) Try to get them working correctly.[/li][li]Put the other lights on the tree. Crawl around on the floor to get lights on the lower branches and near the trunk. Try to ignore my brother when he laughs and yells “Image pose!” every time I have to move around at an awkward angle. (Gen-13 fans will probably get the joke.)[/li][li]Finish putting up the lights (finally!). Get huge amounts of praise from mom.[/li][li]Get mom and sibs to help with ornaments.[/li][li]Put beaded garland on the tree.[/li][li]Sit back, relax and wonder why the hell I put myself through this every year.[/ul][/li]
It goes like this every damn year without fail. I think I even have pictures from last year. Anyone wanna take a wild guess as to what I’ll be doing next week? :smiley:

4

The order is set - lights, star on top, Santa’s workshop ornament, the rest of the “special” ornaments, colored ball ornaments, tiny toys ornaments, tinsel. This year, instead of getting dizzy going round and round with the lights, we went top to bottom and back - and it looks great! It was easier to put on, and I expect it’ll be easier to take off.

Dunno where we’ll put it next eyar, tho, since the tree sits where the spiral staircase will be installed this summer. I’ll deal with it later…

5

Gravity no tinsel on your tree, that’s just not right. :wink:

Wow ladybug! I’m impressed, a nine to ten foot tall tree, I bet it is beautiful. Sounds like you go through what I went through last night every year.

FairyChatMom I may have to try that with the lights next year. I never thought to do it that way but you are right, it does sound easier to put on and take off.

6

@ my mom’s…

first, not a live tree - my step-brother was deathly allergic to pine. Prep includes mulled cider… Mmmmm. (no alcohol, or we break things)

1, haul big heavy box out of basement crawlspace, and drag it upstairs.

2, assemble tree - no, not the SHORT branch with the red end, the LONG branch with the red end!

3, wire tree to wall. Otherwise, the ornament weight will pull it over. No foolin.

4, tree-topper. We don’t use an angel, we use a star, and it HAS to go up first, because otherwise we knock too much stuff off and it all breaks.

5, lights, wound around and back, simulating around-and-around. We used to pass it around the back, but why???

6, glass balls, bells, and fruits. Of which there are about 1000 (NO FOOLIN), varying sizes, some from my great-great-grandmother. We hang them all the way along the branches to the inside of the tree, so the lights reflect off them, making it look like there are a bazillion lights on the tree. Kinda cool. Plain silver balls are best, but mom started getting colored ones (she must be getting old!).

7, hanging ornaments. I think we counted about 6 ornaments per end of branch (per TIP, that is), not counting the ones that end up in the middle of the tree. Every time someone travels somewhere, they bring back local ornaments - we’ve got easily 40 different kinds of ornaments, and about 5-20+ of each type. Wooden ones, metal ones, glass ones, crystal ones, hand-made ones, fabric ones, gold/silver ones (gotta polish those, first), kids ones, ones for the cats, heirloom ones, woven bamboo ones, ones made of ribbon, feathers, crochet, paper, china, and even one made of foil and rubberbands. LOTS. Tree is COVERED. NO ROOM FOR ANYTHING ELSE!

8, Oh, wait! perching ornaments (birds, mostly, owls, ‘doves-that-look-like-seagulls’, a peacock, cardinals, finches, bluebirds). About another 3 per branch, or there WERE until the cats ate a bunch of them. Slowly replacing these…

9, icecicles, about 1-2 per branch-tip. REALLY NO FRIGGING ROOM FOR ANYTHING ELSE.

10, baskets and elves and other things to ‘tuck into any bare spots’. Really.

11, garland. You have to put this up last, or it takes up too much room on the branches, and you can’t find space for the hooks. Draped carefully in-between the various items.

PHEW! The thing looks like a victorian acid trip, but we love it. :slight_smile:

Oh, and no tinsel. As kids, we thought it was horrible stuff, so we stopped using it. Besides, it just covered up the ornaments!

At home, we have a small ‘real’ tree, with barely any ornaments. Just for contrast. :slight_smile:

7

That’s something I can relate to. A few years ago I found out the hard way that I have a severe allergic reaction to tree sap. I have to wear gloves when I hook up the lights. It’s a good idea even if you’re not allergic because it takes forever to get that stuff off your hands, and lots of scrubbing with hot, soapy water.

hedra, I remember those days of putting up the tree. :slight_smile: Why is it that those branches are never color-coded right?

Thanks, Shanin. :slight_smile: It’s a lot of work but it’s worth it in the end. I might try to scan in one of the pictures of last year’s tree so I can post a link. Hmm … has anyone started a Christmas trees photos thread?

8

Ohhhhh that’s a good idea ladybug, you should start a thread. Now I need to hurry and get my film developed! :wink:

9

First we get a nine foot frasier fur. It takes about 30 minutes to get in on the tree stand and then perfectly level.

Then my SO spends about an hour or so putting 1,400 white lights on it. He starts at the bottom.

Ornaments are next. We put all of one kind of ornament on at a time. First the small ribbons. Larger ornaments are next and tucked into the tree a bit. Then the smaller ornaments are hung more on the ends of the branches. Finally we put on the few “special” ornaments.

The ribbons go on the top of the tree last.

We don’t use garland or tinsel so I can’t say for sure when they should go on.

10

We bought ours last night. It was covered in ice, so we set it up in the living room on top of a blanket so it could drip and relax. This afternoon I trimmed off a few more branches from the bottom (have to make room for presents!), pulled the blanket out from underneath it, and slid a small rug under the stand to prevent the floor from being scratched. BTW, I love the plastic stand we got a couple years ago. It has a separate bucket that you screw onto the base of your tree. Then you put the bucket into the stand, where you can easily adjust it until it stands straight. No more crawling under the tree!

Here is the proper order as I see it:

Lights go first. I start at the top and work down. I like to tuck the lights into the tree so the wire is less visible and the lights sparkle from within the tree rather than sit on top of it. I use only small, clear lights.

Next, I put on the wooden cranberry garlands, and the kids put on the non-breakable ornaments where they can reach. When they aren’t looking, I rearrange them so they are placed more evenly.

The rest I do myself. First are the glass icicles. Then the glass ornaments, which are mostly kept clear of toddler/cat height. Lastly, we put on the homemade angel that a friend gave us. We don’t use tinsel, as the cats like to eat it. They also like to eat curling ribbon, so we have to be careful not to leave any around.

11

Lights, bottom to top; we don’t use garland (GASP!); ornaments; iccicles, but not on the bottom foot, because the cats will eat them and puke on the presents; star (ALWYS a star, never an angel); presents.

12
  1. One kid loses one mitten at tree lot.
  2. Tree rolls off roof of car into snow as Mr. S. tries to tie it on.
  3. Needles litter floor as tree is jammed through front door.
  4. Discover tree does not fit in tree stand.
  5. Mr. S. says, “Next year, I swear they’re gonna #%#*ing chop off enough branches for a family of reindeer to stand upright beneath the sucker.”
  6. Kids escorted to kitchen whild Mr. S. cuts branches (with a blunt saw or steak knife) and gets lecture on his language.
  7. Tree is turned 10 different ways so we can be ceratin the scrawniest part faces out.
  8. Run to store for lights that work.
  9. Kids add musical atmosphere with 30-40 renditions of, “We Three Kings of Orient Are, Tried to Smoke a Rubber Cigar.”
  10. Remove half-eaten sticky candy canes from lowest branches (my clever little angels!).

Order of ritual CANNOT be varied!

Aahh…tradition.:wink:

13

We were four kids when I was growing up, I remember decorating the tree and with the exception of the lights and the angel we were allowed full reign with everything else.

Of course whilst we were doing this my Mom mostly sang Christmas carols and complimented us on what a wonderous job we were doing. I remember how enchanted she was with it every year. It was surely monsterous, but in our eyes it was magical, cause she trusted us to do it!

I don’t know how old I was when I realised that after we’d go to bed she’d just straighten it all up to how she liked it.

I wonder if in these days of scheduled children and control freak parents if anyone does this kind of thing any more?

14

I too am one of four childeren. My dad (my husband this year) goes out to buy the tree by himself. He picks out a bad (small, ugly, scrawny etc…) tree. We give it to someone else and go out to get another. The lead male figure (my husband again this year) spends the rest of the day getting the freaking thing to stand up in the lving room. (this involves a lot of sawing and grunting) My dad and my brother put the lights on. Star goes on top. When we were kids we decorated the tree according to height. The oldest got the top to the youngest getting the bottom. This year we finally have granschildren/nephews to take my lil’ brother place at the bottom of the tree. (my bro is 6,1 and still has to decorate the bottom) The conglomeration of ornaments is adorning the xmas tree. Next, my father tips the tree over and breaks half of the ornaments.

happens every year…

15

I started the thread here, Shanin. Now I just hope that I’m not the only one to post pictures! :slight_smile:

16

Good people, lights are always first, this without fail has been the LIONsob’s job, however this year I believe that son may take it over. After the lights come garland (or rolls of wide wire ribbon sometimes ) Then the ornaments and the angel. Last is the tinsel.

Any other way is just uncivilized. :stuck_out_tongue:

We are getting a small (three to four feet tall) tree this year and so I have graciously agreed with having only 400 to 500 lights on the tree . ::sigh::
Ayesha,

Queen of the Christmas light demons.

17

Well, my dad was Scrooge reincarnated (and not his “after the ghost visits” persona, either), so no tree at his house. However, mom and my sister and would go cut down out own tree and then bring it back and decorate it together.

My husband’s mom always used to decorate their tree so when I asked him to help our first Christmas, he just gave me this puzzled look. So, as it turns out, we have a fake 3-ft Xmas tree and I decorate it with all the ornaments we’ve acquired (which isn’t much - mostly things my mom or friends have given us). It’s sitting on our dining room table (which we never eat at) and looks pretty darn good. I actually bought lights for it last year. Our topper is just this piece of gold-covered wire and ribbon that looks like a starburst. I think it was on a gift I got but it fits just right as a tree topper and its not too gaudy.

The cats think its their personal fun-tree and I have to make sure I get the breakables on pretty securely. I usually find at least one small ornament that they’ve played with under a chair or bookshelf when I do spring cleaning.

18
  1. Mom and kids find a great tree and bring it home.
  2. Dad complains about the tree so much we end up with two.
  3. First tree goes onto the deck to be decorated for the birds.
  4. 2nd tree sits outside for 3 days til hubby gets in the mood to bring it in.
  5. Mom goes into the attic, searching frantically for the lights.
  6. Hubby is now royally pissed and is yelling about the damn lights. (Now they won’t light up at all!)
  7. Mom and hubby go thru all the lights, replacing bulbs.
  8. Kids hide in their rooms.
  9. Lights go on the tree top to bottom.
  10. Mom yells at kids cause they are not helping.
  11. Empty boxes go back to attic.
  12. 1st tree is decorated with yummy bird treats.
  13. It rains, thus rendering yummy bird treats into a sodden mess.
  14. Mom counts the days til the 27th.
  15. On 27th - damn thing comes down.
19

We went artificial after becoming wise to the fact that our three kids’ allergies began acting up every December, and got better in January. Duh! The BEST thing about our tree is it comes in 3 pieces, each of which kinda folds up like an umbrella. The kicker is YOU KEEP THE LIGHTS ON IT WHEN YOU PACK IT AWAY!

Drinking heavily is generally required for tree decorating around casa Dinsdale. This year a bottle of Mumms went down very nicely. And I did not lose my temper and yell at anyone even once! Woohoo! That was a first!
After the kids “help” put up the ornaments, we send them off to watch x-mas videos, while we rearrange the ornaments from the 2 sq. ft. area in which the kids concentrated them.

Man, how my sisters and I used to fight over that “one strand at a time” crap. Recently, instead of tinsel Mrs D found a bunch of old strands of silver and gold bead garlands. She cut them into pieces about a foot or so long, and we drape those all over as the last thing.

We also use those wodden cranberries, annd Mrs. D’s gum wrapper chain which must be at least 50’ long.

20

But do you put it on BEFORE or AFTER the cranberries?

[hijack] And now, the envelope please. . . the winners of the award for overall posting effort in the face of intransigent adolescent ignorance are. . . Dinsdale and hedra, for their performances in the, “What is it that girls like anyway?” thread.*

::raising glass in admiration:: So, here’s to you, to epeepunk, Mrs. D and all the little children around your tables: “May love and joy come to you and to you glad Christmas too!” ::drinks with pleasure::

Your Humble Servant

[sub]*link intentionally omitted. Had to do this here because I’m not posting to that thread again.[/sub] [/hijack]