theelfqueen Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Put up my Christmas tree at all? Will my kids hate me forever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaz Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I'm recovering from a concussion. We put up the tree. I bought a package of colored bulbs to decorate it (and put the 2 bins of family ornaments back in storage). Everyone was happy to have a simple tree this year! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 I dont really care about putting it up... it's the putting it all away after that I dread. LoL maybe I can just leave it up forever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Keep it super simple then. Do you have an artificial or do you get a live tree? I only put 1/3 of the ornaments on this year. I honestly think a tree with just lights and a few ball ornaments is nice ane easy. Oh and make your kids take it down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 When I was high school age my mom kind of tired of Christmas trees. I took it over with my then preschool brother because tradition was important to me. He helped hang the ornaments and then in January I took it down. I don’t think you have to put it up. If your kids would miss having a tree do something simpler and/or let them take over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Personally, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas to me without a tree. I should probably mention that I decorate the entire house for Christmas, so it’s probably more of a big deal for me than it is for you. I know my ds18 would be terribly disappointed if there was no Christmas tree, but your kids might not care as much — I think you should just ask them how they would feel about it. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 My family doesn't care about a tree. It's me that cares, so I simplified this year. I bought a new prelit tree that has 3 parts. Easy to set up and take down. I put less than half the ornaments on that I usually do. I bought a few things to decorate my mantle including a mantle scarf. It's so pretty and will be super easy to just put the items in a box at the end of the season. The kids usually help me put the tree up but leave it to me to take down. That's why I simplified this year. Smaller tree. Less stuff on it. It's still a pretty tree. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I would set up a small one (on a side table) that you can leave decorated in storage from year to year. That's what we've been doing for the past couple years, because we travel around Christmas time so we don't have time to really enjoy a tree. (We used to keep one up all year long, but had to take that down.) It would feel weird to me if we didn't have a tree to put the gifts around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 A few years ago I was stressed and didn’t want to deal with putting up the tree. So I didn’t do it. It got to be about a week before Christmas and the kids finally noticed. They decided we needed a tree. So they made one from Knex. The creation of a knex tree has now become a new tradition in our house. They put it up. They take it down. Everyone is happy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 The first year I did this they complained but now they don't. This is the second year that we are not actually celebrating Christmas on Christmas and they are kinda bummed about that. Plus most of the girls decided not to do Secret Santa this year and it almost broke my oldest's heart. She is the tradition keeper in the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 In years when I don't have the time and energy to do decorating, I have left our teenage/college boys in charge of it IF they want a tree up. I pay the price, but roll with it because they do a tree whose ornaments are Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper throw back cans with Star Trek ornaments, white lights, and toilet paper for the garland. They find this quite amusing. I usually take the time to locate my Christmas Evergreen arrangements for the piano and the kitchen island so that I have something pretty to look at. One year when we had been in Egypt doing some work at a hospital there, we came home to find they had put up two trees. The bigger of the two was rocketry themed and the second one had llama and sheep ornaments mixed with my good music themed items. They called the last one "The Musical Farm". So, if you let older kids be in charge, then be prepared to have a sense of humor abou it. 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 I probably would regret it ... I am just overwhelmed by it right now. We went from a real tree to artificial a few years back ... the artificial is very large, so it's a large undertaking. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 My mom keeps the tree decorated. She covers and puts it in a storage closet the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 Personally, I would regret it. However, I think there can be a middle ground between martyring myself in the name of tradition on one hand and submitting to regret for not doing things on the other. My personal challenge is the outdoor decorations. I love . . . LOVE . . . Christmas lights on the house. I took over hanging the lights on my parents' house when I was a teen because my parents weren't enthusiastic and it mattered to me. Even when I lived in apartments that didn't really have an outdoor space, I found ways to hang lights. In the last few years, though, as I've gotten older and more tired and have knees that don;t like to do a lot of climbing on ladders -- and especially now that I work full-time -- I struggle every year with getting the outside lights put up and, as others have said, taken down. I find that my husband and son are willing to pitch in to some degree with getting the lights up, but come January, it always turns out to be just me by my little lonesome out there taking things down and packing it all away. (One year, the lights didn't actually come off the house until early March, when I finally reconciled myself to the fact that, no matter how long I waited and how nicely I asked, no one was going to help me.) So my compromise has been to buy some pre-lit figures to arrange in the yard. I have a menagerie of critters who come out each year and have a party. Last year, I added a couple of packages of inexpensive, sparkly ball-type ornaments that I hang in the bushes and light up with spotlights. My husband unboxed a couple of the figures. I waylaid my son long enough to get him to help me strategize getting everything plugged in safely, but it was mostly me. It took me a couple of hours. It will likely take me about the same amount of time to pack everything away at the end of the season. I'm thinking I might pop out front this afternoon and string some pre-light garland around the front door, probably hung up with some of those stick-on hooks. It's not the nicest display in the neighborhood, and it's not what I would like to put up, in a perfect world. But it's a level of investment I'm willing to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 We have only done Christmas trees about half the time. We won't this year. My kids don't appear to be scarred. I hate decorating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 1 hour ago, theelfqueen said: I probably would regret it ... I am just overwhelmed by it right now. We went from a real tree to artificial a few years back ... the artificial is very large, so it's a large undertaking. What about inviting a couple friends over to help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 I would regret it, but that is a personal thing. I just doesn't feel like Christmas to me without a tree. My kids would be very sad if I didn't do one. But not everyone cares as much. My mom doesn't do trees much anymore. It has been years. It is sad to me to go there on Christmas and not see a tree, but it is her house and her decision. I just come home later and appreciate my own tree. There were a few years when I was in high school when mom didn't want to do a tree, but my siblings and I wanted one, so we got one, but the kids had to take care of it including taking it down after Christmas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhawk Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 3 hours ago, theelfqueen said: I dont really care about putting it up... it's the putting it all away after that I dread. LoL maybe I can just leave it up forever? Our mantle was never cleared of Christmas stuff. All year the Magi and shepherds and farm animals have been looking at us. It's been a little awkward sometimes, but hey! One less thing to do this week, so I officially give this idea my seal of approval 😛 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Catwoman said: Personally, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas to me without a tree. I should probably mention that I decorate the entire house for Christmas, so it’s probably more of a big deal for me than it is for you. I know my ds18 would be terribly disappointed if there was no Christmas tree, but your kids might not care as much — I think you should just ask them how they would feel about it. 🙂 Same here. I would regret it but as others have said it's a personal thing. Even when I was single living alone I always put up a tree and some indoor decorations. Occasionally I'd decorate outdoor too - mostly just a wreath on the door but at least it as something. We don't usually get many people here, and since dss and ddil host Christmas dinner we don't have to worry about the grandkids wanting to see a tree at our house. We do it for ourselves because we all enjoy it. Dh doesn't like to get on the roof anymore so ds21 does our outdoor lights these past few years. In fact that what he's been doing today. I decorate the tree because I'm the one who likes doing that but dh and ds help put it up and, before we got a prelit tree dh did the lights. I'll spend this week putting little indoor touches through the house. If I were you I'd ask the kids how they feel and ask them to join in if they really want it done. Also try to get a commitment from them to help take it down, since that's the part you're really dreading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted December 2, 2018 Share Posted December 2, 2018 We have a tabletop tree (something like this; it was a gift) that fits in a Rubbermaid-type bin, along with its one string of lights and a suitable selection of ornaments. DS has been able to do it himself for a couple of years now--I highly recommend this. I'll snip a couple of pine boughs for the mantel (for their scent) as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Why not ask them? I only got away without putting up a tree one time, when we had a super-busy holiday season and returned from Disney World on December 22. One was a high school senior and one was in college. Other than that, we MUST do all the things, including pajama pictures and milk & cookies for Santa. If they want a tree, make a list of what has to be done and tell them you're going to need a lot of help. idk if your oldest will be home, but even the younger two should be able to do most of it on their own even if dad isn't available to help. Our artificial tree has to be assembled and the greenery on each branch kind of opened up, so we put together on one day and decorate on a completely different day. Sometimes assembly is one day, lights are another day, and decorating is a third day. They might love the idea of putting up and decorating the tree on their own like F-M's kids do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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