Do you decorate yourself or get it done professionally or buy them allready done.

My family allways decorate them thereselves, it makes it so much more homlier even if it does mean it not being absolutly stunning it looks great to me when me my brothers and mum have finished decorating it. Just like last christmas when me my little brother and sister and 15 year olf brother decorated the tree at my dads it might have looked a mess to some people but it my eyes it was great.

Even if i was on my own i would decorate it my self.
well what do you do?

from fallen

Who on earth gets them done professionally.

Use to decorate the tree with all the stuff.fighting with the lights to stop on,trimmins flying off the tree when kids/dogs fly pass them, mayhem putting them back on after you neatly placed them on.

Now i just get the tree it of the box and plug it on..Fiber optic trees are brill.:thumbsup:

We decorate ours ourselves, always have done, half the fun is in laying the lights out on the floor beforehand and seeing which ones need replacing to make them work ;)

My mum gave me half of the 'family' decorations a few years back, and it's nice to have some of the same things I remember as a kid up on the tree, along with stuff my son made when he was small :)

hmm - not sure this year after the mad spotty addition to the family! (the dog - not filthfan :hihi: )

But before we've spent ages putting it up together making it look homely (never done professionally) and then the cats decide 'ooh a tree! let's climb it!!!'

:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Lotti
hmm - not sure this year after the mad spotty addition to the family! (the dog - not filthfan :hihi: )

But before we've spent ages putting it up together making it look homely (never done professionally) and then the cats decide 'ooh a tree! let's climb it!!!'

:rolleyes:

:o :o i am not spotty and I'm sure nobody thought i was an addition somehow lottie! humph. i will be getting back at you for the water on my head whilst sleeping trick which you blamed on your puppet....hehehe

Yeah the cats never did have a sense of that angel at the top doesn't want company

lol - I know just wanted to clear it up!

Oh grudges grudges...:hihi:

We do it ourselves, all victorian stylie, it looks just amazing. No tacky tinsel, discreet white lights that don't flash, lots of old fashioned deckies, and one from every country I've ever been to. Well, except the Asian ones.

My mum bought one thats allready done up this year and is keeping it in the storage cupboars, im still going to add tinsle and lights lol.

I love christmas decorations, it sort of brings the warmth and joy of christmas out a bit.

From Fallen

I keep promising myself that I will make a tree - one year....

I really fancy the idea of hanging all the tradittional deccies off a series of hoops in decreasing sizes, suspended fromthe ceiling, or a collection of stalks that end roughly in a cone shape.

I know, I'm wierd :rolleyes:

*racks brain to mentally locate the tree that didn't make it out of the box last year due to a travelling christmas*

Fibre optic trees are wonderful if you have pets liable to chew anything as the electricity's only in the bottom, so when the kitten/puppy chews the tree nobody gets hurt, and you can just trim the ends after they've done their worst. Fix on some shatterproof decorations really tightly, and when the pets/children pull the whole thing over, just stand it all back up again like nothing's happened!

Can you tell that this has happened to me before?

posh people pay to have theirs done,i saw it on tv,me i get it out of its box give it a shake its done,whoever invented fibre optic trees wants a big,KISS.

I had a job decorating trees about 20 years back, yes lots of people willl pay to have them done in their homes, three of our best customers every year were rich divorced men, that were having their children for the holidays.

Few things i remember about doing a tree, always have the lights lit while putting them on the tree of course, work from the inside to the outside on the branches, gives it depth with lights inside.

Also work from the bottom with the largest balls, medium next, smallest around the top part.

Tinsel (If used) goes on the very tip only on the branches.

We never put angels on top, just a big red bow.

Swedish Flags, Lead Tinsel, Red Glass Baubles, and Bakelite 'candle' lights. Mind you, that was with my parents.

This year I think we will break out the cookie cutters and fimo.

I was taught to decorate a tree by my dad and passed on his technique to my own kids.

Lights first
baubles - traditional wooden ones
tinsel on edges of branches to represent snow
tree top usually decorated now by something my kids have made over the years - now it's my grandkids

I think we normally put the lights on first, then the tinsel and then the baubels. Sometimes though we just throw them on in any old order lol.

Soemthing that really got to me if anyone has seen it. Home alone 4.
The kid his dad and future stepmum decorate the tree have a right good time and laugh and then the next day he comes downstairs to find his stepmums got the decorators in anyway and everything they did was lost. I felt right sorry for that kid.

I could never hire a decorator to do my tree, its a family thing not a proffesional thing. You only get to do it once a year.

from fallen

what a horrible idea? Getting someone in to decorate the tree!! :gag: :loopy:

I was going to have a real tree...then I thought better of it. Shedding pine needles...the tree would probably look at lot better left where it is rather than in my living room.
So I am getting a plastic one. Have my eye on one that comes with decorations and lights as with everything else I can't be bothered to go round looking for hundreds of decorations for it....but that could change :thumbsup:

I am currently gearing myself up for a weekend of cookie baking...well make christmassy shapes and hang them on the tree!!

Generally the lights go on....then the baubles, then tinsel and then the angel hair stuff that ends up all over the house. I think i may need a water pistol too to stop greebs climbing the tree :suspect:

We decorate our own tree, it practically groans with all the baubles and things that we have collected over 25 years! My eldest son (aged 23), will not allow anything to be left in the box, it all has to go on the tree! The result is not colour co-ordinated or stylish in any way - but very colourful and family orientated. The "topping off" ceremony is performed by hubby inserting the top of the tree up the angel's nether regions!!

It cant really be time to get all those boxes out yet though - can it?

I think im going to be really silly and decorate my bedroom. Its not long to the end of november now only 6 days. I think itll make a change. Plus my mice, cat and dog would love it.

from fallen

well me and my hubby have the same argument every year over the xmas tree!

when i was little me and my mum and my lil brother would do the tree and we'd always put the lights on first then the tinsel then the baubles and finish it off with some lametta!

But........

My hubby grew up putting the baubles on first then the tinsel and the lights last!! :rolleyes: it just doesnt make sense to me!!! u'll end up knocking all your baubles off!!:loopy:

anyone else have the same arguments??

when i lived at home Dad would go and choose the tree, have it chopped down, then he would bring it home arrange it in a bucket with some bricks and soil and Cover the bucket in wrapping paper.

Cue Mum who would turn on the lights and put them on the tree. Then me and my two sisters would queue up at the tree with a bauble each and take it in turns to put them on.

We would have christmas music on too.

Mum always used to put floss on the tree then spray it with powdered snow.

We weren't allowed to go near the tree because the floss was like fibre glass and made you itch.

This year is my first crimbo in my own house. I'm still going to have a real one and i've bought loads of gorgeous baubles etc from John Lewis (and some other cheaper ones) to put on. No tinsel though.

The lights go on first because then you can twist them around into position more easily to get the maximum sparkle effect! Start at the top and work downwardsIf the tree is in the corner, you also need less lights. :thumbsup:

Then you get a few strings of the fluffiest tinsel, no more than two different colours, and drape it over the edges of the branches so it hangs down in a drape between each and hides the wires off the lights. Then add decorations - again you need less if its in the corner!

If you're my mum then you just lob everything on any old how. Whichever way, it's all good.

Only two weeks to go and I'll be getting those boxes of sparkly Christmas goodies out! :clap:

ive already done mine!!! ive had this week off work so i decided to do it now :P

all though its been quite aneventfull week! first i came down with flu and then i fell down the steps outside and twisted my ankle so now im hobbling around on a crutch!!:clap:

If I put the tree up now I'd get told off, but I'm already thinking about it, and I might even get the boxes out this weekend and test the lights and play with the tinsel and that. :D I always get a couple of new decorations each year and I've got some beauties in Cole Brothers this year that I cannot wait to get on that tree! :clap: Then when the tree is done there's the rest of the house to fill with greens and tinsel and things...

We buy a tree from the shops, & use it for however many years we can, and replace it if need be, & we decorate the tree ourselves, I love putting stuff on the tree, making it look all nice!

:help: A number of people have mentioned Angel hair floss stuff that is made of fibre glass and I was just wondering if anyone knows where you can get it. My last lot came from W H Smith and they dont seem to do it any more. Were on the last scrap and would love to get some more

I wasnt very good at decorating trees never got it right. either the look was too bright and fussy or the tree ended up lopsided
And on the odd occassion when i did get it right the bloomin cat would jump up and knock it over.

Now the kids are a lot older i always opt for the optic fibre one.

:blush:

I did mine last night.

:D

Couldn't wait any longer. :rolleyes:

Well, its for the kids innit :D

Its all red and gold, no tinsel I use ribbons and strings of beads. and lots and lots of baubles. And the home made decs. the kids have made each year since nursery.