Obviously, reasons 1 and 2 are Sebastian and Collette, not necessarily in that order. I know that there are lots of ways to "child-proof" a tree. We can anchor it to the wall. We can buy a superyard and put this around the tree (because Christmas isn't expensive enough already). But honestly, none of that will keep them from doing naughty things. Mostly, I am worried about them eating pine needles. Maybe that's not a big deal but I really don't want to find out.
Also, we are going to El Salvador for Christmas. We are leaving on December 18th. So, if we had put the tree up right after Thanksgiving (which is what we usually do) we would have the tree for about 3 weeks. And when we got home, we would have a dried out tree with a huge pine needle mess. No thanks.
Even decorating is posing a challenge. I can't hang the stockings with care because the twins will most definitely rip them down within seconds. I can't put up any of the garland I use around the doors and banisters for the same reason. Ditto the Christmas tablecloth. Sheesh. This is what I get for having an open floor plan...
Needless to say, my house is not feeling very festive. I miss the holiday spirit that comes with decorating but know this just a one time deal. Now I just need to focus my brain on shopping and wrapping - that should bring some Christmas cheer my way!!
Did anyone else have to pass on the decorations for a year when your kids were a certain age?
Last year, when our guys were 9 months old, we put up an artificial tree that we'd gotten as a gift years ago (and had never, ever used). We may have put a box or something in front of it, but to my complete surprise, the babies were not the slightest bit interested. This year, we'll use the artificial tree again (mostly because I'm worried about them getting into the tree water and pulling the needles off a real tree), and maybe we'll put the superyard around it. We tend to decorate sometime around my birthday (the 16th), so I've still got some time to think about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat about a wreath? When we didn't have a real tree last year, I missed that pine tree smell. So we got a really nice decorated wreath and that helped a little. And playing Christmas music helps me feel festive as well.
We've never had a tree in our house. NEVER.
ReplyDelete1. My husband is Jewish and has no interest.
2. We celebrate Christmas with my family in VA every year. I just don't see the point when we won't be here anyway.
Maybe when the girls are older, we'll put up a small artificial tree, but at 4 years old, they still think Christmas is something we do at Grandma's. I'm okay with that.
I still decorated , but did the play yard around the tree, bolted it to the wall and had NO decorations towards the bottom of the tree. LOL. This year, we are putting the tree in my "fancy" livingroom so that my twins can't get it.
ReplyDeleteWhat about festive kitchen towels, red blankets on the back of your couch and festive pillows? (items they can't damage)
Good suggestions BoufMom! Cole - you could also put out a Christmas-y cneterpiece on your dining room table, light Christmas smelling Yankee Candles, and put other trinkets on the mantle above the fireplace. I think you should still find a way to do the stockings! Hang them high maybe instead of dangling from the mantle?
ReplyDeletei agreee w/auntie kim!! don't be a scrooge :)
ReplyDeleteI've gone many years without a tree, but not since the kids were born. In fact, this year, they get to decorate no less than three trees: Grandma and Grandpa's tree at home, a mini-tree at Grandma and Grandpa's vacation-and-visit-the-extended-family-without-imposing-on-anyone home, and our tree in our own house. Plus, we may leave the tree up until February, on the off chance that Daddy comes home early.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a gingerbread tree? Just make cookies of the same shape from 6 inches diameter down to an inch or less. Stick them together in a tower/tree shape with icing (meringue powder-based icing is safe to leave out). If the babies nibble a little, no problem!