Help!! I HATE our Christmas tree!- UPDATED

[mom2blu]

For some reason this Christmas is just hard on me. I'm not sure if it's because I've been sick for a month straight (now on antibiotics for upper respitory infection, and antibitotics make me feel crappier then being sick) or if it's because this past december 8th is the 10 year anniversary of when my grandfather killed himself, or because my baby is now a toddler and I want to be pregnant with number two, or because I am just gennerally unhappy.

I especially hate our tree this year. I LOVED the tree I did last year. I try to do a special theme every year (but this is my last year doing that so my son can build traditions, which can't be done with completely new ornaments every year,) and this years theme was supposed to just be fabric, and non traditional things. For example I have bright orange, lime green, bright blue, all fabric balls, 4 patch squares, and fabric garland. The garland is strips of fabric knotted together on the ends (i'm not sure how well it shows in the pictures) After decorating I hated the tree so I added green garland in with bells, and bright colored candy canes. Then I just added tinsel, in a unique pale olive green. The tinsel looked SOOOOOOOOO beautiful at the store, but at home it reminds me of snot! Maybe that is the respitory infection talking? I also have a few various ornaments on there too, some foam store bought ones, some wooden store bought ones, and a very few regular ornaments (two of my sons special yearly Hallmark ones, and a few I made or specially begged family for over the years, like the vintage plastic cones with wirebrush trees inside)

Even my son (who doesn't talk yet, but signs, and nods yes or no) said he thinks the tree is ugly!!

Here's some picture. Any idea what I can do to make it nicer?? There are no lights because of wasteing energy, and the fact that I JUST found lights with white wires two days ago. Anything that goes on it has to be toddler proof (terribles twos too!!) and cat and dog proof. My foamy ornaments already have teeth marks because my son keeps eating them.





And here for kicks, is my tree last year. The theme was "mod" most of the ornaments are open looking spheres from scrapbook paper (just cut strips then attach them top and bottom with a brad, then fan out to form a sphere) and a few select others. Our wrapping paper has blue, green and silver squares, it was supposedly all occasion paper, not just christmas paper. The presents you see in the first photo are gifts from family, not ones for my theme. The second photo shows our tree Christmas Morning.






So last night, even though I had way to many gifts I was supposed to be making I made a ton of felt ornaments, with vintage buttons for fun. Then added those to the tree. The tinsel is a much prettier color in real life, and wasn't as bad before as the pictures made it look, but I modified it again. I did just a few clumps for sparkle, because it really glitters more then you'd expect with no tree lights.  Notice though how it is not at the very bottom anywhere.

In response to different ideas everyone shared:

I am usually against the tinsel/garland combo too! But I swear my tree has some kind of vaccuum! Every time I look at it the garland is sucked closer to the center! That's why you can hardly see it.

I may make another fabric garland like the one I have already. It's a matter of time, or lack thereof.  Tomorrow I am hosting a church party for about 40+ people, and still have to work on that, PLUS actual gifts (for the party AND for Christmas)

I thought about the wooden block idea, and usually that would be awesome (we have a TON, even some really neat vintage British ones!) but my son has iron issues, and when his iron is low his favorite thing to eat is wood. Right now we're facing the low iron issue, hence the reason even my foam ornaments have a few teeth marks.

I LOVE the toy idea, except like one mom said, he'd just be yanking them off the tree, and possibly the whole tree right on top of himself!

The tree skirt looks a lot better in real life, but I could still change it. There are actually several ornaments with the same yellow in them. It wasn't really captured well in the pictures, but it pulls those ornaments out a bit more.

Right now I'm still not in love with my tree, but I'm slightly happier with it. I was really hoping to avoid making more ornaments. Just for the time issues. I'm still working on a topper. I DID try the santa potato, but he just refused to stand upright!

Now, here is the tree the way it is now.

[craftewoman]

I think the ornaments are cute, but, you're right about the green tinsel. It does look a bit strange. When I started decorating our tree kid friendly, I stuck with plastic, wood, and fabric ornaments. There are lots of things you can hot glue a ribbon to to make cute ornaments. I used plastic jeweled fruit, and fake birds, but you could make any toys into ornaments. That's what was traditionally hung from the tree anyway for gifts for the kids.
 

[kjlutz]

My suggestions are to either add lights, or remove the tinsel (tinsel only works when it sparkles from the lights).

Other than that I think it looks great. 

My real suggestion though is to rest up, feel better, and enjoy Christmas. 

[Aislynn]

I think it's cute.  I like the blue and orange with the white.  Though the tinsel is a little distracting.  It might sound odd, but one year, early on in her marriage, my stepsister tied her spare spoons and forks to the tree, using colored ribbon, and it actually looked very neat.  I'd take a look at the ordinary things around your house, and see how you could make ornaments out of them. 

[Destined To Fail]

Our suggestions are to remove the tinsel & add lights. Maybe a large topper?

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!

[bubblegum_phoenix]

I agree with everyone else - ditch the tinsel. Loose stuff like thats a choking hazard (yikes, I sound like my mother  )
How about if your son draws some pictures of christmas (or colours some in) and you put that on the tree? or you could make some ornaments using felt and stuffing - no danger there of them getting too damaged my chewing 
Mostly with Christmas, dont over think. My best Christmas tree memories were the times my Mum and Dad let me and my sister deorate the tree with them. It wasnt exactly pretty, but we were having fun and fun is the stuff memories are made of 

[kjlutz]

Our suggestions are to remove the tinsel & add lights. Maybe a large topper?

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!

I agree about adding a topper, maybe something nontraditional (so other than a star or angel, or just one in a different colour) and fabric to fit with your theme. 

Also just a thought, for future years, your son may love the tradition of new ornaments each year especially if he gets to help with the theme and/or ornaments.  It could be a great on going tradition that changes a little every year. 

[IHeartMstrChief]

I think its easy to say that the tinsel should go. We couldn't do tinsel this year, because the beagle will eat it...and has eaten the strays that seemed to have escaped from the boxes. AND she's already eaten wrapping paper off presents...needless to say she's in trouble...

Why not try a tree topper as well? It looks a little naked up there. I like the garland from what I could see of it, but the tinsel gets in the way of the other ornaments up there. Maybe spread your orange items out a little more, or get a few more. They add a nice pop and shouldn't be so close.

Another small suggestion is to take a deep breath, feel the love of the time, and relax. Its Christmas honey. You're with your family and that's also very important..


My hippie zen moment is over now. Good luck!

[Pinky Yarn]

I too say ditch the tinsel, it looks kind of funny and it makes a mess. (now I sound like my mother lol) Some fabric ribbon, or just a long strip of fabric you have around, might look good too, I'd put that on then put the ornaments over it (does that make sense). I'd say go to the thrift store and find some wooden kid's blocks and glue pieces of yarn to them to hang. It looks like you have a couple already. My mom gave me these blue ornaments that she didn't want. I suppose they're wrapped with something, a satiny string?, the dog chewed one and it's foam and some kind of shiny fabric, I have no idea how to explain that, I can take a picture if needed, but anyway, something like that might look good. My suggestion would be to go walk around the thrift store and see what inspires you. You could also get the plastic (shatter proof) traditional looking ornaments, in a fun color, to add some shiny/glitteryness. Take care of yourself!! It's the closeness and being around the people you love that makes Christmas Christmas, not the decorations.

[batgirl]

What about getting rid of the tinsel and adding a wide, brightly colored ribbon garland? You could also make a huge bow topper out of wide ribbon and trail the ribbon down the side, as a sort of vertical garland (I did this once and I really liked it, although it's hard to describe).