Christmas Trees. Beautiful, Bother or Both?

For some unknown reason I don’t enjoy decorating Christmas trees. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I don’t. As a matter of fact I always said that when I was on my own I wouldn’t mess with a tree. I’d draw a tree on paper and tape it to the wall. So I did.

Oh yes I did. My first year married I didn’t put up a Christmas tree. I drew chalk pictures of trees, ornaments, stockings, and Santa and taped them to our walls. I loved those pictures and put them up every year after that first Christmas. Don’t worry, we still had a tree. My mother-in-law had a key to the apartment and put up a small tree because you just have to have a tree.

Now that I have children I put up a tree. It’s a wonderful artificial tree that has brought me much delight and despair. You see, when I decorate the tree I want it to look just right. When my kids decorate the tree they could care less, they are having fun.

So which do I choose? Beautiful tree decorated just the way I want or beautiful tree decorated the ways the kiddos want it? As hard as it to control my perfectionist tendencies I let the kiddos decorate the tree. Oh my. Let me tell you that my tree has looked quite funky over the years.

There was the year that all the decorations were in one spot and I couldn’t move them because it hurt my son’s feelings. I tried while he was asleep. He woke up looked at tree and knew what I had done. Needless to say, I put the decorations back to where he had them.

There were the years where we had hot wheels, transformers and Bionicles decorating the tree because our tree was the perfect spot for battles.

Then there have been the times when I find some of my most precious decorations broken because the kiddos can’t keep their hands off of them. That’s one of the hardest things to get over. Seeing a decoration that someone special gave me broken. I found one the other day and it was hard to not start crying. I had to remind myself that it was just a decoration. A thing.

This year is the year that the nativity scene is breaking. My daughter loves to play with them like they are Barbies not understanding that they break. It isn’t really a big deal because my nativity scene is a combination of several nativity scenes. Of course it looks odd with two baby Jesus in manger figurines in front of the stable and I’m not sure if we have a Joseph anymore or if it’s a shepherd or wise man sitting next to Mary.

What’s really important? Me having a perfect tree and nativity scene or my kiddos having fun decorating the tree and playing with the nativity scene? I choose the kiddos happiness.

Your turn. Do you enjoy decorating your tree? Do you let the kids help?