I absolutely adore Christmas. The joyful jingling of carol bells, cherished recipes, and the classic Michael Bublé Christmas album fill my heart with cheer. I love it so much that I pestered my partner to set up the tree earlier this year because I was just itching to dive into the holiday spirit. I envisioned warm smiles, harmony among family, and wide-eyed wonder. I imagined that perfect “Christmas magic.”
So, here’s my advice: putting up the Christmas tree early? Absolutely do it! Why? Because it’s nothing like the fairy tale you picture. The reality is a chaotic showdown among you, your grumpy kids, and a husband who is decidedly not helping.
Prepare yourself to handle 93% of the work while your little ones throw tantrums and your partner finds ways to sidestep the madness. By the end of December, you’ll need a good chunk of time to restore that Christmas spirit that gets drained during the tree-decorating ordeal.
The Reality of Tree Decorating
First off, when you pick the kids up from school and announce it’s time to deck the halls, expect blank stares and a chorus of “But I wanted to watch a movie!” Fast forward to 13 more mentions of that movie throughout the evening, culminating in you threatening to fling the DVD out the window. Seriously, it’s about holiday magic right now!
Your first beer will be cracked open around 4:45 p.m. And let’s be real: your 3-year-old won’t give a hoot about the tree. Initially, they’ll pretend to be excited, only to spend most of the time rearranging your neatly organized boxes of ornaments and breaking your stuff. Your 9-year-old? Consistently unimpressed, of course. The kids will argue over who gets which decorations and where they go, while you develop an eye twitch watching them hang ornaments haphazardly, leaving your tree looking like a scene from a post-apocalyptic holiday movie.
At this point, you’ll be reaching for your second beer. Your partner, bless their heart, has volunteered to cook dinner. But don’t be fooled; they’ve managed to stretch a simple chicken fry into a three-hour expedition to avoid the chaos. They know what’s coming, which is why they bought you that beer.
The Soundtrack of Chaos
As your children belt out off-key carols with the wrong lyrics, it’ll make you want to crawl out of your skin. You’ll spend what feels like forever untangling lights—only for them to be re-tangled by your 9-year-old, who simply can’t follow instructions. Meanwhile, Michael Bublé continues to serenade in the background.
Watch your preschooler as they attempt to “play bowling” with baubles, leading to a handful of decorative casualties. The only time you interact with your partner is when you’re asking them to superglue the broken pieces back together. Your most frequently uttered phrase will undoubtedly be, “Don’t touch that!”
Nostalgia and Reflection
At various points, nostalgia will hit, and you’ll recall how fun decorating the tree was when you were a kid. You’ll wonder why your experience can’t be as delightful. Instead, it feels more like an all-out brawl.
After sending the kids to bed early—because, let’s face it, enough is enough—you’ll find yourself on your third beer, staring at your chaotic tree. It dawns on you that decorating the tree has always been a bit of a mess. You’ll remember last year when your partner mysteriously vanished during the festivities. Or the time before that when your toddler got sick and turned the tree into a vomit zone. Even your childhood memories recall how you used to hide your sibling’s favorite ornaments just for kicks.
The tree has never been magical, yet all that chaos somehow fades into the background. The next morning, after calling your parents to apologize for your past Christmas antics, you’ll wake up to see the tree, now adorned with the kids’ reorganized decorations, sparkling in all its glory. Your children will be beaming at the twinkling lights, their eyes filled with wonder. And just like that, you’ll forget why you were so upset the night before. That, my friends, is the true magic of Christmas.
Further Reading
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Summary
Putting up the Christmas tree can be a chaotic and frustrating experience, filled with tantrums and mishaps. Yet, amid the chaos, the real magic of Christmas shines through when you see the joy on your children’s faces the next morning, reminding us that the memories made are what truly matter.