Hi my name is Rachel and I have Christmas Tree OCD.
This is where I hear everyone say in unison,
Hi Rachel.....
Hi Rachel.....
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| No the tree is not perfect, yet. Yes this was taken today and yes I know I'm early. They say admitting ones faults if the first sign of acceptance so I will be the first one to say that........ |
YES I have Christmas Tree OCD & YES I am the only one that is allowed to decorate our Christmas tree.
There I said it, its officially in Cyber Space.
I know this makes me a terrible mother as my kids will never grow up saying that they loved the holiday tradition where we all gathered together to decorate the tree while listening to Christmas music and sipping hot cocoa. Yeah, THAT pretty much will never happen and frankly I came to grips with this fact years ago.
But I'm sorry, to me the tree has to be perfect, it's just something I can't get over. After I get the tree all decorated, I will sit and stare at it & more often then not you will find me moving things here and there.
I once let the kids help me a decorate the tree and when they went to bed and finally were asleep I rearranged the whole flipping thing
(see told you it was ocd).
If it helps any, I do have little Christmas trees in each of my kids bedrooms that they get to decorate themselves how ever they like. I am hoping one day I will let the kids help again maybe when they've grown. But until then this is how it's going to be.
Please tell me I'm not alone here? :)
Please tell me I'm not alone here? :)
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| Our tree from last year. Well I better get back to my unfinished tree. |
But first I get to go on a date with my oldest, we are going to watch Harry Potter 7!
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oH' tHANK yOu RaCHel- I am so glad I am not the only one. I started my OCD Christmas tree love about three years ago.. THEMEING It RED, GOLD, AND GREEN. With mainly Santas the more victorian the better. I don't let me kids help, I may let them put one on exactly where I show them, but I still fix it.. OOOPS! I do have another tree I told them we would put up in my daughters room (to shine through the front window) that they can decorate with their ornaments they get each year. I still have that to do. The tree and the rest of the decor is all up. WA-HOO. Love LOVE your tree, sorry for the novel. Happy Thanksgiving too. Jen
ReplyDeleteYou are singing to the choir on this one, my blog friend! DUh, my kids don't decorate my tree either!
ReplyDeleteYou are sooo not alone on this one! When I read your post, it was like you had read my thoughts, word for word! My oldest is 14, plus I have twins that just turned 3 last month. From day #1, I have secretly always rearranged their decorations - thankfully, they have never noticed :) This year, I bought them each small table top trees, (for their rooms,) to decorate to their liking; (those were rearranged when they weren't looking, too!) I have gone so far as to set up 2 Christmas trees, one "grown up" tree for downstairs, and the second, a "kid friendly" tree on the upper floor of our home. I LOVE choosing a different theme each year.. Needless to say, they both look perfect now, to me, at least! ;)
ReplyDeleteI love decorating the Christmas trees! It is the one holiday project each year where I can choose to go all out, being as busy, fussy, and over-done as I like without the fear of not gaining approval from any one else. I wish I could be that brave and confident with all of my projects!
Hooray for you! And just know...you are not alone!
PS: Love your blog!
Just stumbled onto your blog and yes there are many of us [ocd tree dressers]. From day one I have always decorated our Christmas tree. My kids, all four of them, have never shown the slightest interest in this project, which makes [me very happy] life easier! I also have two trees, and theme them to what ever takes my fancy at the time. Good for you....keep up the good work....Love your tree.
ReplyDeleteJulie from England x
Glad to see I am not the only one. Seems to be more than I thought. I am constantly looking and changing things until it is perfect. I am in your corner.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone!! I was feeling guilty too!!! Join the club :)
ReplyDeleteYou are definately not alone! I have two young boys, and I let them hang ONE ornament before they go to bed, and then as soon as they are asleep I move it. I always feel so guilty. But the tree looks great! :-)
ReplyDeleteI am so OCD that I started redecorating the tree when I was 17 and my family went to bed. My mom wandered down and caught me and I still get a hard time about it whenever anyone in my family puts up their tree, they say "remember that time when..." Well, now I have just learned to embrace the fact that I am. But nothing is as magical to me as a lit, well decorated christmas tree. Let the holidays begin!
ReplyDeleteOh girl you are not alone, I do let them help, but I pretty much undone everything they do, and I freak out and wont let them touch the nice ornaments....
ReplyDeleteoh, you are not the only one! I started decorating the tree when I was about 8 years old. Each year you could tell how much I'd grown by how high up on the tree the ornaments went. Occasionally I'd allow my mother to put a few up near the top.
ReplyDeleteThat lovely little Christmas carols, hot cocoa thing, yea. Tried that once. I redecorated the tree. And you know what, my kids hated decorating the tree. They kept saying, "Mom, you just do it, okay?" and "Can't we go watch TV now?"
My kids had little trees in their rooms when they were small, too. They didn't want to decorate those, either.
In fact, my daughter has now been married for 8 years, and they have never, ever had a Christmas tree at all.
We lived in Japan for several years, and I had some nice ladies I was friends with. At Christmas one year they brought in fancy cameras to take pictures. They said is was the "Number 1 best tree". They must have taken 100 pictures from every angle conceivable!
My Name is Staci, and I suffer from Christmas Tree OCD.
As much as I would LOVE to have one of those magazine perfect trees, I just can't do it. I let my kids completely decorate our tree with only one simple rule - the glass ornaments go on top, plastic on bottom (because of little ones and kitty cats). I'll spend my OCD time reorganizing their closets.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved your trees!!!
ReplyDeleteoh Rachel thank you thank you I feel the same way!! my husband and son make fun of me for this.. but I can't stand it I have to do it all by myself.. so Hello my name is Julie and I have Christmas tree ocd also:)
ReplyDeleteHave a great day
I'm with you on this one. Once my husband and I are done with school, we are going to start buying two trees each year...one for the kids and one for my sick obsession.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. Don't touch MY tree!
ReplyDeleteMy mom used to put ours up when we were at school and pretend it was supposed to be a surprise. Yeah, whatever. Now I get it. Guess who's carrying on THAT tradition?
;) Enjoy your tree.
YOu are by far not alone on this one. You should put up a mcklinky thing so we can all share our trees with each other.
ReplyDeleteMe for one has switched themes every year until this year and finally found my THING for my I mean OUR tree..I also have a photo frame mini tree in the entry way
Oh, thank goodness! I thought I was alone in this. I finally got my kids their own one:)
ReplyDeleteLOL Rachel!!!! You are not alone. To tell you the truth I thought I was the only one. I have to put the tree together and the lights on by myself too. I usually put the ornaments on when my son is at school. I tell him I wanted to suprise him...works every time. Happy Holidays, Leanne
ReplyDeleteI'm in the minority here. I've collected Hallmark ornaments for years. The kids each put on their own special ornaments and we take turns after that picking out ornaments to put on. I admit once in awhile I may move an ornament but not too often. My best holiday memories are often associated with decorating the tree!
ReplyDeleteOh no - you are not alone! I finally have my own tree which is called "mommy's tree" - not the nice tree, the fancy tree, but MINE!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to break my habit of always decorating the tree myself. (Brit wouldn't even help last year when I asked her - she said I didn't mean it.) I have a craft I'm going to do with the wee ones and let them hang those items on the tree. (I will probably rearrange after they are in bed but we are taking baby steps to recovery here.)
ReplyDeleteI do the exact same thing - kids are not "allowed" to touch the tree - they do get to decorate the ones in their rooms though - see, that makes it all OK :)
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone with the Christmas tree ocd. When I had a store, I had something like SIXTY trees :/ I didn't sleep for a month and my customers could tell I was BATTY! ;) lol. Hope you enjoyed your Harry Potter date (we did the same thing! Dinner and a movie. I drank beer and said it was butterbeer and the waitress looked at me crosseyed!) Yay for this time of year and obsessions!
ReplyDeleteOh I am soooo there with you girl!!! There's the kids school stuff/ornament tree downstairs and the "don't you dare touch or I'll have to freak" mom's tree upstairs! lol.... Your tree is gorgeous! My kids too, have a tree of their own....hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thanks for the laugh :)
ReplyDeleteIjust did my tree and let the kids help but rearranged now that they have gone to bed. I have the same OCD but its not just the tree it the whole house when it comes to christmas! Merry Merry! and you are not alone.
ReplyDeleteI have OCD'ed a tree since I was about 12....and for 5 years, I re-hung all the ornaments after the grandsons decorated it and went home! I have to have a pretty, matching tree or I get a facial twitch and mumble. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou are totally not alone. Thanks for admitting it publicly..it makes me feel better!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think I know that feeling. I have some similar compulsions around my Christmas trees and the decorations. Not that they have to be perfect, but I just want them the way that I want them. Yours is going to look splendid!
ReplyDeleteOh Rachel Rachel Rachel.... all those Holiday OCDers out there...I always let my kids decorate the tree...Its a family tradition...and then my tradition after they all go to bed....yep rearange the tree...I have it too. I think my kids like to wake up the next day and try to find where I rearanged all their ornaments to. Last year my 16 year old son caught on to me and every day till Christmas he rearanged a few ornaments just to make me crazy. I knew it was him because his picture ornament was always top and centered by the star when he was finished...the little stink!
ReplyDelete