Planning ahead for Christmas.

Well I'm already sweating the right thing to do at Christmas. With the kids not putting up a tree is pretty much unthinkable, I would be kicked out of the Mommy union! I am concerned about how to do it safely. I already plan on keeping my breakable ornaments off the tree, and we'll be buying artificial this year due to an allergy problem. I know to keep the lights unplugged unless I'm in the room but can anyone add anything else? Simon is going to be 7 months at Christmas and our soon-to-be kitty will be 4 months.

Do NOT put up tinsel and tinsel garland. When I still had a tree, I switched to beads (the kind that looked like cranberry) - tinsel is just too glittery and they will chew it all the time. Thought of using popcorn but mine like to eat it. I've also removed all straw and wood ornaments - for some reason they loved to pull these off and chew them. Ribbon over natural materials works also - less enticing for them.

I no longer have a tree. Stopped putting one up the year they climbed it and knocked it on the floor. I now just decorate the walls and hang ornaments from cabinet knobs and light fixtures.

I do buy a live, rooted tree each year, leave it outside and hang dried fruit on it for the outdoor critters. After Christmas, we plant it in the yard.

Max has never bothered with the tree. He just loves to sleep under it for some reason. He has never tried to climb up it. I put a tree up every year. I too use only wood beads that look like cranberry.

I love a tree to look like it came out of the past, kind of home spun (I call it anyway). I bake gingerbread cookies and tie red ribbon through them and use them as ornaments. When the lights on the tree heat up the cookies - the smell is incredible. People actually take the cookies from the tree and eat them, but I have no problems with Max. LOL

We get a live tree every few years and put it in a huge, heavy pot that is virtually untippable, and replace it when it gets too big. I cover the soil with silver foil to prevent digging. We forewent lights for JC's first two Christmases, because I was afraid he'd strangle himself on the wires, but use them now that he's a bit sedater. The only ornaments we use are made out of wood (he doesn't chew them) and fastened with ribbon that is securely knotted. We actually only put up a tree because he enjoys it so much - a real live tree hung with cat toys in the living room! I spend the better part of the week looking for the ornaments - he shoves them under the furniture and throw rugs, takes them out on the balcony, pushes them through the banisters, etc.. Our tree probably gets "trimmed" about 20 times between Christmas Eve and January 2. A friend does just about the same, but he gets a cut tree and anchors it to several spots on the ceiling with fishing line. That would probably be a good idea with an artificial tree, too.

We've got all kinds of ornaments. It's a family tradition thing and we all recieve at least one ornament every year. Most are homemade, but there are the odd store bought one that catches someones eye. I don't use the tinsel because it's just a pain with the kids. I expect the bottom 3 feet of the tree are going to be "nekkid" this year because of the twins.

Patches doesen't bother the tree,she likes to sleep
underneath it