I can't do it. I just can't do it!

Have a look on the xmas tree thread. I have put up one of mine and one of DBH's. You can see the bald patch in mine.

If it were me I would just sling them on, jings.

My tree is a 6 foot bushy grape ivy plant. 2 strings of lights, job done in 5 minutes.

My tree is only 18" high, so no lights at all

A mathematician needed?! To do the lights?!!! Now that is going it!!!

Perhaps I need a rethink! I chucked out a load of bits after last Christmas so maybe need to be more ruthless........and plan and be less spontaneous next year
Need inspiration for colour schemes too!

I might have to tweak these lights just a little bit.

apricot, were you joking there weren't you? You do really put tinsel on don't you? And various ancient hanging-on bits and pieces?

I'm with apricot, I have been known to re-do the tree once everyone else has gone to bed! A little tweak here, a little tweak there and a quick removal of unwanted ornaments to the back of the tree where they won't be seen.

DBh does the lights though because he is anal a mathematician.

Oooer Apricot..... Just as well you can't see mine, quite relieved my attempts at posting a photo failed!
Although doesn't have children's input, I do have many baubles and bits from over the years so not what I'd call symmetrical or colour coordinated although I think it looks sort of balanced..........

I have a friend who used to let her children decorate the Christmas tree. What is more, she allowed tinsel and the junk they'd made at school!
I was AGHAST. I pointed out, gently, that every light and every bauble must be symmetrical, balanced, colour coordinated. The loo roll middle and cotton wool snowman made by a cack-handed 6 year old can be used elsewhere (like in the back porch) but the tree has to be real and a perfect shape and the decorating has to be done with taste, when the children are in bed.
My friend said I'm mean and she likes tinsel. We've remained friends but it's been very very difficult.

I have a flat tree. The lights are attached by poking them through. Once on that's it.

I couldn't find the right lights for my tree, goodness knows what I've done with them. It was me who put them away after last Christmas.
I had to settle for a set of plain white lights, so no twinkly tree for me this year.

My tree sits against a corner so the only part of the tree lite is the front bit you can see !! easy-peasy.
Well done daughter of jings big star to you.

The earlier post from me about getting the lights on should have read...

I have NEVER managed that before.

I get DH to put the lights on the tree, they are in a large box and he just walks round draping them as he goes. When I put the baubles on I tweak them into the best position. I bought all white lights which avoids clumps of colour.

I think a tree looks better when it is less than perfect. Our decorations all have some sentimental value and some were made by the children. None of them match and I like it that way.

Should someone come to our house expecting it to look like it is out of a magazine they will be very disappointed but it will be their problem not mine!

Lights, tasteful baubles, rubbish the kids miss if it's not there and then loads of lametta - covers a multitude of sins!

Bought new ones this year and they seemed really long so spiralled all around the tree from top too bottom .DD home for weekend when I put them up so she got them right. First time not me but I can get the gold decorative beads on the tree better than her.

I got mine on in one go this year. I just wound them on from the top down. I have managed that before.

Congratulations jings that's another job out of the way. Have a to celebrate. I have the cake half iced and then it's mince pie making. I should log off and go and find the (artificial) door wreath, it's time it was in place. Most difficult job for me seems to be delivering cards around the village. I carry them around hoping to bump into people and eventually have to do the walk around and deliver them.

I switch the lights on first then arrange them around the tree, stand back, have a look and shuffle them about a bit, that's it. However, this year, after about 10mins, 6 of them went kaput! Did a bit of reshuffling and they are at the wall side unseen. That's it for this year, I'm done!

Me too*Elegran*, especially as bought new CT and didn't realise it's 7 foot tall (ancient CT was 4' 6"......so lights wouldn't stretch around it)
DH and I nearly came to blows putting up the outside lights earlier on, so he's now out there in the rain determined to get every bulb to light up ( I don't think they were all twinkling last year), will be binned when they come down me thinks! ! It might be some time before he's finished....

Mine are not long eonough to spiral, so I zigzag them down the front and ignore the side against the wall.

Why is it that when you lay them out across the floor, they all work perfectly, but by the time they are on the tree, one is dead?

She's done it! DD's got the buggers them on beautifully!

All's well in jingl-land again.