Holiday firsts. You gotta love ’em. They’re quite possibly the most memorable moments during the festive season. Whether you’re hosting loved ones for dinner, snapping your first family photo with Santa or doing some Christmas baking, the holidays are all about making those meaningful fam jam memories together. While we’ve celebrated Christmas with Little L once before, this year he’s actively participating in all the festivities as a toddler. I love watching his face light up as we start new family traditions. My favourite, so far, has been decorating our Christmas tree together for the very first time. I definitely learned a few things along the way so I thought I’d share some tips below…
Before I get into the decorating tips, let me say one thing: holiday firsts can be expensive. That’s because there are a lot of unknown costs that sneak up when you’re planning something for the first time. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve hosted a holiday party and underestimated the cost of food/drinks/decor. But I really hope the thought of unforeseen costs doesn’t scare you away from experiencing these special moments — because there IS a way to maximize value and do it all within budget. Shopping when items are on sale and banking up (or using) reward points are two ways we do it in our household. This year we stepped up our points game by using the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard to collect 3x the PC Optimum points on every dollar at all Loblaw family stores…
Yup, we headed over to Real Canadian Superstore to purchase our PC holiday essentials and collected all the PC Optimum points using our PC Financial World Elite Mastercard (which has no annual fees btw). It’s crazy how quickly the points rack up when you’re Christmas shopping! I think I’ve already earned enough to host a few holiday dinners. I digress, but I just had to share this amaze way to increase value during a financially stressful time. Here are the decorating tips I promised…
9 Tips For Decorating A Christmas Tree With A Toddler
1. Opt For A Fake Tree — I know, I know. Many of you love the real tree smell and feel. But your toddler will want to play with the water it sits in AND will probably attempt to eat all the needles that fall off. So do yourself a favour and go fake. You won’t regret it.
2. Get A Tree That Is Pre-Strung With Christmas Lights — Not only will this save you from detangling efforts next year, but it’s much harder for toddlers to pull cords in pre-lit trees.
3. Place Soft, Non-breakable Ornaments On The Lower Half Of The Tree — No matter what you say/do, they’re going to touch the tree. So to prevent any cuts or accidents, try buying soft/shatterproof ornaments and hanging them on the bottom of your tree. We told Little L he’s allowed to touch one and he’s stuck to the rule so far!
Little L is in love with his Life At Home narwhal ornament.
4. Scrap The Tinsel — It’s sparkly, it’s tempting, it’s also a common choking hazard during the holidays so maybe do without it on your new, toddler-friendly tree.
5. Let Them Choose Where The Ornaments G0 — Toddlers are really great at pointing so enlist their help and make them feel like they’re part of the tradition. If it’s not really your style by the end of it, just move the ornaments around when they go to bed. They won’t notice.
6. Use Ribbon To Hang Ornaments — Many of the Life At Home ornaments we snagged at Real Canadian Superstore already had ribbon attached which is amaze because you don’t have to worry about toddlers swallowing metal hooks. Alternatively, you can always buy some ribbon and string it through any ornament.
7. Build A Gift Fence — While I haven’t had to resort to this, some of my friends buy large boxes, fill them with heavy objects (books/old toys etc) and wrap them up to create a barrier around the tree. Apparently it works so give it a go if your toddler is extra curious about the tree.
8. Secure Your Christmas Tree So It Doesn’t Topple — Little L hasn’t tried this (yet), but I know many toddlers attempt to climb/pull the tree so do yourself a favour and secure it. Metal wire and a ceiling hook will do the trick to protect the curious little people…
9. Get Them Their Own Mini Tree — Small Christmas trees are inexpensive and are a great way to distract toddlers from the main family tree. Just give them a few soft/cloth decorations and they’re set! We keep ours in the living room so we can supervise Little L when he’s around it in case he decides to eat the tree (all things are possible with a toddler). Thankfully, he currently only says hi and bye to it…
Hope you found these tips helpful! Would love to hear yours as I navigate through this crazy journey of parenthood.
A huge thanks to PC Financial World Elite Mastercard for sponsoring this post so I can share my tips on how to toddler-proof your Christmas tree! I’ll certainly be using our credit card throughout the holidays to earn like a pro!
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