Fern Michonski / Fern’s Music
Pre-School Music Education Expert: The Children’s Advocate for Love and Kindness, Inspiring Creativity and Joy.
November 28, 2012—Christmas Trees, Kids and Pets! 
Tis the season, if you celebrate Christmas, to bring in the tree and start decorating for the holiday! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I have boxes of favorite ornaments I have gathered since my childhood. The problem is, anybody who has children and pets knows that putting up the Christmas tree can pose many hazards, some humorous and others hazardous. Through trial and error I have come up with some great ideas that allow us to mix Christmas Trees, Kids and Pets together with peace and happiness. Here they are:
- Tie your Christmas tree to the wall! Yes, I mean it. I tuck my tree into a corner of the room and then attach a string around the tree and either up to a curtain rod or maybe a small eye hook you have put into the wall in a subtle spot. When your cat, dog or child comes running into the room, sliding on a carpet straight towards the tree, you won’t have to worry about the tree crashing down, showering their heads with glass ornaments!
- Do not put tinsel on your tree! It’s pretty and attractive but both kids and pets sometimes try to eat it. That can be deadly. I just use garland. It’s just as attractive and doesn’t pose the same danger as tinsel.
- Make soft ornaments for the bottom half of your tree! When my children were little, I didn’t want to constantly tell them not to touch the Christmas tree. It is beautiful and only natural for them to want to touch it. Therefore I purchased some pretty Christmas fabric, cut it out into shapes of candy canes, bells and circles, stitched the two sides together, stuffed them and hung them on the tree. You can also make paper ornaments and the children can help design them! Inquisitive children with little fingers and kitties batting at the ornaments will no longer pose a problem. Even when the dog pulls an ornament off the tree and happily trots through the house with it, it will be okay.
- Include your children in decorating the tree. While I was placing the glass ornaments up high on the tree, I would divide the bag of fabric and paper ornaments between my children and let them decorate the bottom half of the tree within their reach. They loved helping and when we were finished, all of us were proud of our work.
- Take turns! When I was a child, my brother and I would argue about what color lights we should have on the tree. I wanted the red light in the star while my brother wanted the blue light. My Mom always kept a little note in the star, reminding her which color it had been the previous year so we could take turns from year to year. That kept everyone happy.
- Share the task of choosing and caring for the tree! Once you have picked out the best and finest tree for your home, include your children in taking care of it. Show them how to water it daily—but be sure to do it with them. Water your tree with warm water to keep it drinking and cut a little more off the bottom of the tree just before you put it in your tree stand. That will ensure a longer life for the tree and its’ needles.
Yes–children, pets and Christmas trees can definitely create some issues during the holidays. However, if you try some of these suggestions you, your tree and your family will all have a happy, Merry Christmas together!