7 Ways To Toddler-Proof Your Christmas Tree

I love decorating for Christmas. When I had kids, one of the things I was most excited about was watching them experience the magic of holidays traditions. And then they got mobile and suddenly my goal was survival, not style. Still, you shouldn’t have to be a total Grinch on Christmas. Here’s seven hacks to keep your Christmas tree upright and your toddler alive.

1. Heavy box barricade

Grab some empty boxes, fill them with that set of encyclopedias from the attic no one uses and wrap to resemble gifts. Cross your fingers that the kids don’t pull the boxes down onto themselves.

2. Cleverly disguised baby gate

If you have some extra time and wrapping paper to waste, you can camouflage the baby gate to look like a bunch of 2015 calendars mysteriously balanced on end.

3. Gives no shits crib solution

Like a wise fortune cookie once told me, sometimes all you need is a change in perception. Forget about keeping the kids out, focus on keeping the tree in.

4. Stylish, yet safe

This minimalist tree would look great in any home, with or without kids.

 5. Stoop to their level

Save your precious hand-blown ornaments for next year and use construction paper and yarn to decorate the tree with shatterproof, kid friendly shapes.

 6. Baby booby trap

If you refuse to let the little monsters win and want to practice sprinting for the 2016 Olympic trials, decorate the tree at will and string it with some jingle bells. This way you’ll be alerted to any mischief and can burn off those Christmas cookies at the same time.

7. Soft and safe

For those of us who have given up on the idea of an actual tree but fancy ourselves Martha Stewart, there’s this. It’s actually just a traffic cone wrapped in felt, and the decorations can be whatever you want. If you happen to have a couple traffic cones left over from the days of your misguided youth, I suggest you give it a try. Or, you know, be an upstanding citizen and buy a cone online.