Dreaming of a tree-mendous Christmas: how to set up your spruce

With Kathryn Thomas saying her dogs and child are constantly pulling decorations off the tree, here's Esther N McCarthy's guide to troubleshooting your tree this Christmas

Childproofing your tree could make your Christmas less stressful.

Home Alone has a lot to answer for. There we were, in 1990, agog at the concept of pizza delivered to the door and guards calling to check if you were safe for ‘the holidays’. The McCallister’s had a massive house with stairs wide enough to sledge down, poinsettias everywhere, a wreath for the palatial front door and a real fir tree with twinkling lights and sophisticated ornaments. 

I remember glancing from the (tiny) telly to our wonky, ancient, sad-looking tree, strewn with scrawny tinsel and the same 10 red baubles we’d had since before I was born, and realisubg the true meaning of Christmas. Not family or any of that crap. A massive movie tree.