Let New Year’s Eve be the only ball dropped this holiday season.
Ashleigh Barger, who goes by @ashleighbarger_ on TikTok, revealed a Christmas ornament hack to prevent children from shattering holiday trinkets.
In a clip with over 2.2 million views, the mother of four confessed that she uses clear rubber bands to hang ornaments on her Christmas tree.
“The perfect Christmas ornament hack if you have children or animals,” Barger captioned the viral clip. “Use small rubber bands as the ‘hook’ and they won’t fall off!”
Barger demonstrates how she swapped out the small S-shaped hooks for clear bands to make sure her knickknacks wouldn’t fall off the tree due to her children or pets.
She loops the rubber band through the ornament loop, knots it and tightens. Once secure, Barger places the elastic loop on the tree branch.
Parents with young children are ecstatic over the hack, while some wish they had seen it sooner.
“Well darn, if only I didn’t already have my trees up and decorated,” sighed a parent.
“Ok, now I need to redo my tree to toddler-proof it,” admitted another.
“I did that last year and loved it, my daughter hated it,” commented a parent.
Over the years, many parents have found themselves cleaning up under the Christmas tree daily because their children and pets can’t fathom the idea of not tinkering with shiny ornaments.
Young children’s fascination with removing the ornaments and dropping them on the floor can become a safety hazard due to the shattering of, as glass or plastic scattered on the floor can shatter.
“Thank you, I was starting to worry I wouldn’t get to put my tree up with my feral 18-month-old,” laughed a mother.
“Wow, I’m definitely doing this!! Much safer than the hooks too!” admitted another.
Barger added, “So much safer. Ours always falls off the tree with my toddler and I’m afraid that my 6-month-old would find one now that she’s mobile.”
Some TikTokers also recommend using floral wires or zip ties to avoid the ball drops. Meanwhile, pet owners are worried about their felines turning into a Grinch since their holiday ornaments will no longer cosplay as toys.
“My cats are about to be livid,” confessed one person. “Perfect for the ornaments on the bottom that the cat loves to destroy.”
“As a hairstylist who has 3 cats, I will buy as many elastics as I need. I’m tired of finding bulbs 6 months later under furniture and appliances!” the hairstylist commented.
