A woman who cut down her tree on Christmas Day has hit back at trolls who compared her to 'the Grinch' and called her a 'bad mother' for doing it.
Georgia Schofield, 25, from Hartlepool, packs up her artificial fir every year at 5pm on the big day to make room for her daughter Ava's birthday decorations on Boxing Day.
The mother-of-two made headlines last year for the decision and has now attracted attention again after going viral on TikTok with her @bruh.georgia account, where her video of herself doing just that has racked up over a million views and has 50,000 likes. and more than 800 comments.
Georgia says she is not swayed by the opinions of others and emphasizes that their negativity does not affect her annual ritual.
Georgia Schofield, from Hartlepool, Christmas Day, has hit back at trolls who compared her to the Grinch and called her a 'bad mother' for taking down her decorations on the one day they were supposed to be up
She said: 'I take down the tree and other decorations and replace them with Ava's birthday stuff, of course I do that when the kids are in bed.
'I have been doing this for four years, this year will be the fifth.
'It's a lot easier for me if it's kept simple so that it's easy to store. Because I'm a single parent, I do it all by myself.'
Georgia, who is not only mother to four-year-old Ava but also has a three-year-old son named Leo, says she is quickly enjoying the festive season even if the decorations are quickly taken down.
She said: 'I absolutely love it because I see the excitement of the children opening their presents and they enjoy helping to decorate the tree.
'I enjoy the Christmas period, even though it is very stressful.'
She added: 'My family and friends understand why I do it, but when I went online for it I got mixed opinions, which is to be expected.'
She opened up about the criticism she faced: “I've been told I'm being hateful because it's not fair to my youngest for cutting down the tree.
“But just like his big sister, he doesn't know any different as it's been done all his life. I don't really let negativity get me down.
“You can't please everyone, but the way I see it, it's my life and I'll do what I want to do whether people like it or not.”
Georgia packs up her fir tree every year on the big day at 5pm to make room for her daughter Ava's birthday decorations on Boxing Day
Georgia is not only mother to four-year-old Ava (right), but also has a three-year-old son named Leo (left)
The mother-of-two made headlines last year after going viral on TikTok with a video of herself pulling down the tree on Christmas night
Georgia decorates the room, ready for her daughter Ava's birthday decorations the next morning
Ava beamed at her Paw Patrol birthday party last year alongside her fourth birthday cake
The mother said her children don't mind the tree being removed so early because it's all they've ever known
Although Ava never asked to have the tree cut down, the mother says she wants her daughter to have all the attention on her special day.
In 2021, Georgia filmed herself replacing all the decorations with balloons for her daughter's birthday
Georgia has received numerous insults on social media for her controversial choice, with trolls calling her 'hateful' for making way for her daughter's birthday
Social media users commented on their displeasure under Georgia's video, with many criticizing the mother for her actions
Social media users expressed their dismay, saying they felt her daughter's birthday does not mean the house should be empty on December 25.
One user added, “I don't understand why that means the tree has to fall lmao.” [sic]
Mandy said: 'Even though I was boxing [day] I would still like to have the tree.' [sic]
Another user wrote: 'Why not just turn it into a birthday tree?'
Someone else added: 'You are a better woman than me. All I can do at 5pm is take a nap.”
Another user added: 'My birthday is the 27th and I would cry if my mum took away all the Christmas stuff.'
Speaking to The Mirror last year, Georgia said: 'It's my daughter's birthday on Boxing Day and if it were me I'd hate to see the tree up. So I try to make it as normal as possible for her special day.
'There is a buffet at 4 p.m. and the children are both in bed by 5.30 p.m. Then I'll pack up the entire Christmas and replace it with Ava's birthday decorations.”