Anyone else hate this final pre-Xmas week? Humbug alert!

[ampere]

I know I am bah humbug but I get this way every year! Especially this one where I feel a bit under pressure because 2 bouts of snow (southern Hampshire) have scuppered my shopping plans and this year, just about everything I do to get to feel a bit more in the mood has been kyboshed by either the weather or illness. Everything! 2 carol services, my work Xmas do, a trip with friends to Derbyshire, an evening drinks do I was hosting.

Now the DSs, 9 and 11, are constantly sniping at each other and I have a week of not really being able to do much with them. DS1 hasn't made much effort towards getting local friends sorted so no reciprocal play dates, neither would skate (an expensive mistake I fear!), town will be horribly crowded, and we failed to be successful in getting tickets for the panto by the skin of our teeth. Can't wrap any presents cos the ones that had to go i sorted and posted a couple of weeks ago, and there are a lot of vouchers flying amongst my family this year.

We will go to the kids Xmas tree service on Xmas Eve, near my mother's BUT mother's retort when I suggested that she might like to make the Xmas Eve meal we'll then have at hers a bit festive was 'Why bother? We'll have enough rich food to eat on Xmas Day, I'll do sausage and mash'. Thanks, mum. Oh, and that'll be Xmas Day at my place where I'll be doing all the catering, wouldn't it? THEN she has the temerity to sigh 'Oh, I'll be glad when all the fuss of Xmas is over' when she hasn't done a bloody THING! I even bought all the presents from her (and my brother) to my sons! Hasn't lifted a finger.

I have rescheduled my drinks thing but can I get anyone to commit? Everyone does that New Years Eve thing, sort of committing but not completely in case something better comes along! They were all well up for it last week, but THIS magic pre-Xmas week seems to be an issue.

Or maybe they don't like me?!


OK, I'll shut up now but I do feel that if I didn't bother, Dec 25th would be like Nov 25th or January 25th, ie same as any other day.

Bah, humbug etc!

[Bearcat]

Oh I just love christmas even though my boys are 19 and 23 now.
Always have loved it.
I will be working right up to christmas eve lunch time though, but have Thursday afternoon off to pick up my food I've ordered from M&S.
There will be 7 of us for christmas day, our friends and their daughter and I am also hosting NYE for 6 of us. Boys will be out and about I expect.
Talking about getting people to commit to parties, well that is a major bugbear of mine. We usually have a party every other year if we're not hosting christmas and get lots of lovely food in from Waitrose, but one really would like to know numbers when you're forking out so much money.
Some people are just so rude and I end up having to phone them to see if they are coming (maybe they're waiting on a better offer!). It drives me bloody mad!
Starting to think that they are the people I will not be inviting next year.

[mogs0]

I have the same problem with the pre-christmas drinks party. I usually invite about 10 - 12 friends and this year 3 just didn't turn up. 1 sent a message on FB the next day to say she'd forgotten and 1 text to say she'd also forgotten. The 3rd hasn't mentioned it all eventhough I've seen her a few times since. Another friend said she was going to come then got a better offer - this alone doesn't bother me as I'd rather she didn't come if she'd rather be somewhere else. It was the fact that she lied to me about making other plans that annoyed me.

I'm feeling really stressed about the whole thing even though I still have a few days to sort myself out.

Ds is really hyper at the moment and I can see the next week is going to be really hard unless he calms down a bit.

[taffetazatyousantaclaus]

I got food in and have been prepping for ages for a party this afternoon for 30 people. Not one came - all snowed in. So I invited a few friends that could walk and we all had a jolly time, albeit not what was planned.

Will resched party for Jan, when it really is depressing.