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Christmas

Christmas is tomorrow, you have this afternoon to get ready...

88 replies

Acunningruse · 06/11/2018 10:21

What 5 things can you not have Christmas without?

For me, I'd be spending the afternoon:

  • decorating the tree
  • wrapping kids presents
  • chilling champagne for Buck's Fizz breakfast
  • buying crackers and getting some games out
  • getting the roast dinner trimmings sorted such as pigs in blankets and making proper gravy.


Not sure I could do all that in an afternoon actually!

What is essential for your Christmas?
OP posts:
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UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername · 06/11/2018 10:26

Decorating the tree, definitely.
Prepping the overly-elaborate roast dinner.
Cleaning the house. It's not christmas is every inch of the house isn't sparking!

Everything else is negotiable, to be honest.

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Snipples · 06/11/2018 10:28
  1. Decorating the tree
  2. Turkey Dinner with champers
  3. Christmas movie
  4. Christmas candles/ cinnamon smell
  5. Christmas music


Not arsed about presents 🎄
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SugarMiceInTheRain · 06/11/2018 10:31

Tree
Some semblance of a Christmas dinner, but with only an afternoon, it'd be a pared-down meal, plus of course a pepperoni pizza for DS1 who hates every element of a roast dinner
Wrap as many presents as possible, including throwing some stuff together for stockings - last minute trip to Poundland or Wilkos would probably be in order!
Crackers
Home made mince pies - for DH and me - for the chocoholic children I filled some pastry cases with nutella, which they thought was amazing!

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AlexanderHamilton · 06/11/2018 10:35

I'd have to take the afternoon off work.

Wrap the present we have already bought for ds
Buy dd something and wrap it
Go to Lidl and get ingredients for a roast dinner
Go to Home Bargains to get stocking stuff and other bits
Put the tree up (and hope the lights work)

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BiddyPop · 06/11/2018 10:42

Starting now?

  • Grab decorations boxes (and Christmas Eve pjs - placed there this weekend for safe keeping) from storage unit - but limited to 1 tree and its decorations, Christmas crockery, and Dec 1st/stocking crates (leaving tree 2 and its decorations, garlands, miscellaneous snow scene and another miscellaneous behind)
  • Think about whether I need logs for the stove (supplier is between storage unit and supermarket)
  • Do food shop to get turkey dinner
  • (and mince pies as I'm not making them at this last minute)
  • (grab crackers if there are some in supermarket - otherwise forget them)
  • Buy present for DH (DD is pretty much sorted)
  • Turning on Christmas music when I walk in the door to get me moving, then empty food from car and put away
  • Cleaning kitchen, dining room (especially table), and bathrooms, dust sitting room, hoover house, change beds (latter only if I think I have the extra 15 minutes to spare)
  • Empty all bins
  • Clean out stove and light the fire
  • Bring in decorations, put up tree and hang wreath on front door
  • Peel veg and make stuffing, put white wine in fridge from wine rack
  • Wrap presents (which might involve frantically finishing off a couple of things)
  • Put out Christmas Eve candle


Not the way I'd want to, and definitely would mean scaling back a few things, but if I had to, I could do it.

Especially if DH and DD were not in my way while I did it.....Xmas Grin
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DowntonCrabby · 06/11/2018 10:43

Tree & house decorated.

A bottle glass of baileys to drink while wrapping the few presents I’ve bought already.

Frank Sinatra and Buble crooning to me.

A quick shopping trip but would only prioritise fizz, cheese and biscuits, smoked salmon, bagels, a good box of chocs and something gorgeous for dinner but no one would mind if it wasn’t Turkey & trimmings.

We catch up with friends for an early panto on Christmas Eve so we’d see them too or have a winter walk and pretend there’s snow.

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BiddyPop · 06/11/2018 10:45

Sorry - I just realized you said 5 things:

Shopping for dinner and DH present
Clean house
Decorate house (including festive smells (aromatherapy oils in a burner) and sounds)
Prep meal
Wrap presents

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Ragwort · 06/11/2018 10:48

Apart from the tree and the meal I don't think I would rush to do anything in particular, we've agreed no presents, certainly wouldn't spend time cleaning and we always have wine/Prosecco ready Blush.

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ScreamingValenta · 06/11/2018 10:52

Shop for food
Shop for presents and wrapping
Prep food
Make up spare bed

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ineedtostopbeingsolazy · 06/11/2018 11:08

Forget it there would be no Christmas

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rupertina · 06/11/2018 11:12
  1. Tree up.
  2. Christmas music playing/Christmas film.
  3. Stuffed chicken and sides in oven (all pre-prepped from Tesco).
  4. Silly gifts to open.
  5. Plenty booze and chocs.
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Iamblossom · 06/11/2018 11:38

I actually don't think I would do the tree under these circs. It would take too long.

I would:

  1. Light loads of candles and put some fairy lights and some other window sill and mantel piece dex up.
  2. Fly to Wilkies and Primark and Charity Shops and get loads of gubins for the boys' stockings
  3. Food shop - something scrummy for lunch but meh to turkey, eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast, some nice cheese and crackers, and wine, crackers for the table
  4. arrange to meet local friends in the pub at midday on Christmas day
  5. I actually don't think I need a 5!
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Willow2017 · 06/11/2018 12:02

1)Would take me the rest of the day to do the damm tree! (but I am working later so thats out the question)

2) Wrap the 3 presents I have bought so far.

3) Tomorrows dinner would be something out the freezer Grin

4)Have just cleaned the house so thats done.

5) Give up and hit the Ameretto Grin

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Willow2017 · 06/11/2018 12:02

Amaretto ffs!

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Asj0405 · 06/11/2018 12:41

1.Put the tree up

2.Phone my dad advise him that the elves have lost the bleeding plot and decided Christmas is tomorrow so could he please please please deliver the Christmas eve box from the elves tonight!

3.Do the food shop (luckily presents, stocking fillers, crackers, chocs and alcohol already bought, phew).

4.Phone husband and demand he comes home tonight (as the elves have lost the plot) and it is now Christmas tomorrow.

5.Spend the nite wrapping presents/prepping food whilst watching a Christmas film and sipping lots of wine.

There all ready! [santa][santa] Knew there was a reason I bought everything early Grin

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InACloudOfGlitter · 06/11/2018 12:49

Tree up
Dinner prepped
Presents wrapped
A big glass of baileys ready.

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Curious2468 · 06/11/2018 13:14

Tree
Sausages in bacon
Fire
Presents
Comfy pjs

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runwithme · 06/11/2018 13:41

Argh!
Ok, chuck presents at DH to wrap
Get dinner- lamb, potatoes, pigs in blanket and Yorkshire puddings and al the veg and gravy
Tidy the house. ILs are coming.
Tree up- put the D.C. in charge of this one.
Lay the table so it's all festive

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willothewisp17 · 06/11/2018 14:02
  1. tree and decorations up!
  2. buy food for a roast dinnner (chicken and

all the trimmings)
  1. put all the presents under the tree (got loads bought and wrapped already)
  2. open the advents calendars and go mad!
  3. I don't think I need a five!
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stayathomegardener · 06/11/2018 14:21

I quite like this concept.

So I would give myself an hour to cut a tree and bring in the holly and mistletoe, DD can then be delegated to decorate everything to her hearts content without interference. She'd love that.

Supermarket for a roast dinner, hopefully crackers, champagne and ready rolled pastry for that forgotten jar of last years mincemeat.

Home, suspect I should hoover... get Christmas music on, logs in/light the fire, champagne in the freezer, make mince pies, lay the table with Christmas china and complement DD on her fabulous decorating skills.

Thinking on my feet, grab a bale of sawdust from the barn, tip the chicken food out of a cleanish dust bin and create a lucky dip of presents wrapped in various supermarket bags, Tesco for DH, M and S for mum etc. Lastly created DD's stocking with the contents of her unopened advent calendar.

Turkey scraps for the dogs later on and I wouldn't feel anyone has missed out on much.

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WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 06/11/2018 17:29
  1. Get DH to get the Christmas decorations out of the loft while I did a massive click and collect order for Christmas presents

2 Send DH our to do the food shopping and collect the presents while I decorated
3 open fizz and heat through some mince pies
4 wrap presents while DH prepped veg etc.
5 Set table

Doable at a push as long as DH had 5 things he could do too!
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NoWordForFluffy · 06/11/2018 18:31

After breaking the news to DH that we'd somehow skipped his birthday (23rd Dec!) it would be:

Trees up (DC can do theirs while I'm doing the lounge one!);
Buy food;
Do some baking (I already have most ingredients);
Wrap presents (I've done enough for everyone to be happy!); and
Get the booze in to chill!

I'm sure it'd work out just fine. Xmas Grin

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bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 06/11/2018 19:08

Nooooo Christmas isn't one day it's a good few weeks of advent fun and activities. I would hide all the calendars and tell dds it was at least a week away, then hide out doing Christmas stuff! During this week I would sneak around and get all other things sorted!

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planechocolate · 06/11/2018 19:18

In consultation with dc (19) we have:

Christmas tree
A roast dinner - doesn't matter what
Family
Christmas music
Candles
(Still have a xmas pud in the cupboard left over from last year so will sneak that in as well, or is that cheating?)

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MinecraftHolmes · 06/11/2018 19:38
  1. Buying all the presents
  2. Putting up the tree
  3. Do some baking
  4. Food shop
  5. Wrapping all the presents while watching Die Hard.


The house isn't in too bad a state just now so I wouldn't be too panicked by the thought of the state of the bathrooms Wink
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