To ask your best tips to make Christmas easy and stres free?

Ha ha! Same!

Don't start traditions that take a load of effort.
Elf on the shelf... nope, reindeer and santa footprints in the snow... nooooooo...
Don't have all the presents from santa. We do a little stocking... he's not getting the credit for all the good stuff.
Our daughters are grown now... but they still get their selection box - as when reminiscing, it is one of the biggest smile presents... well, the "yes, of course you can have chocolate for breakfast - it's Christmas day!" is what they remember joyfully... so selection box every year.
Keep Christmas to a few days, not all of December and half of January.

As someone else said, it really doesn't have to be perfect.

I leave it all to DH.

Don’t take it that seriously.

It’s literally just as simple as that.

It’s one day. One day. What’s the point in getting stressed over one day? Don’t go overboard with gifts. Don’t give in to consumerism. Don’t think everything has to be “perfect”.

For me, It’s a roast dinner and some presents for the children, usually ordered from Amazon. Put up a tree in the corner of the living room a week before. That’s it.

I have friends who seem to run around like headless chickens. I always think I must be doing it wrong.

Remind myself it's 1 day and nobody has ever died from the lack of presents or an uncoordinated Christmas tree. It's all about perspective.

Agree with family to stop buying presents for adults / kids over 18 or 21. Takes so much financial/time pressure and stress away. Stop sending cards to everyone except those over 70ish.

Spend the money on enjoying spending time together instead, meals out or get everyone around and get a takeaway in.

Buy good quality food that is easy to cook, unless you particularly enjoy being in the kitchen rather than with family.

Play silly games that everyone from 5 to 90 can join in and laugh a lot.

Well, last year I got cancer, which resulted in the cancellation of the influx of the in-laws. MIL usually comes for a night, but BIL and SIL come for at least a week and just sit in my bloody kitchen awaiting the breakfast, lunch and dinner service. For a whole week!! I hate it, but Dh would never see his family ever otherwise (BIL/SIL too lazy and cheap to host, I literally haven’t been to their house in so many years that it was a different SIL back then 🤣 and MIL’s partner doesn’t allow her any family visits 🙄). So for Dh and the kids to see any family, we have to do the hosting. I hate it. It’s a lot of work and they bore me to tears. Anyway, last year I got cancer and Dh cancelled the lot and it was wonderful! 😂 I can’t say I recommend it, but maybe a little.

Really though, it’s keeping it simple. I’d like to do less catering and more fun stuff. Keep family visits short and sweet if you can. My dream is for everyone to come for Christmas, arriving just before lunch, staying one night and leaving Boxing Day.

Having seen dozens of threads over the years about all sorts of problems with Christmas, posted from 25th December on, I'd say the key things are:

1. Don't spend Christmas with people you don't actually like and who don't like or respect you.
2. Don't spend more than you can afford. It's not worth it.
3. Only buy food you're sure you will eat. What's the point in buying food and then throwing it away?
4. If you are staying with someone else, take snacks in case they don't provide you with enough food of a type you can eat. This seems amazingly common on MN.

love this 🤣

Cut right back. On everything. Fewer decorations. Fewer gifts (agree secret Santa for wider family). Less socialising. Less food, less booze, less waste, less greed, less consumerism, much less expense. And most of all less stress.

And keep Christmas in December.

Don't sweat the small stuff. That's it really. No need to faff around making Christmas pudding, cake, mince pies (and your own mincemeat to go in them), Yule log, 3 sorts of stuffing, sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta, yadayada. If you want them, buy them ready-made. Probably cheaper anyway.

Do away with that horrid elf on a shelf or the Xmas Eve box. Just get basic advent calendars instead.

I long ago delegated the writing of Christmas cards to DH. He is also 100% in charge of all drinks over the festive period.

Don't buy Christmas chocolates too soon. You will eat them. Leave them till December.

You do not need every condiment and variety of pickle under the sun. Nor do you need 17 different types of cheese.

If you have children, they do not need entertaining with Christmas-themed activities for every minute of every day between the moment they finish school and the morning of the 25th. A (free) carol concert and maybe a Christmas tree festival in the local church (also free) is fine. Santa at the local garden centre is just as good as the one that costs ten times as much at the Winter Wonderland. The rest of the time they can get busy with crafts, or watch endless Christmassy films.

We do a family secret santa with all the immediate family (siblings, BILs/SILs, parents). Have a decent budget for it and use a thing called Elfster so people can make gift suggestions for themselves. It's great as you only need to think of/buy one present and that person gets something really nice that they want! It really helps take the present shopping stress out!

I was thinking it might be brandy butter!

Reduce the gifts. Start speaking to friends and family now about this. Agree with friends not to buy for each other. Perhaps agree to go to a Christmas event together instead (if you do normally go to Christmas events(

Set up a secret Santa with family so you only need to bug one present for one person.

Buy less for the DC. They do not need a Christmas Eve box. They will be fine with half the number of presents.

If you host then do you really need to make a starter? Do you really need 8 different sides of veges? Jamie’s make ahead gravy is awesome and freezes well.

Consider asking people to bring stuff. If you don’t host then offer to bring a specific thing.

Last year for the first time I made some party food type stuff and froze it. Definitely a bit more stressful than just buying it from M&S or whatever but it was really nice to be able to bring stuff out that I'd made a month or so before and put a buffet together. Mushroom arancini stuffed with taleggio were the clear winners. Brie and cranberry tarts were very easy and a nice Christmas morning canapé.

I put mine up around the 1st and take them down around new year I also don't understand the people who take them down boxing day thats still Christmas in our house

No more Quality Street in this house. I’ve bought a tin every year for the past 25 years and I remember we always had one in the house when I was a child: I loved them. Then last Christmas I suddenly realised that they are actually really horrible. Never again.

I am safe, Google told me to buy Welsh butter!

I will not look again, just in case!

I think pressure to enjoy it is half the issue. Why do people have to enjoy it? I actually hate it. I hate the build up, the music, the waste, the pressure, faux jollity, boring rituals….. It’s one big wasteful, dull, indulgent consumerfest for what? And yes I do have a nice family. I just don’t get the pressure for one day!

One meal with family and a walk- that is it. Doesn’t have to be enjoyed. Nice if it is but you can have a family meal and a walk any other day if you don’t .

My grown up step kids and their kids live hundreds of miles away so mine is getting all their presents sent up in October (most of the kids birthdays are around Christmas too). Last year it was left a bit late but it was ok as my husband took it all up on a visit but the year before a parcel containing £300 worth of gifts for my oldest stepsons family got lost (stolen) by evri. We didn't get the money back until after Christmas and just transferred the money to my stepson but it was a shame as the presents were nice

@Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar

Come over to the Christmas Threads , we are nice

Nooooooooooooooooo

Don;t Google it
You will thank me later if you Don;t Google It . !!

Prep food in advance and delegate tasks and some of the dishes.

Gift list is kept up to date, items ticked off as bought.

Enjoy it!! Which is easy for us because family gets on, no unpleasantness, and people help.

I love Christmas and have done a fair bit of shopping already.

I don't go overboard anymore with food. We tend to only go all out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and then we're back to our normal diet (with the addition of a mince pie)

Presents for Adults are just a token, nieces and nephews get a selection box, plus a voucher or cash (much appreciated by them) DD still gets her stocking and presents. DH and I do each other a stocking.

When DD was little we planned to do one thing each weekend with her and we've carried on with the same principle as she's got older - keeps the cost down and we're not overwhelmed with doing this, that and the other.

This year its just the three of us so will be very chilled.