MN SURVIVING CHRISTMAS GUIDE

I start buying in October! That way you are guaranteed the toys you want without having the dreaded "out of stock" message. I also recommend where possible to shop online, avoiding the horrible queses, bustling mental cases grabbing the last one of whatever you want...Boots are a favourite for me personally, I shop each year for the "big" presents as you buy 3 pay for 2. I personally saved £120 by shopping online just from Boots. You get points you can spend on yourself too!!!! Tesco direct is good if you have a clubcard, once again, collect points and avoid the stress of shopping centres!

save £££££'s by buying cards and paper for next year in the January sales. I always find WH smith and Tescos very good for bargains. boxes of cards for 30p Same with wrapping paper.

When taking down the decorations put the cards received in with the decorations so you know who you received from. then you can chop them up with fancy scissors to make gift tags. - a great way of giving the children something to do if bored.

Wear something sparkly on christmas day (even if its a pair of earings).

OK I'll admit it. I haven't put much thought into it yet.

Remember it's just one day, every year I think 'was that it'. It's just a Sunday roast with the family, no need to get stressed about it. Forget all those magazine articles showing uber-table decorations, how to decorate you whole house in holly and tastefully sprayed pine cones. Frankly you haven't got time and the children want tacky tinsel anyway.

To add to the sage advice so far

Get as many of you as possible out for a walk at some point in the day to get some fresh air, stop drinking incessantly,calm down if fights are about to break out and burn off at least one of the chipolatas...

I know this sounds anal, but have a notepad and pen available during present opening frenzy so you can notes down who bought what for kids and they can write appropriate letters.

Oh....and I second the advice on copious amounts of alcohol, and tracking Santa on the NORAD site. Great for sons who still want to believe in Santa but have started getting all technical about how he manages to cover the appropriate distances in the time he has...

M and S.

We did it last year and it was fantastic. Given that it was a stressful time (dh was still very ill and we were only weeks from the diagmosis), loads of people visited and TBH I copuldn't be arsed to slave away in the kitchen. I bought it all in M and S including the veg and it was wonderful.

More to the point I could enjoy it as I wasn't worn to a frazzle

Add to global warming and have as many lights as possible. Don't let that bitch lady from 2 doors down outdo you.

Buy frozen veg, ready stuffed turkey and everything else ready made from M and S.
Jug of Fat Frogs.

abyy id haev a greivance hearring

we cna get all militant agin and get our union names on"why does abby get hte shit jobs"

where as Justine has top leevl meetigns in mirror fronted offices and syas sassy htings while walking briskly holding coffeee

Get a smaller tree for Dc's playroom/bedroom/whatever.
Then you can have the tastefully decorated one in your living room and the kids have their 'Creation'

Prepare veggies for lunch a few days before, par boil and freeze.

Start shopping early.

1. decorate the tree with dd forget about it looking tasteful

2. go to in laws who refuse your help

3. eat drink and make marry without lifting a finger

4. bite tongue and be gracious at said in laws' political views, after all they are not charging you for the stay/ food and are really nice people otherwise.

5. come back to clean house with no cakes in cupboard to ruin your new year diet

Prepare everything (spuds, turkey, sprouts, etc..) for christmas lunch on christmas eve so you can spend all morning with the DCs opening pressies from Santa.

1. Concentrate all your efforts on decorating your home with the kids.

If you have more than one DC, buy a roll of wrapping paper for each child's stocking gifts. Stops you Santa muddling them up while stuffing the stockings, and prevents fights on Xmas morning when stockings are emptied in a frenzy all over the floor. NB be sure to hide this paper and not use it for any other presents or your DC will stop believing in Santa.

Log onto Norad tracks Santa on Xmas Eve

Start shopping early.

1. It spreads the cost over 3 or 4 pay packets.
2. You have time to get the popular stuff before it runs out of stock.
3. You have time to think about what people actually want rather than "that will do for ..."
4. You can pick and choose stocking fillers rather than plastic, plastic & yet more plastic.

Regarding point 4 - get out the stockings as well and decide can you actually fit anything else in, or should you STOP now.

P.S. Does that mean the Christmas topic is now going to be opened?

Remember that it does not matter one bit if you have frozen roasts/ready made stuffing/a bought Christmas pudding, your children will not remember those things when they are older.

The will remember things like riding down to church on their new bike/parents who had time to play with their new toys with them/family games of charades/a lovely nice Christmas Eve with a bedtime story of the Nativity or Twas the Night before Christmas

Spend time with your children rather than peeling veg!!

Don't exchange on a new build property in June - you might (just might) get in it for Christmas

Make sure you take the giblets out of the turkey before you cook it

Go to someone else's house for Christmas Dinner - no cooking, no washing up, and you can leave whenever you want to the calm of your own home. I've never cooked a Christmas dinner in my life (don't actually like them either)

Jeses = Jesus

oh abby you do get the crap great jobs