How long do you spend getting ready for Christmas?

[WildFigs]

It's my day off today and I'm spending it wrapping, posting cards and doing general Christmas pottering- very much how I like to spend a day so no complaints here. But it made me wonder how long I spend every year on Christmas adding it all together- planning, buying gifts, wrapping, decorating, cooking etc etc. I think it must be at least 40 hours- a working week (and I suspect I am underestimating).

Cooking ahead- 12 hours
Shopping- 14 hours
Wrapping- 4 hours
Cooking OTD- 4 hours
Decorating- 6 hours

I could cut that way down but have no wish to as I enjoy almost every minute. How long do other people spend? (I'm not counting the actual celebrating, carol services, parties, etc etc just the prep. So going to the nativity play- no, but making the sheep costume- yes.)

Shopping is all done online and wrapping organised as a part of ordering the present. Minimal time in front of the laptop.
No cooking is done ahead or on the day as we have a huge cold buffet (for 17 people).
DH and I divide the work between us so not a big issue time wise.

Cooking ahead- 12 hours
About 5.5 hours but that's about 30 minutes mixing the Christmas pudding and 5 hours for it steaming on Stir-Up Sunday so just popping in every so often to top up water. Don't do any other cooking. DH does all of it but doesn't do anything ahead of time. Seems to do it all on the day without getting stressed
Shopping- 14 hours
Maybe 2-3. DH does most of it.
Wrapping- 4 hours
None for me. No idea how long DH takes
Cooking OTD- 4 hours
About the same for DH I suppose. 0 for me
Decorating- 6 hours
Some years maybe 3ish. Tree, 1-2 other bits. This year I've timed a weekend away again on the weekend DH likes the tree up so I will come home to it all done so that's 0 hours for me again!

Ooooh what a fun idea for a thread!

Cooking ahead ~ probably 20 hours (all sweet stuff for homemade hampers/snacks!)

--Scrolling every site online to look for gift ideas~ 100s of hours over the year

Actually buying gifts ~ 12 hours (4 online, 8 annual Westfield trip)

Wrapping ~ 6 hours

Cooking OTD ~ 3 hours

Decorating ~ 3 hours

Scrolling every site online to look for gift ideas~ 100s of hours over the year

I hear you 😂

Fucking ages, but at least 50 per cent of it is unnecessary panic followed by mental load rage on my part.

Young kids. Will be easier when it's just teens/adults involved.

Barely any. I did the food shops online early November as soon as the slots were available. Had the booze delivery on 9th November, the same case of red I always get plus some spirits. Present shopping all done online and delivered direct to recipients gift wrapped. No cards to send, bit sad but FB greetings to all my family.
I did the pre tree clean yesterday, maybe 3 hours. Will then need to hoover up all the glitter created. Tree going up tomorrow as well as rest of decs, usually takes about 6 hours sober, rolls over two days if Bailey's is drunk!!
This year Ocado and Waitrose are doing the prep and it just needs bunging in the oven. I'm off for just short of a month this year, I always save three weeks holiday and then bank holidays etc. Im a hermit so I will be hunkering down from 11th with red wine and a few good books. The count down is on !

I spend zero hours doing anything.
I get passport back pack tickets flight.
Leave a few days before xmass and home 2 weeks later when its all over.
Blissful.

My Christmas spreadsheet comes out in September every year with a new tab!

I added a food prep last year and made loads ahead of time (thanks Jamie!) and popped it in the freezer so Christmas Day was just putting everything in the oven and sorting the turkey and enjoying watching the little one open presents!

I save the wrapping until a couple of days before Christmas and pop Cliff Richard, Elton John etc on with a mulled wine and make an evening of it!

About an hour or two buying presents online. A couple of hours wrapping them and writing Christmas cards.
Half an hour ordering drinks and snacks on click and collect to last over the Christmas/New Year period. Half an hour to collect it.

A couple of hours baking. I don't do any extra food shopping or cooking as DS does that and I go to his house for Christmas dinner.
An hour or so putting up and decorating my Christmas tree. I don't do any other decorating for Christmas.
So about 6 hours spread out from 1st November to around 20th December. Quite manageable really.
However I live alone and our family totals 5 people, who live in 4 different houses. The most difficult part is finding a day when we are all free to get together. Still not sorted that for this year.

About four hours?

Shopping is all done online while watching TV in the evenings, maybe an hour at the supermarket getting any last minute bits, an hour or wrapping and maybe another hour writing cards, and then prepping a meal for two barely takes any time and we sit and watch a film while everything cooks.

Loads but no idea how long!
Thinking of what to buy people takes up loads of headspace!
Do most shopping online but need to know what to get...
Putting all the decs up takes best part of 2 days. Maybe we are just slow.... Or have too many decs
Food shopping, mainly but not wholly online ordering, maybe takes 2-3 hours incl going to shops.
Prep cooking probably 2- 3 hours
Xmas day cooking 3 ish hours.
Christmas card writing is done over a couple of evenings.
Wrapping takes ages done across a few evenings, big family..
Researching and Booking tickets for Xmas events, trying to organise a date for family Xmas get together and get togethers with friends 1 - 2 hours
Organising food and house to host family for a day over Xmas period and prep etc 3 hours ish not sure!
Kinda how long is a piece of string question really!
At least no longer have to source a nativity costume and my kids are too old for elf in a shelf

4 hours for everything, probably, done early. Decs up, lights outside, A few presents wrapped, meal prep. Easy.

Surely you and your DH divide it between you and then it’s not time consuming. We split the present shopping between us, do it online and arrange for them to be wrapped before delivering the the recipient or back to us.

No cooking ahead.

Shopping - nearly all online. 1 hour?

Cooking ahead - none.

Decorating - delegates to DC.

Wrapping - I use fabric so it's very quick. 30 min?

School Nativity + Christingle - 2 hours?

Visit to Father C + lunch - 3 hours?

All enjoyable but not massively time consuming.