My best Christmas tip

[Frynye]

Buy decent sticky tape and a good dispenser. Makes the whole thing so much easier.

If you buy any gifts early, put a note on your phone telling you where you put them.

Edit - this also applies to tickets

Put money away each month (and whatever you have come November is your budget & stick to it)

Keep a note in my phone with everyone I buy for & update it through out the year when people mention things they like.

Me & my friends only buy books for each others kids now, we all have an Amazon wish list, everyone has the link & we put the books on our kids would like (keeps it cheap, easy & stops tat)

Have a budget, stick to it and don’t give into any thoughts the week before thinking you aren’t buying enough and then panicking buying.

Agree with everyone NOT to buy gifts for adults. Children only.

Prep roasties beforehand and freeze. Parboil, cool down, cover in goose fat or whatever and in a tray to freeze. Roast from frozen.

If only, I can’t eat starchy food that has been frozen or part cooked. It’s a right PITA.
Try not to give into the twitch.
Crackers always make everything better, no matter how naff.
You can never have too much tinsel or lights everywhere.

My top tip is to tell children that the last one out of bed opens the first present
Seriously they get up later on Christmas day than any other day of the year....

Buy less chocolate but better quality.

Love it 😁

Try to relax and enjoy every moment 🎄

Buy duplicate stockings. Fill one and then swap with the empty one hanging up. Even better if you hang by the fireplace and then that's where Santa leaves them to be found in the morning. Takes a lot of the stress away, no creeping around hoping not to be spotted.

We only have adults in our family.

Cancel the whole lot of it.

You don't have to eat/buy Christmas cake/pudding/sprouts if you don't want to.

And follow Nessas advice. Don’t worry too much about the presents, no one remembers the presents

Definitely duplicate stockings!! And leave the filled ones either by the fireplace, by Mum’s bed or outside each door, avoids going in to bedrooms.

Keep a little notebook just for planning Christmas - then use it again every Christmas.
Grocery shopping list, who had what present, cooking schedule, Christmas card list.
Tweak as/if necessary next year but all the basic info remains the same.

You can’t tell us who to buy presents for!

I had a tape dispenser that went on your wrist and you pulled out ready cut lengths of tape, after a few years a couldn't find refills for it any more - it was a game changer as well 🙁

It would be my top tip as well though. I have no need of a tape dispenser because I don’t buy enough stuff for wrapping to be a significant job taking any time.

Get a shoebox or similar, wrap the box and lid separately in Christmas paper (so you can open and close it) and place under the tree with essentials - a scissors, screwdriver, spare batteries of various sizes, (I used to include spare bulbs for tree lights but not needed with modern LEDs), sellotape, ..matches…all those bits and pieces you might need easily accessible in 1 place.

(Edited to add - wrapping the box is so it doesn’t look out of place among the presents)

I’ve been tempted to follow Smithy’s advice to wrap in tin foil. ‘Just scrunch and you’re done’ 😂

Oops sorry did you hear me swearing whilst using my cheap tape?

wrap presents standing at the ironing board. Your back will thank you.

The tip that I like best and which I activated 26 years ago was to move to the other side of the world - and then you escape the dreaded obligatory extended family get-togethers!

This year also I made heavy use of the January sales for toys which have been very useful for nieces and nephews, and newborns we knew were coming and also for buying those really cute but expensive felt Christmas tree decorations for colleagues and friends to go with their cards. £10 before Christmas, a pound after Christmas and in perfect condition for the following year (fatface are particularly good for these IME).

start drinking early
wear elasticated trousers
have a reason to leave the house - dog / bins / fag