Christmas 2026…. What would you do the same or different next year?

[Darker]

I had a good Christmas but I got very stressed in the lead up because everyone was trying to be flexible (for the right reasons) so I felt a bit taken for granted. I’m having a difficult time at the moment so perhaps a bit sensitive.

Then for a completely unexpected reason we had to change plans at the last minute and everyone was brilliant.

Next year I am going to be more proactive about asking people to take on little bits of the responsibility for planning and doing because I think it’s just a lot more fun when it’s shared.

@Blogswife do you think there might be a way of sowing some seeds for next year? Would any of your adult children like to take the lead for a change? I remember enjoying the challenge and honour of hosting when given the chance! On a few occasions my adult kids and respective partners have taken charge and it has been great fun.

Had a lovely day but all the buying, prep, cooking and cleaning up makes me want someone else to host next year or go away!

Exactly this!

I’m going abroad! Never again!

Our Christmas was great this year - we hosted and had DH family plus my mum. It was the first time we’d done that, and my mum, who is on her own, had a brilliant time. So next time we host, I’d do that again. Also, this year, for the first ever, I finished work a week before Christmas rather than working up till Christmas Eve. It was so much easier, and I’ve already booked to do the same again next year!

Nothing different. We just have our immediate family and visit others when we can around Christmas but it is all very relaxed. We stay in PJs. Have a nice dinner. Play games. Watch TV. Will continue to do that until the kids don't want to anymore (14 and 11). I don't want to run around getting stressed. I see family I care about all year around, so don't need to be rushing around on the one day. I do work Christmas alternate years. This year, I worked till 730am Christmas morning so hopefully next year I will be off the whole day.

Meeting up with extended family for a meal before Christmas worked really well as everyone had a chance to exchange cards or gifts for the kids in one location instead of planning several stops, so I’d definitely like to do it again. But next year I’d prefer to do it at the very end of November or early December instead of the weekend before Christmas.

In fact next year I would like to keep things as just our immediate family from about 19th Dec to 2nd Jan, and have the freedom to do whatever we want without rushing off to different meet ups.

Had a nice time.
But that meant hosting yesterday and today.
It's cost a lot and, tbh, I'm tired.
Dd1 may be at her bfs next year...
Dd2 will be 18 by then.
My mum just sits, eats and doesn't speak to anyone...I have siblings she could go to.
In laws - I like them, but I'm fed up of catering for them on boxing day year after year.
I think I'm going to tell mum I'm not doing christmas lunch next year, and not doing boxing day, either!
I fancy going away but no way dh would agree.
Sigh.

I’d like to scale back on gifts and not overthink the gifts too much. I needlessly agonise over my online shopping, when I could just decide and buy much sooner.

We also missed out on festive events for almost all of December, as every weekend someone in our family was sick. Not really in our control, but would love to do a couple activities next year, like a Christmas carols concert, light display, etc.

This year, we went to Bavaria at the end of November/beginning of December. It was a lovely start to the season but added to the stress and exhaustion and we ended up getting our Christmas tree quite late because of it. I’m not sure how I’d do this next year as the Christmas markets were beautiful and I’d love to maybe visit Alsace in 2026. Perhaps we’d just go end of November? Or maybe even go away somewhere for Christmas?

I’d also like to be less in my head about enjoying the season and making the most of it. I put too much pressure on Christmas every year!

We're going to have an easy Christmas dinner- pigs in blankets and chicken wings in 1 roasting tray, carrots and Lidl roast potatoes in another, sprouts, then gravy and bread sauce that have been made in advance and frozen.

I tried that out on Monday with just the 3 of us. It worked so well. PILs will be with us next year and they're not fussed.

I'm also not going to book a Christmas party night out for our friendship group. I bet no-one else will bother. DH and I will go to our local Italian association dinner dance.

Buy food in early in smaller portion sizes so I don't end up with slabs of pate, pork pies, dips, unopened trifles, cakes and a massive cheese board to get through.

If I'd have bought things earlier I'd not have been left with the dilemma of having to either eat about 20,000 calories in the next day or two before the best before date expires or throw out all this overpriced crap.

For some reason we have lbs of meat: beef, turkey, gammon and lamb left over which the local fox is loving and has given the dog the sh*ts because its too rich for her!

I’m not going to spend weeks finding excellent presents and getting the run around from couriers.

I’m not going to spend a fortune on a meal that I’m largely not going to eat (i veggie).

Next year everyone is getting a book with a cheque in, and we’ll get a takeway. If they’re desperate for Christmas Dinner, we can go out on boxing day.

Wrap presents as I go along.

I’ve told my family this but I think they just assume I’m being flippant, I’m absolutely not. I’m just not bending over backwards next year for everyone. I’ve done it every Christmas for 15 years, including the one two years ago when we stayed in a beautiful air BnB in rural south Wales. It was lovely to get away and we have some fantastic memories but I still had to make a Christmas dinner and keep up with other traditions like the special Christmas Eve breakfast.

I’m just tired of it to be honest. Every year I work really hard to plan not just Christmas but the whole of December with each weekend having at least one, sometimes two Christmas events. I make lists from August onwards of gift ideas for everyone. I do 90% of the wrapping, all of the purchasing and all of the organising. I even wake at 5am to get a food shopping slot in November. I make the lists of food ideas across both Xmas Eve and Xmas day to hopefully make it special for everyone.

Every year lots of my Christmas dinner ends up in the dustbin which is just so upsetting. I spend 2 hours preparing and cooking if minimum, for at least two children to throw most of it away. I tried hard this year to make it a lovely dinner with lots of new recipes but don’t know why I bothered. I should have just made them all pizza.

I was going to do my usual NYE buffet for everyone but I’ve said no, we’re getting a take away.

Next year I will have money put into envelopes to get hair and nails done (which I never would have thought would have bothered me not to get done but it did!!) and also am considering getting a cleaner in. Secretly I’m also considering a different job as while I love retail I’ve seen none of my friends or family in December and missed out on things with the kids like visiting family and Christmas fairs and going places (have had one Sunday off in the last five weeks, no Saturdays and worked long hours for five days in the run up to Christmas Day. Am back to work tomorrow and in for a few hours most days until the kids get back to school).

Things I did right- I bought all the sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks on special the start of December and hid them in a hiding place that wasn’t found!!😅

Also I made a ‘if everything went wrong’ list- a list of people I had to see and things I had to do/ buy no matter what!!

We are currently in a coastal cottage for a week and will be doing the same next year. Brought food from Cook, also eating out so no cooking.
No family, no politics, no drama. Just the 2 of us having a great time.

I’m not sure there is any way to entirely remove the “stress” of Christmas!

This year we kept everything very simple and because I kept saying to myself “oh everything is so simple this year” somehow I didn’t feel any stress until about 12pm on Christmas Day. I farmed out dessert to my PiL, and I had all the presents wrapped early. Yes,I burned the carrots and forgot the chestnuts and my teen dc didn’t lift a finger to help but everything else was perfect.

Every Christmas is a new opportunity to perfect the performance! Don’t give up

We host Christmas every other year. I've ‘aligned’ all DC’s to being with us the same year, so DH and I will be abroad next year. Family gifts will be one item, rather than a selection, no stockings, few decorations at home, perhaps a meal out together earlier in December but of course no lovely ‘main event’ Christmas dinner.

The year before last we had the most beautiful Christmas in Budapest. Just the two of us. Rooftop meal and cocktails Christmas Eve, champagne breakfast, lovely walks, Christmas markets, a Danube boat trip, ice skating and steam baths.

This Christmas was made much easier by prepping the food the day before and buying glass containers which are freezer and oven proof. It was easy to prep, put the lid on to store, remove and cook. Easy to replace the lids and store the leftovers. Made my Christmas Day stress free and gave me so much more time with others. DS’s also helped with cooking and as we all said DH made such a great kitchen porter!

Add more milk to Nigella’s deluxe macaroni cheese. I make it every year on Christmas Eve to go with the ham and every year as I sit down tl eat it I think ‘this would be even better with 200mls more milk in the sauce’.

I went AI to canaries this year in a fab hotel and it was wonderful I highly recommend it, but make sure it’s top notch place, we had a gala for 2 days it was really festive

Not a lot. Just me and teen DD. Have spent the last few days in our pyjamas eating and watching films. Haven't been out and noone visits us. She seems happy, and both well rested. Leftovers now boxed in the freezer and will clear wrapping paper etc away today.

I am going to let go of my legs! I love the brown meat on a turkey or chicken but I’ve realised they make the cooking more awkward. The breast was so much more tasty and juicy than the legs to my surprise. Maybe it’s the size of a turkey that affects this, I don’t know. So I’m giving in and will accept a turkey crown next year which I thought would never do

This.
We made a serious attempt to cut back this year and still there is too much.
No one ate any cheese really - I’ve got a cold, one is vegan and the other 3 were all full.
I had bought a good cheddar, a large chunk of Stilton, Brie, Camembert, Pie D’Anglos, and two small Christmas cheeses with cranberries / smoked. £25 worth untouched l. So now I have to wrap them all back up and drive them 8hrs home again.
Next year it’s a £5 cheese selection from Tesco.

I enjoyed Christmas Day- we were guests at my nieces and they love throwing g a party so it was fab. I dislike the days leading up and after, it’s all a bit much as I have my adult chn with me and feel like there is an expectation to do stuff. We are going away for a couple of nights and I just want to chill really. We plan to do that but when you’re leading g the trip it never quite feels like that does it.

Bliss! However I know when my DD goes back home I will miss her. It’s just that dynamic of all being in the family home playing games and getting on when actually they are grown ups now with big jobs and we are not often all together under one roof for days anymore.