to not give Christmas more than a passing thought until the 25th of November. Every year.

[Mintyy]

Just that really.

I can do Christmas in a month. Dh is the same.

I am not interested in giving it more headspace than that.

Am I in a minority or a majority, do you think?

If I waited to buy everything in December A) i would possibly have to cancel Christmas because there wouldn't be enough money. Price of a few things increase in December for starters. b) I'd be in a panic ridden state even if we saved the money to buy it all in December worried that Royal Mail would 'lose' some of the items, something wouldn't arrive before Christmas etc. c) I'm just too organised to leave it all till the last minute!

I do some of the baking and making like the Christmas cake and sloe gin as early as September so it's then that Christmas really starts creeping into my mind. All systems go once halloween is over though.

Just about finished Christmas buying now, will be 100% done (aside from Christmas food shop but basket is ready, waiting for ocado slots to open...) after Saturday. I feel so much more settled and organised in my head now!

I buy all my gifts online, usually around mid December. Job done.

Leaving things until December doesn't mean I'm disorganised. It's just that I don't want to be planning Christmas while there are still leaves on the trees.

atoughyear, I think in someways you have to be MORE organised to leave it all until December. You don't have the same amount of time to do the same amount of stuff. Of course some people will just end up panic buying, but I don't think that's true of everyone. I do think its potentially a lot more stressful though.

I think that's pretty early to think about it actually . If it wasn't for MN reminding me i wouldn't think about it till mid dec. I asked mum last night if there was anything she wanted and she looked shocked and said 'ask nearer the time'

We are a very small family and all i do is; a gift for Mum and Dad and DH (which i buy all in one morning at a dept store), a few cards sent to a couple of relatives, and buy a tree about 18th dec, order amazon gift vouchers for 2 nieces and order a goose for xmas dinner.

This year we have a 2yo so i will buy some bits for him to open - but haven't given it any thought yet at all.

Usually I have it all sorted by now this year I'm not interested I have no idea why I just don't want to waste money again

Don't buy many presents. ( only 2 teenagers)
Send no cards.
Tree is only nod to decoration.
Turkey and crap rich food free zone here.
No problem

I'm in Australia and get caught out every year. The lack of seasonal clues: dark nights, cooler weather mean nothing jogs my mind. Back in the UK, I had everything done and dusted on the October half term.

Only the vaguest acknowledgement of Christmas is paid until December at the very earliest. Due to the sheer numbers of us and various circumstances that needed to be taken into account, we did decide on Christmas Day arrangements last weekend but that's it for the rest of the month.

Although DH did forget himself earlier this week and was found admiring some sort of DIY hamper arrangement in Waitrose that consisted of rather nice boxes that you could fill with treats. "These are a good idea" he heretically said, "perhaps we ought to get some?". He was nearly sent out to the car park to sit and consider the gravity of his crime.

I use to do nothing until December. Then I had kids and started hosting Christmas instead of rocking up at the parents a couple of days before Christmas. Planning for Christmas now starts in October (admittedly just ordering cards), and cooking and present buying and hosting people (who 'just want to see you before Christmas') starts in all seriousness in November. If I left planning and preparation until December then I wouldn't get my Christmas cards sent until January. There is just too much happening in December with kids and work and visitors. Christmas is not fun any more, it's a chore (which is why people say it's for kids, because it's clearly not for working parents) and I love those few days after New Year before the kids go back to school and I can finally rest.

Ds birthday is on 25 Nov so I definitely don't do Christmas before then. In fact my birthday is 13 Dec so increasingly, I don't do much until after then either!!

Mind you I haven't cooked Christmas lunch for a couple of years and that fro me takes up time to plane and sort out. Buying presents can be done in a couple of shopping trips mostly really. That can be done in 2-3 weeks easy

YANBU. I make a cake and mincemeat, but don't think about anything else until December. I passed a house fully decorated yesterday-that really would ruin Christmas for me-so depressing!

I also hate it when people finish and are off to the sales on Boxing Day!

I have 3 Dcs and one of them has a birthday of Dec 15th so I have to spread that over more than one pay day. I also enjoy having December free for fun things, rather than stressing over last minute presents so it makes sense to start early. Loads of bargains to be had before the Christmas price hike too. So now most of the gifts are bought and wrapped, I can start on seasonal baking and fun stuff.

We start baking, gift making etc during half term. We put the tree up early in December. We have quite a big party Christmas Eve ( about 100 ) and something slightly bigger New Year's Eve. I plan menus, drinks, decorations on the half term. We buy presents during the last weekend before Christmas.

I used to be like that, but the older I get the more I want to organise it all as far in advance as possible.

I remember the year I met DP, we started dating in early November and I was swept up in such a flurry of falling in love and that wonderful early relationship stage, it was probably about December 20th before I even realised Christmas was imminent and I needed to do some shopping! That year was a mad last minute panic of present buying, but very special too.

But now, with living abroad (thanks to that same DP!) which affects the logistics of the Xmas period and the delivery times for shopping, I find I can enjoy the December run up more if the bulk of my presents are bought, travel booked, menu roughly planned etc etc.

I don't do anything towards Christmas until Stir-Up Sunday when I make our Christmas pudding. Then, on the first of December, my Christmas hat goes on (quite literally ) and I'm all jazz hands and party poppers about the festive fun. Until then, just no...

I like my Christmas short and festive too .

I do buy presents from about September, when I see them, as I don't like shopping when it is busy. However, I don't do anything else till well into December.

Nope don't start until end of Nov - DS2 birthday is early Nov so we have that then I like to have a week or two breathing space before xmas preps. I love autumn and I want to celebrate all the autumn festivals/events such as Halloween/Fireworks/Rememberance without thinking about xmas.
Every year I do threaten to be more organised and start earlier but I never do and we still manage to have fun.

I like Christmas, I just honestly and sincerely feel we (collective we) make too much fuss about it all and spend too much money.

There's talk on here about stress and panic. Who creates that stress and panic?

So what if a present is delayed in the post? I expect this must have happened to me at some point in the past but I honestly cannot remember because it would be one of the most insignificant disappointments of my life!

In rl people don't chatter incessantly about Christmas from September onwards, do they?

I totally agree with you Mintyy. I loathe all the faff and excess and a few years ago dh and I just decided we wouldn't do it any more. We stripped the whole thing back and decided the following were important to us:

Christmas tree because I like it. We have a box of decorations in the loft and I buy a new one with the dc each year.

Wreath. Bought with Christmas tree or use the dry one in the loft.

A celebration meal on the day. This must have a favourable fun to effort ratio. I shop for this one or two days before Christmas with exception of booze and meat which I pre-order mid December.

Stockings for everyone. Dh and I would happily only have stockings and no other gifts. We like all the little bits that by definition don't take up much room.

Presents for immediate family only. Mail order for most because we live all over the place. Nobody minds if they come on 22nd December or 4th Jan.

Christmas phone calls

Spending time with family and seeing everyone. This can happen any time between mid-December and end of January.

We don't do Christmas cards (except my grandad who is in his 90s and my friend who lives a distance away and I don't have any social media contact with) or anything else that is high effort and expense but otherwise pointless.

We don't make mince pies or a Christmas cake. We don't even buy Christmas cake because nobody likes it.

Non-essential things that we like to do:

Go for a Boxing Day walk.

Make mulled cider.

Watch the Snowman and It's A Wonderful Life.

Have a Christmas shag (just dh and me obv).

Since we did all that tears at Christmas are much less. We did try to limit things to one present each but some of our relatives have no self control.

In rl people don't chatter incessantly about Christmas from September onwards, do they?

Errrrr yes.

I was talking about this recently Christmas n3ver used to start so early people did it in December or end of November its ridiculous the adverts are bugging ,me the merry Christmas posts on my facebook are hidden. Meh I have 1 thing but they are tickets to a show ive not startec and im certainly not panicking about it.even when dds were small children I didn't get in a flap as long as I was finished before school finished for Christmas I was fine.

I've started shopping for Christmas in October since I was about 14! I was always finished by Dec.

I actually told my 16yr old off she was yacking about a Christmas tree and when we put it up always 12 days before it here anyway she threw an irrational wobbley I said calm doen it is November nowhere near Christmas. I think it has filtered into their brains adverts are telling them it is Christmas so it must be true