To not really have started my Christmas shopping yet?

[SummerNights1986]

I haven't put this in the Christmas topic because it's generally full of people who love the season so much they've been done for weeks so not really relevant to the general population.

Work and facebook are full of people asking 'so are you done yet?' and those that are proclaiming they've just finished off their wrapping.

I've not really started yet. It's like my dirty little secret. I do it every year and if anyone asks if i'm 'finished' I've just started saying yes with a big smile, to avoid the subsequent looks of horror if I say i'm not started nevermind finished.

I've bought one 'bit' for MIL. That's it. I still have the dc's (gifts and stockings), DH, and (counts) the 9 other family members that we buy for each year to do.

I'm fairly relaxed. DH and I are having a takeaway tonight and making a fuck off big list of everything to get. I'll spend 3 hours online Sunday night buying as much as I can online then next week have all day Wednesday free and DH has all day Thursday free to go and buy the remaining bits and stocking fillers.

I'm nice and calm and in no mad rush or panic. I still have just under a fortnight. That's loads of time

AIBU to be so relaxed (lax?) in the buying department?

I get paid on Tuesday and also get child benefit that day so it's all being done then. Not worried at all :)

YANBU to do it the way you want.

YABU to 'have a go/mock' those that do it differently to you.

I do a bit of both. Lots of birthdays in December/early January. DH, DNiece Dmum DSis all have birthdays around this time. Three of which are 'significant' ones this time.

Each to his own and all that but you do seem awfully pleased with yourself

I woukd be having a meltdown, tbh. Wish I had your calm laid back approach! I've been adding foody bits to the regular shopping each week Sind October an now have most of the food sorted except the perishables, which have been ordered on line and are being delivered Xmas week. Most of the pressies are bought, going out tomorrow to do some last bits, then I think we are done. I am not massively organised, but have 4 dc to buy for and very busy with work, and its just too much to leave to the last couple of weeks. Have done loads of the pressie shopping online (thank god for Amazon!).

Not wrapped anything yet. And the house looks like a squat, but will sort that out over the next fortnight.

I have made a cake and a pudding too. Mince pies, sausage rolls still to do. I love Christmas but do find it exhausting!

I'd have been a bit fed up if I'd been organised and bought everything by now as lots of shops have reduced stuff over the last week! However I'm not now able to get hold of something dd wants before Christmas as I've left it too late

Swings and roundabouts so not sure if YABU or not

Yanbu i finally decided today better get the pressies dont have many to get and mainly adults as i give my grandchildren money so came out of work and it was pissing it down with rain, so instead of going into loads of shops and getting soaked i went in wilkos and got all of them in about five minutes from one shop came home and took me about ten minutes to wrap them , got my meat for christmas day and boxing day in the market and they are now in the freeser so apart from food shopping christmas done bish bang bong

The main reason some people do it early is because they don't have the money to spend in one big order as you're doing OP.

They have to buy bits week by week. I do...if I didn't have anything bought by now, the DC would all be getting coal.

I did mine online last weekend. It's been arriving over the last 2 days. We are away next week for 4 days for a wedding otherwise I wouldn't have started until this weekend.
The dc haven't written their Christmas lists yet. Older 2 are 10 and 11 and don't believe in fc anymore, and wouldn't be crushed not to receive an expected toy. Ds is 4 and keeps talking about TMNT toys. They are everywhere.
Easy.
I buy for over 40 people and I'm still relaxed!

We're going on Wednesday, even booked my mum to have DD3 we don't have a list all my girls want is crafting stuff this year I've bought stuff if its been a really good price so have some playmobil, bits from the market and I got these today www.very.co.uk/hot-wheels-wall-track-double-pack/1461413421.prd?_requestid=123889

I'd DD asked for anything and its popular I always go buy it asap. We haven't even got my decorations up yet

decs went up 30 mins ago - all my presents are wrapped - we are all different - pass the wine!

YANBU if that's what works for you. Personally I need to spread the cost a bit so I try and get stuff in October and November so that it doesn't all have to come out of Decembers pay packet.

And I like that today we are all done, and have put the decs up so I can relax for the rest of December

i havent even got my tree up yet planning to do it tomorrow, i have wednesday off to so will do shopping then

I'd be very stressed if I had left it all until now. I do it early so I can feel more relaxed. Also it heads off issues if there are unexpected bills cropping up in December (my car is a bottomless money pit at the moment).

My dc like ps4 games, so it is no hardship to pre order thise from amazon. Some stuff you have to do early - personalised presents for example.

I have bought non perishables booze but will shop for Christmas dinner later on.

Whatever works for you. I've just done mine, but that was because I happened to be in Cardiff picking up DD. If I hadn't been, it wouldn't be done yet. I don't get the 'spreading the cost' argument, though - you can put the money aside for several months and do the shopping in one go if that's what you want.
I'm intrigued by Busyworkingmum, though. What items that aren't perishable do you need for a roast dinner (which is all Christmas dinner is)?

*Omg you are living my worst nightmare. Everything's out of stock or taking ages to deliver online and the shops are heaving. Starting at this point in the year would kill me with stress.

Do you have kids to buy for, if not perhaps not so bad. Adults can make do/ like or lump.*

This ^^^
I remember one year It snowed and Amazon couldnt get the deliveries to people. Some people had bought everything online and because of the delay risked not getting it in time. Many didnt so had to repurchase.
That would be like hell tbh.

If you could guarantee there would be NO reason for any delay then no probs!!!! even if you dont have kids then thats fine but if you do..well no far to stressfull. In an ideal world where everything is plentiful and in stock no problem. If you go on to argos and other toy retailers tons and tons of stuff is out of stock.

I wish I could be as relaxed about it as you are but I'm not.

I would be bothered that what I'm ordering might be out of stock or won't be delivered in time.

If what you're doing works for you then all is well. We all do things differently.

Nah. I do a recce around now in town, just to get ideas, an hour or so of online ordering, and then I go and do 1 day around the 23rd. Xmas eve is wrapping night. And I have lots of relatives! My key thing is that I choose maybe 5 shops, all near each other and get everything from there. So maybe Lush, Accesorize, Smyths, Waterstones and tk max. Easy peasy.

I work Monday to Friday and mind my nieces for 12 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. I have had to take a few days holiday next week to do my shopping I haven't gotten a single thing yet. My dd is pretty laid back so if I can't get some things she wants it won't be the end of the world

I did most of my Amazon ordering last weekend and on Monday. It has been gradually arriving over the last couple of days.

Today I went out Christmas shopping with my two youngest DDs (age 17 and 13). That's it for another year now. A couple of deliveries still outstanding but not much. Should be able to wrap next weekend if all goes to plan.

This is as late as I would dare leave it. I would do some earlier if I could.

I've not bought a single thing yet and I'm not calm and serene about it!

I haven't been able to get anything yet due to finances - my benefit claim was stopped in error and I've had to wait for it all to be sorted out. Even once it's sorted I will be robbing Peter to pay Paul - I will be leaving bills unpaid so that I can get a few bits for my kids. I know that in theory that is stupid, but not many ten and three year olds would be that understanding that they would accept no christmas presents. Luckily they don't have many specific requests, so I don't need to panic that stuff will be out of stock iyswim.

Hopefully I will be able to get started on Wednesday - wish me luck! [santa]

Thank fuck for this thread. I was starting to think I was the only person in the world who hadn't started.

As far as cost goes, I'm in a Xmas club (credit union), so can draw on that.

YANBU.
I did most of it today, online, while the dcs were at their sunday school Christmas party. I spent most of that time designing a photobook, which I will give to three different people, and ordering dcs' presents to be picked up at Argos tomorrow.

I still need to get:

Presents for randoms like at church - ocado can handle that - boxes of chocolates or bottles of wine
more stocking stuff like pencils and rubbers and hair bobbles - ocado and pound shops next week
something for nephew and niece - tokens only, to go with the money I will give them - I will think of something funny and whimsical in each case, it will come to me, plenty of time
More books for dds - best done online with a nice glass of wine and lots of review-reading - I will do that tonight.

I'll get some wine sent to my dad at his house because we're all going there and I'll get an ocado sent there too once I have asked my mum what she has bought and what I can help with.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

On the other hand: my partner has a birthday in a few days which is always a massive locus of stress. he is impossible to buy presents for because he hardly likes anything. Last year I was absolutely obliterated by work pressure so I couldn't think straight, so I booked a couple of days off at the begnning of December to get his birthday and xmas sorted. then I had to cancel them as my childminder dropped a bombshell on me and I had to save all my leave for the school holidays.

I told myself "He'll understand, he's an adult, they're his kids too and he's understand why I have no time and no thinking space" and bought him some fairly generic presents. I invited his mum round and he sulked throughout dinner because the presents weren't good enough.

In the summer I randomly remembered this and started crying thinking that his birthday was going to come round this year and every year and I would never know what to buy him.

He has simplified everything by being such a massive dick recently that I have no sense of obligation to his birthday whatsoever. I have bought some things that I'll help the girls wrap up and that's it. He's lucky to get that. I haven't decided whether I'll let him come to my parents or not. I am going to talk to my work about whether I can get the flexible working I need to kick him out permanently.

Sorry about the ramble. I'm quite proud of myself for having a nice time while I'm facing the break up of my family basically so I'm showing off about how much I'm enjoying xmas shopping. Sorry for thread hijack

I got as far as buying all the 2nd class stamps for the christmas cards and sticking them on all the envelopes before realising some of them needed large letter stamps. And it turned out to be more than the two I posted about 15