I don't get the big deal over Christmas food shop

[NeverUseThisName]

Thread after thread about the hideousness of the Christmas food shop, starving to death in queues, hysteria in the pickles aisle, road-rage in the carpark, substitutions and OOS in the orders etc etc.

Why do people put themselves through this?

Why don't people prepare early? It reduces the strain and spreads the cost.

We prepped all our meat and froze it a few weeks ago. Everything that can be made ahead or is long-dated, like cake, pudding, biscuits, booze etc, was made or bought in the past month or two. Ingredients that are essential for last-minute cooking were also bought early. All that's left to buy is fresh stuff, like milk and veg. Not huge amounts of stuff, and things that we can compromise on if something's OOS.

Are we weird to do it this way?

And this is not a stealth boast. We prepare in exactly the same way for any big festive occasion.

(Post edited by MNHQ)

Wow. You're amazing.

Have you considered writing a blog or a book so you can share your wisdom with us Christmas peasants?

Thank God you posted this OP. Now everyone can see where they’re going wrong!

Money being the reason?

Depends if you have the room to stockpile food beforehand. We don't so I can't freeze lots of things or have the extra cupboard space for cakes/snacks etc. But I did an Ocado shop which arrived today all intact with just missing coleslaw, no subs. Not gone overboard as supermarkets only shut for xmas day and I'm round the corner from a big Tesco and short walk from city centre.

But pastabake isn't it cheaper to spread the cost and to buy things when there's a flash sale?

I think it's a mix of people being too busy to consider properly planning ahead. And the fact we even have a term for the 'Christmas food shop' probably subconsciously leads most people to just accept doing one is a done deal instead of looking for workarounds. If we didn't have the phrase then it might not be seen as an inalienable part of the run up to xmas?

No freezer/fridge room here. Otherwise I would do the same as you, and have in the past when we had more space.

PS people will basically say 'no room to stockpile, no money to buy in advance' which is certainly the case in many instances but I took your OP to be excluding those obvious cases as is sensible to do (they're blindingly obvious reasons), apologies if you hadn't already understood those reasons.

We’re crap obvs

You Have to have money to start with to spread the cost

We just don't have space to stockpile and/ or freeze in advance. But I haven't bought into the hype about Christmas food shopping being hell; just went and bought what we could yesterday and had no problems.

Now taking my DC to visit Santa's Grotto yesterday..... now THAT was hell!!

Not everyone has the money or time op. Tbf you sound very boastful

Oh no. I failed to do all this.

In reality...
tiny freezer
waiting for certain things to be reduced in price
enjoying the pleasure of buying a few special things for Christmas
better things to do

Yes we're all a bit shit but glad you're sorted!🙄

Perhaps because people have loads of other commitments at christmas which eat into the time it takes to prep in advance. There's finishing work projects by the end of the year; making the cake and puddings; going to school concerts/nativities/carol services; writing cards, going to endless dinners and parties, hosting a couple of works and home drinks and dinners; sorting out spare rooms/bedding/wardrobe space for relatives; driving 100s of miles to collect relatives, settle them, source last minute wheelchairs for them; attend hospital visits with them; buy presents, wrap presents; do the same again on behalf of elderly relatives who are too barmy to remember to send presents to offspring who will be offended if they don't; sort out Christmas outfits for offspring who have sprouted and for elderlies who appear to have forgotten to buy new clothes since 1987. And that's just what I've done in the last two weeks. But most people I know are doing the same amount of stuff. So the last minute big dash for fresh OJ and single cream and sprouts etc has to be last minute because all other minutes were taken.

Well I just order from ocado. It all came yesterday. No hassle. No need to do it all in advance and stockpile. You can save your money weekly if there is a cost issue and still buy fresh at the time and not have to freeze stuff.

I was in Morrisons today and watched the obscenity of massive loaded trollies that must have had at least £200 worth of shopping in while a homeless man sat outside on the bench. It made me feel sick.
If on the rare occasion I do celebrate xmas I have to spread the load across the year or I just can't afford it.
Why go nuts of xmas eve and prepare nothing beforehand? I'd die from the stress of it.

It's not a stealth boast. It's a full on boast boast. Would you like a medal to go with your self congratulation and lack of imagination?

I didn't prepare early. But I haven't found the shops too bad either. It's basically just a fancy roast dinner isn't it? Plus a few treats. I can't imagine fannying around cooking and freezing and then having to defrost and reheat. I just stuck the extra stuff in my trolley when I went shopping. I popped out for veg earlier and there were still plenty of turkeys and trimmings and no drama in our local shops.

True, LemonShark. There's no big 'Easter food shop', and that's another 4-day period with restricted shopping, and families feasting on traditional goodies.

And obviously people need space to store stuff - our cake and pudding are under dc1's bed, and the booze is under dc3's bed.

I disagree about having to have the money in the first place. It's easier to spend £5-£10 here and there, than £100 in one go.

Because you're just better than everyone else.

murder in the carpark well that's just tactless OP, given that poor woman who actually was.
But, yay, go you.

That's a very painfully sharp contrast indeed IrritatedUser1960. Similar thing last week, I was going into Morrisons for some dinner ingredients and it was absolutely rammed with families buying tonnes of food. There was a guy outside who appeared homeless but wasn't begging. Just sat on a blanket in the cold, scruffy and dirty looking. Only clocked him on my way out as I was in a rush (of I'd have asked what he wanted me to get him) so I gave him a tenner. I'm immensely fortunate to be able to afford it and it'd have felt disgustingly crass and cruel not to.

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow What are you referring to?