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)

I think the "boasty" bit come in when the post seems to be saying "why don't you all do it MY way...it's so much better".

It's certainly a suggestion but it actually doesn't matter.

Snowman no more of a boast than saying that you always cook from fresh.

Always cooking from fresh was my reason. It would only have been a boast if I had come on and started a thread about it

Maybe your house is much bigger than most other peoples OP, so you have room to store stuff that you need for one day, all year round. I don't particular want to store alcohol under my children's beds but hey ho.

I like doing things to my own timetable, rather than someone else's. Isn't that just fascinating?

No, it isn't.

Good for you! Personally, I've had far too much on to even think about Christmas food. My jobs so full in I just don't have the headspace for it.

I don't get the rush at Christmas either but for altogether different reasons. My reasoning is, its just for one day so whats the fuss? The shops are open on boxing day in Scotland. I checked! It is unlikely you are going to run out of bread and milk but the way people act its as if there will be no food available for days.

No freezer space to store turkey
No fresh turkey available until last week (in Aldi)
Crackers go down in price closer to Christmas
Waiting for bonus to shop for extras like disposable party/tableware
Fresh stuff (herbs for stuffing, fresh breadcrumbs, mascarpone for tiramisu, double cream etc) go off if bought early

Also, as pp said, we don’t finalise plans till closer to Christmas.

Anyone who starts a thread on MN asking why people do things differently to them gets slated for boasting.

I didn't say "Why don't you do it my way?"

I didn't say "My way is better."

My way is different.

I like the Christmas eve shop, I'm actually very good at nipping through the shop quickly, I walk down to Sainsburys, get whatever is in stock, pop to the pub for a blissful child free hour then return a hero, meanwhile DH and DD wrap my presents and do some baking (he knows I go to the pub btw, he texts me when the baking is nearly done)

If I buy my nice Christmas food before Christmas I just eat it all

I don't get it either. Shops are closed for one day - perhaps two. Unless you are planning to hibernate between 24th December and 3rd January, never leaving the house, you do not need to buy 25 loaves of bread and enough milk to float a battleship.

It's all one massive greedfest.

There are tonnes of things we buy that you cant freeze. So unless you buy none of those you would have had to go out in the last couple of days shopping.

No big deal here. I placed my order for delivery today back at the end of November, checked it last night to replace any items which may have become unavailable, all delivered and put away. All I need to do is cook and eat.

You must know why people do things differently to you. You can't be sitting there, puzzling this thing over to the point of needing to ask the masses.

It's been explained to you, in several ways. But there's no 'oh, right, I understand now' from you, which demonstrates that you weren't looking for answers. You're feeling quite pleased with yourself, which isn't a problem at all unless you boggle about others being different.

Plus, i have a walk in fridge OP so no storage issues.

We prepped all our meat and froze it a few weeks ago.

A lot of people don't want frozen meat for their Christmas dinner.nearly very one I know buys fresh.

I've not done a Christmas food shop, not cooking over Christmas so just got some nice snacks and brought home my leftovers from my coffee shop!

I live 2 minutes from a decent sized Sainsbury's so will pop up and get anything I need as and when

oh - the biscuit is for you OP - in case you forgot to get festive biscuits in advance, thus spreading the cost.

We do a big Christmas shop because we can't be bothered with months of faffing and buying stuff in advance. Two or three hours shopping in a supermarket a few days before Christmas is hardly much of an ordeal.

Maybe people have been at work so this is the first chance they've had. Maybe they haven't had the money? or the childcare? Or the storage? Or they've been ill? Or maybe, just maybe, not everyone does things the way that you do. Imagine that eh OP? Not everyone else is as super as you!

And yes, you can keep your defrosted meat thanks

*I didn't say "My way is better."

My way is different.*

Oh yes you did

My way is different.

No it's not. Many people do it 'your' way and lots of people do it their way, you're not as whacky and out there as you seem to think.

And as a PP said, many people don't want frozen meat either.

I was musing with dh, yesterday, that for all the people needing extra food for visitors there must be at least some who need less food because they're visiting.

Two or three hours shopping

TWO OR THREE HOURS?????

What the HELL are you doing in a supermarket for two or three fecking hours? Surely the aim of the game is to be in and out in as short a time as possible, especially at this time of the year?? If I were forced to spend two hours in Asda (or any other supermarket) listening to Christmas songs on repeat and putting up with OAPs dithering over the bread sauce, I'd be suicidal.

Seriously, make a list.