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)

And since I know someone's going to pounce on the 'doesn't get sprung on anyone', NO, of course I'm also not referring to people who get invited for Christmas dinner somewhere and then it gets cancelled on Christmas Eve etc etc etc. It should be obvious what the exceptions are.

I have twins - I barely have time to take a pee on any given day, let alone get organised for Christmas. The most I managed was booking today's food delivery a few months ago. Went Christmas shopping for gifts last weekend, and again on Wednesday (almost a disaster as one of the boys scratched me in the eye on the way out, but the fact I had to get it done means I got through it and then collapsed in pain after and went to hospital the next day instead). Food arrived this morning with a few non essentials missing which DH may go out for tomorrow or may not.

Mainly though, if I stockpiled the goodies months in advance we would just eat / drink them and have to buy them again. No will power.

I can’t be arsed to prep in advance. We’ve done our food shop the past day or two, out of choice. It was fine. I’d always rather have fresh food than food prepped weeks in advance and frozen. Doing it last minute isn’t because I’m unprepared, it’s because that’s how I’d rather do it.

addicted I was gutted last year when I went to pick up our meat order from a very pricey butchers and they gave me pigs in blankets out of the freezer. Not ordered from them this year!

If I bought Christmas stuff early I'd only eat it!

Well we do both. I make the puddings and cake well ahead.
I do things like pickles and chutney well ahead. I don’t really count these as Christmas preparations specifically.
Mainly though I get it delivered fresh because that is when it is available. It’s hard to but turkey in August. I want my vegetables fresh. I enjoy making mince pies, bread sauce, brandy butter and cranberry sauce with whichever family are around. I love making my wreath, table centres and advent ring with friends over a glass of wine.
My husband does the drinks selection at Majestic some time in early December and it was delivered yesterday. He then decided there might not be enough so went to top up the champagne from Aldi today.
The last minute dash, the busy, frenetic rush is good fun. I love the excitement.
My sister buys her Christmas cards etc in January and is ‘all sorted’ by September. Somehow that rather takes the joy out of it for me.
Advent is meant to be a period of preparation. Very little goes to waste in our house.

I've had to nail Christmas shopping In two days. One day for presents and today for food as I am getting married on the 28th December

I bought some booze a couple of weeks ago, and the xmas day food today. It was OK, no drama. Wasn't set on turkey so just bought what looked good ( beef).
I have no proper freezer, a small fridge and a tiny kitchen, sooooo. ...
Also, I'm really busy with work, as are lots of people.
I couldn't be arsed thinking about xmas months in advance . Plus , if you have a tight budget it's easier to stick to it if you do it all in one day.
Excellently smug post though OP.

How does only having veg to get make me any less prone to road rage in Tescos carpark? I still have to get in, park, walk past people, queue to pay. Now if I really planned ahead and a)built a greenhouse and b) grew all my own vegetables that would mean I didn’t have to shop for them.

I went to Aldi tonight for meat and got a 30% off deal on a sirloin beef joint that I had been eyeing up all month and a decent large ham for boxing day. I also bought the treats, and doing it in one shop stops me "over-catering" on the biscuit/cheese/chocolate front (A lot of that produce had been reduced, too) I went an hour before closing and it was lovely and quiet.

I have for the past 12 years bought all our meat from our local butcher's but we have had to tighten our belts as I've been unable to work much this year (ill health) Mostly by having much more veggie meals, like macn'cheese or curries and pulse stews, but for Christmas my lot want meat - It is what it is.

I also booked way in advance an ocado delivery for all my veg and other fresh products, with a 30% off voucher. That's because the quality of the fruit/veg/dairy is much better and lasts longer. I did a comparison shop with Sainsbury's which was dearer once the voucher had been factored in but I've been put off deliveries from Tesco's and Morrisons due to the quality of the fnv and subs / oos. Quite frankly I'd rather not have to worry about stuff going off between Christmas and New Year. We love trying out new ways to use leftovers and the challenge (in our house) is to try and only buy milk in the period in between.

YMMV Obvs

I used to do all that faffing around for the 'perfect' Christmas meal. Boiling up cranberries for sauce, making pastry for mince pies, frying up chicken livers for homemade pate, baking a cake (he'll, I even had a year where I made my own marzipan!). Now I have 2 kids, and work full time and simply don't have the time. We still all have a Fab Christmas. Everyone is different OP and circs change. Good for you with all your pre-prepping, some of us are just too busy!

Congratulations billybull What a romantic time to get married! Hope you have a lovely day.

Our Tesco had sold out of cucumber and humus today 😱You can't freeze them!

A - not enough storage in lots of homes to store Xmas goodies in prep in addition to day to day food in lead up.

B - cooking for much larger groups (and storing it all in advance)

C) - not enough time

Has anyone mentioned the teens raiding every cupboard going?

End up buying twice - which is why I think the supermarkets have these 'flash sales' on £1 boxes of after eights and such like

Agree. People are barmy. Particularly in the Uk. Shops are shut for a day. And really Christmas dinner is just an embellished Sunday roast. Not worth the wailing about and car park meltdowns to be honest

I do it all last minute, but it's never the nightmare people act like it is. It's not fun, but at worst it's a mild annoyance.

I was in the supermarket earlier and the only thing making it difficult were the people running around in a panic like headless chickens. I don't know why people make it so hard. It's just a supermarket trip.

@GreenTulips YYY to the bloody ninja teen cupboard/fridge raid.

I deliberately haven't bought goodies yet because I'd only have to buy them twice! Luckily I've aVe my coop and Tesco points so it won't actually cost much and I'll be able to stand in the queue benign and beatific!

gingerclementine
That's brilliant. Happy Christmas!

I think some posters have been hard on OP. She didn't sound mean in her post just a proud 'I'm dead pleased with myself that I'm nearly sorted for dinner'.

Good for you OP. Well Done.

We try to prepare early, fall turkey hunting season is October all 4 of us hunt with the aim of getting a thanksgiving turkey and a Christmas turkey. Veg comes from the garden in the summer and is stored in the root cellar. The moonshine is run off in August. So com December there is little to do.

Wow OP. I would have been a nervous wreck in your shoes this year. I started prepping in 2012 for this year. What with all the offer and coupons I've accumulated my food and Christmas present shopping was free. In fact, i got £1K cashback on it all which is going towards my next holiday in Mauritius. All presents were wrapped in July and i have won a competition so i have a butler and waiting staff for the full festive period. Sigh... It's going to be a tough few days.

I get all the chocolates important things weeks in advance. Meat is ordered at the butcher and veg and fruit bought from the Farmer's Market the day or two before Christmas Eve.

Nrft but my abusive ex wouldn’t give me the Christmas allowance money until the week before Christmas so I would be running around like a headless chicken the week before Christmas for all presents that had been sold out!!!! and all of the food feast for him and his visiting family for Christmas!!!!
Now after the divorce i enjoy a ready meal and glass of wine a new book and the peace and quiet now that the arseholes gone