To start planning for Christmas?

[lilnutter]

Just that really..it's my turn this year and keen to avoid Christmas Eve shooing dash..whaddya think? Too soon?

I started planning in the January sales!

It's mid September, I think you'll find you're not alone in your prepping.

No, not too soon if you want to be organised.

You could make a list of what to buy who then track online discounts (hardy potter lego, etc).

Or make a list and buy it all in one/two days.

There is a thread somewhere on MN wuth a list of things needed for the Christmas period that you don't want to run out of. It has such gems as:

Extra batteries for all new toys
Extra bog rolls
Candles
Aluminium foil for leftovers
Drugs (paracetamol, rennies, burn cream - for hot-oven-incidents).

Etc.

Listing and ticking things off that list helps us be organised (whether that's housework, the swimming bag, picnics, back-to-school palaver). Be sure to include/delegate a lot of the list to partners/older children. Bearing the brunt of doing EVERYTHING at Christmas (or picnics or what have you) sucks my will to live.

DS is a December child. We have already bought a gift for each (v cool microscope and a rugby ball) and a couple of bits for his stocking, including a grow your own crystal set.

I haven't even thought about Christmas food yet. I'll design my cards next month (handmake about 10 for family and abroad-friends).

Bought my pants tickets in Jan for the best seats

There is also the Christmas Board to help for ideas.

Panto tickets FFS. Nobody would pay money for tickets to see my pants.....

Omg
I was thinking about Christmas, you have totally put me to shame.
I must go out and buy a new notepad from paper chase and find this Christmas thread.

You know what annoyed me 4 Christmases ago? I forgot to buy short crust pastry and was running around all over trying to find it. In the end had to rustle it up in a hot kitchen. Never forgot that Christmas! And then the electricity went down on Christmas Day for the whole street!

I have started to get excited about Christmas! It started when I was delegated to organize the office Christmas 'do' in August - if we haven't got something booked by the end of September we find we can't get what we want. Then we have just come back from our annual holiday so I need something to look forward to, and we are on our own for Christmas this year (😭 grown up kids not coming to us this year, sob) so we are going to Butlins which I have just booked. I thought sod it, if it just us I'm not going to do all that work and I will let somebody else do it for us. So I am well on my way to getting Christmas sorted! I even have got the liquorice vodka marinating nicely so that by Christmas we will have a fragrant bottle of black sticky sweetness which will slide down nicely and provide some warmth as it does. Next step is to start getting the presents and the little gifts for the stockings..... by starting early I can spread the cost and reduce the stress, and give myself the pleasure of finding just the right gift and having the time to wrap things beautifully. I love Christmas.

I start planning and buying as soon as school restarts mainly due to finances and I like to bring the DC to some Christmas events. I used to miss out on the events but I have reduced the amounts of presents for others instead