To think there is so much to do between now and Christmas Day!

[Werkwerkwerkwerk]

I appreciate I'm very lucky to have finished work on Friday. But it still feels like there is so much to do .......
Booze to be picked up
Shopping to finish
Pantry and fridges to clean so the food will fit
Food arriving tomorrow
Butcher to get to
Inevitably there will be bits missing from the shopping so back to the shops
Gifts to wrap
Family lunches to attend
Hairdresser appointments to attend
All the food to prep
I love the festive season - but it's so hectic !!

Anyone else?

It is busy!

I feel actually organised this year, I do have some wrapping to do still, have wrapped about half of presents. I also had the food delivered yesterday but stupidly some prepared stuff won't quite last until Christmas day so will need to go out tomorrow again. Need to finish spring cleaning the house and kitchen, then visiting family on Xmas eve so only have today and tomorrow to finish that stuff as well as entertain 2 very excited little children :)

Well I'm poorly this year and not supposed to be doing anything physical. It's like a wake up call now I'm getting used to it as I've learnt how to ask for help rather than doing everything!

We've wrapped all the presents together; I've picked the online shop for food (he maintains there's nothing he wants and trusts me but we will see); DH is off to collect the shop now; presents were dropped off with family yesterday by DH; house to be cleaned by us both over the next couple of days; make some brownies & mince pies with the little one as and when we feel like it.

On the day we will both be cooking and I've bought lots of alcohol this year to make sure I'm nice and relaxed (without getting pissed). Can't wait!

Nope. Christmas Day is a (new Christmas) pj day. Just the children and me so we get up when we want; eat when we want; the fridge is always clean and tidy anyway. Can't say the same for the pantry. One bottle of prosecco for Christmas dinner; red wine and brandy for mulled wine and that's the alcohol done. Camembert for baking on Boxing Day.

It's just a day. A lovely day when I'm not at work, my son's not at work, my daughter's not at school and I refuse to put the washing machine on.

I simply do not get people who make it into more than this.

Nope. Presents were wrapped bit by bit when I had a few spare minutes. Food shopping was done last night. No hair appointments, I wouldn't book one this close to Christmas. House will get a decent clean/tidy up tomorrow with everyone chipping in. I actually have nothing to do between now and the 25th.

@Werkwerkwerkwerk

LOL, what an over-reaction!

Christmas is only hard work if you make it. You're putting all this on yourself, and MAKING hard work. You sound like a martyr.

I have nothing else to do now, except meet relatives on Christmas Eve (including adult DC,) to swap presents. Should be out 4-5 hours and home for 3pm. Me and Dh are lounging about doing nothing from yesterday afternoon to Tuesday morning.

Done everything already, and will be having a small roast meal on Christmas day evening. (Just me and DH) that HE is cooking,. Then Boxing day I am making us both a little buffet. 27th we are going shopping in the sales and seeing our adult DC again, and having lunch with them.

Christmas is only hard work if you make it. You're putting all this on yourself, and MAKING hard work. You sound like a martyr.

It's a weird thing to do. But then we don't really bother with it all. Got a lovely tree, sent a few cards and will have a glorified roast dinner on Wednesday. That's about it really.

3 years ago our DD died in December. We buried her on the 21st. Up until that point Christmas wasn't happening in this house. Then we woke up on 22nd and said 'what do we do now'? We decided that we should do Christmas because DD would have loved it. So in 3 days we put up a tree, bought and wrapped presents and did the usual food shopping. It made us realise that the weeks and weeks of stressing about all the preparation don't need to happen. This morning I know that I have many things to do before Wednesday mainly because we have been out a lot this week having fun with the people that matter. Whilst we will have a traditional Christmas, we really wouldn't care if we had beans on toast as long as we share it with the people who matter to us. No stressing going on here!

I am so sorry about yout daughter bigblue.
You are so right that nothing matters except who you are with.

@bigbluebus

Awww wow, I am so sorry! What a time to lose to your daughter. Although there would never be a GOOD time - when things happen at Christmas, it seems worse somehow.

(((HUGS))) for you

Booze to be picked up - aka going to the shop
Shopping to finish - aka going to the shop
Pantry and fridges to clean so the food will fit aka moving a few bits
Food arriving tomorrow aka answering the door and putting food in cupboards
Butcher to get to - aka going to the shops
Inevitably there will be bits missing from the shopping so back to the shops aka going to the shops
Gifts to wrap aka sitting down and cutting paper.
Family lunches to attend aka turning up and eating
Hairdresser appointments to attend aka pampering session
All the food to prep aka getting dinner ready

Really nothing to get worked up about here.

You are being a drama llama. Getting shopping delivered, getting you hair done and eating out with family aren't really chores. And apart from going to the shops, I can't really see what's so hectic here.

I did the Christmas deep clean this morning. Freezer was defrosted fridge cleaned out and cupboards cleaned and organized last weekend.
Currently sitting in the hairdressers relaxing and having me time, getting my nails done after this.
Dp has the kids at a soft play. We’ll meet up for a late lunch.
On the way home go to the supermarket for a booze shop.
Tomorrow we are both at work, food shop arriving tomorrow night. Kids are with pil and they are doing festive baking and watching Christmas movies.
Christmas Eve through the day we’re meeting up with family and then having friends visiting. After they have gone dp will strip all the beds and I’ll make them. We’ll do a tidy up together and prep the veg and stuff.
Presents were all bought and wrapped and put away weeks ago.

Yep but I love it. There's that element of danger that everything may fuck up at any given moment and then we'll laugh our arses off and watch Gavin & Stacey. I love cooking Christmas dinner and getting everything sorted out.

Sadly no time to get my hair done.

@bigbluebus - sorry for your loss. Hope you manage to find some enjoyment at Christmas with your family.

All normal things. You've got to pop to the shops and have your hair done. What a drama.

Our main oven is bust and they can't get the parts till the new year. Christmas dinner will therefore be DP's most excellent lasagne, as it's one of few things that will fit in the small oven.

It's amazing how much less work this involves: no veg to peel and chop (well, there's the mire poix, but I do that in the processor and it's a matter of seconds), no stuffings, nothing that has to be hovered over. The chicken livers and meat for the ragu are in the freezer, so just need to be defrosted and he'll probably do that the night before, so just the bechamel to make in the morning.

I'm making a Sussex Pond Pudding, so that's 30-40 minutes of prep in the morning and 3-4 hours simmering. I'll make proper custard but might do that the day before and reheat when we need it.

All I need to buy is a bag of salad and a baguette for garlic bread, almost everything else is store cupboard stuff.

I may even get off my arse in a minute and do something decidedly un-Christmassy, like tidy the bedroom.

No, not really

Bloody hell OP....I wish so much I had your Xmas. Have spent the Xmas period so far pretty much alone. Now looking like Xmas day will be the same. I have no idea why I read these threads as they just make me feel even worse than I already do and it's not really fair of me to post my self indulgent crap. I miss having people around.

@bigbluebus So sorry for your loss.

I’m moving house tomorrow so you should think about that 🤣🤣

All normal things. You've got to pop to the shops and have your hair done. What a drama.

Just picked up the turkey and so that is the last job done. Gifts all bought in advance and wrapped. Food and drink in. Cake iced yesterday. I work full time but fi ished on Friday so can now relax and enjoy the festivities

Not really as most of your list could have been done over the past month eg booze , haircuts, gift wrapping. Maybe I am christmassing wrong but other than a bit of ordinary housework I have nothing needing doing other than some cooking Christmas eve for next day. I am going to hide on the sofa whilst daughter makes chutney later.

Thank you for all your kind thoughts. We wiĺl continue to have a good Christmas as we are not the sitting around and wallowing in self pity kind of family. We will visit DD's grave on our Christmas day walk so she will still be part of our day.

So sorry for those who spend Christmas time alone - I'm sure that social media makes it even more difficult.

Well you've turned one job into 4 by separating out booze, butchers, food delivery and last minute shop.

I'm doing all that in one go at about 6 am tomorrow morning. I'll go to the butchers and Morrisons and anything leftover that I didn't like the look of at those two I'll pick up at m&s on the way home. The whole lot will take an hour or so and then I'm off to work.

Like others have said, it's only a big hectic stressful thing if you choose to turn it into one and I refuse to get sucked in for one day.

I just can't get this manic about it. About a month to 3 weeks before Xmas I go out for 1 afternoon and buy presents for my kids. Occasionally I order online if it's something awkward.
I order the food a few weeks before and pick it up on Xmas eve.
Me and DH wrap on Xmas eve while getting a bit sozzled then we wake up on Xmas morning and get on with eating and drinking and watching the kids have fun.

I've sorted the cleaning and tidying. Finishing the washing today. Shopping done.
All that's left is to wrap my husbands presents, our sons are all wrapped because we did it last week.

I feel nice and chilled 😁