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?

No
I’m working Monday and Tuesday anyway
Food shop done, house cleaned, last lot of washing on (had a busy day)
Presents have been wrapped as I’ve purchased them and are now under tree
The only things left to do apart from go to work is collect my meat order and iron the tablecloth

Not here.
Did our ‘big shop’ today, left the house at 15.45, home at 5pm. Parked right outside Tesco and straight to a till.
House is tidy, even changed bedding today.
Presents are wrapped as they arrive.
Tomorrow is a lie in, Cats at the Cinema with DD afternoon.
Pizza (frozen) and salad for tea.
Tuesday, slow cook a gammon, quick tidy and clean bathroom.
Chinese takeaway for dinner.
We have 7 altogether for dinner on Wednesday, three adults can prep it easily on the day.

Why are you do disorganised? I'm all done, next two days will be doing festive things with DS and DH , DS has his nursery Christmas party tomorrow so DH and I are going for a nice lunch. YABU

I was "ready" over a week ago - ie just before DD broke up from school. Did the last bits of veg shopping and milk etc this morning, picking up the turkey tomorrow morning and then that's it.

A week ago I was feeling relaxed - until both norovirus and flu hit the house. Since then I have had sooo much washing and disinfecting to do that I'm thankful that all the festive stuff was already done. Thankfully we're over the worst so hopefully we can now put our feet up and start to enjoy our first break in months.

Just run away and get a cheeky Nando’s 🐓🍗

Not for me luckily. Finished work on Friday. Teen dd finished school then too. DH is working Monday.

So,
Saturday - visited PILs for a festive meal as not seeing on Christmas Day
Today - visited my brother and his partner to exchange gifts over a late lunch; visited a hall to book for dd's 18th party
Tomorrow - me and dd are visiting my sister and nephew for the day. Its a couple of hours drive each way so full day whilst dh is at work
Tuesday - will call at both my grandma's house to drop gifts off, then a relaxed evening. Will put final gifts out at bedtime (rest are all done and under the tree)
Christmas Day - presents in the morning; my parents coming around midday(ish) and then we are off for a curry for an early dinner with them and our friends; home to relax afterwards as parents are staying over

So not very much left to do here.

Booze/Shopping/Food/Butcher - Ocado shopping being delivered tomorrow evening; dh will be home to collect it. Last item being delivered to dh's work tomorrow after ordering online today. If anything doesn't turn up, for us it will be nothing important so it can wait
Pantry/fridge - not ordered much as eating out; have never cleaned out cupboards before Christmas though
Gifts to wrap - just have one more to do, did rest this morning and a couple of evenings this week
Family lunches to attend - one yesterday; no more to go yo
Hairdresser appointments to attend - Ive not bothered with it as there were limited appointments left, same for teen dd.
All the food to prep - eating out so nothing to do.

Lots of smuggery on this thread. We've done most of the things on OP's list, but will have things of our own to do that couldn't be accomplished in advance because we were waiting for payday/family members/medical stuff/car availability etc. Nothing that'd mean the end of the world if it couldn't be done, but less than perfect. And it IS exhausting if you want to do your best.

Booze picked up & drunk so I need to make another trip 🤪

How is it smuggery to be organised and not leave it all until the last paycheck of the year?
Not everyone drives either.

My medical stuff is why I don't leave it until the last minute. Had I done that last year no-one would have had a thing. And again I'm back on bedrest/take things very easy. So had I left it all until now, we would be fucked.

It shouldn't be exhausting because people shop and clean throughout the year, and this one day is not different apart from a box of crackers to pull and shiny decorations.

If you leave it all until the last minute, of course, it's going to be tiring.

I picked up things throughout the year, even when things were tight until around July/August when I was on sick and there's no other adult here. I do so because I didn't know how long I would be on sick for and looks like I'm heading back down that route again.

If that makes me smug for being organised, then yea I am one smug bitch who just needs to sort out medical stuff which needs sorting anyway regardless of the time of year.

I need to choose somewhere to eat in Xmas day (we’re on holiday). I’ll get round to it.

" And it IS exhausting if you want to do your best."

Ooh, I obviously haven't done my best then.

Oh dear!

I finished work at 12 on Friday so did good shop and butcher on my way home. I'm not hosting Xmas day so was mainly just normal stuff with a few extras. I picked up pigs in blankets to take to SiL on Xmas day and a piece of need for when my parents come on the 27th - both in freezer to preserve.

I had done all present shopping (mostly online) and have been wrapping a few things each day so only got a couple of things left to wrap.

Been tidying the house today but not got much planned tomorrow or Tuesday - will probably take DS to soft play tomorrow.

Otherwise, just chilling and watching Christmas films

Can you split the jobs with other family members?

We did virtually everything this weekend. Big shop and a sprint round town yesterday. Top ups and wrapping today. There are a few last minute things to collect tomorrow. We both work FT and have one child doing mock GCSEs, we have just kept it to the essentials for everyone's sanity. We have a small family and all the children are teenagers /students so there isn't the expectation of mountains of toys. If we had 25 people for Christmas Dinner and a huge family we couldn't have got away with it.

Really is MN Xmas bingo on this thread. 'It's just one day' 'It's just a glorified roast' 'I work 75 hours a week and I'd got everything done by 1st December!'

That’s about an hours work!!

I never said I was stressed, it feels hectic. I love the prep and have been organised. Did a lot of shopping in October (to send overseas) so I feel like I've been at it for months ......
Got to love Mumsnet tho, Don't you think there are maybe reasons that things are being done over these few days?
And no I can't pick up the booze I want from the supermarket as legally they don't sell it.
I've delegated out by that's my component of the do do list.
Up early ticked off some stuff and now off to the gym.
Happy Christmas to everyone, may all your troubles be out of sight!!

I've still got presents to wrap, chocolates to make, canapes to make, a birthday cake to make for a friend, a hairdressers appointment...

House is a mess, still have presents to buy, nothing wrapped, tree isn't even up.... Couldn't care less. Working anyway so if the kids want the place clean and the tree up, they'll have to do it themselves (they're in their 20s now so no guilt here!!)

'It's just one day' well it is
Christmas is no more work than any family gathering at any other time in the year...

'It's just a glorified roast' quite, it's only on MN that people have to spend weeks thinking, talking, planning, cooking and making themselves sick about one meal. It's food.

'I work 75 hours a week and I'd got everything done by 1st December!'
sounds reasonable if you do work 75 hours a week. I don't, and I am still done by now

I've realised why I don't get stressed-husband & daughter have just gone to do the last shop & I'm off out with the dog.

Isn't division of labour wonderful?

Really is MN Xmas bingo on this thread. 'It's just one day' 'It's just a glorified roast' 'I work 75 hours a week and I'd got everything done by 1st December!' hmm

Last time I checked Christmas Day is one day. Would be different if it was a week or more.

It is just a roast with a couple of extras to make it different to a Sunday roast. A couple of hours tops to cook and most of it gets cooked in the oven and doesn't need constant watching.

Maybe I'm doing roasts wrong. 🤷‍♀️

Not at all. If you wrap as you go throughout Nov and early Dec, and plan there is no need to do the last minute rush. Plus, it's just one day and it's not worth killing yourself over!!

Surely MN bingo is a poultry you can get 12 dinners from. Or if not bingo the ultimate MN goal!!

I fail here as I don't get a turkey for the very reason of leftovers. Don't mind it as part of a roast, but there nothing more unappetisng than turkey curry/hash/soup or similar 'recipe' days on end.

now off to the gym.

Not that hectic if you can fit in a visit to the gym! It's one day, not the end of the world.

I know what you mean!

My list is different to yours but still a list to complete. My dd was ill last week & all the things I was going to do have had to wait!

Gingerbread house kit to buy (if I can't get one it's not the end of the world.)

Cards to drop through 3 peoples doors.

Presents to drop to my friend & her dc.

Mince pies to buy (someone scoffed the first lot - glares at DH)

Cheap veg like cauliflower, carrots etc to buy extra of (will make some nice batches of cauli cheese & some soup for the freezer between Xmas & New Year). I enjoy this!

Help dc tidy their bedrooms

Quick whip round the lounge, kitchen, downstairs loo etc to freshen everything up.

Stocking fillers to wrap!