...To ask if anyone else is a month behind with Christmas prep?

[Bahbughum]

14 days.
The house isn't decorated.
The tree isn't up.
The house isn't even cleaned/tidied yet.
The presents are not bought.
We are hosting (last minute change of plans, bah humbug)
Work is very busy and it just all feels too much this year.

Any hacks/tips/Grinch style companionship welcome.

I used to love Christmas... 🙈

What on earth!!! Someone scowled at you for buying pre-made?!! They could have a look in my fridge/freezer. We get ready stuffed turkey, pre-made pigs and gravy. We short cut all the way - except DH makes Gary Rhodes cranberry sauce and I’ve made the cake.

The tree took an hour to do - just crack on one evening. We don’t do outside lights - never got round to buying any. I’m almost there with presents but not finished. Plenty of days yet. We were still wrapping past midnight one Christmas Eve- never been that late since though!

I stopped writing cards years ago, everyone I love I see 2-3 times a year anyway. Only put a tree up. Ensure you rationalise gifts - parents and kids in the family only. If you want to go wider - secret Santa approach on the day. So you all buy one other adult a gift. Despite the panic over Xmas food delivery dates, it’s a fancy roast. Get to a big supermarket early on 21-23rd and buy the Xmas dinner. If you’re hosting, delegate puddings, starters/nibbles to those coming. If hosting is pushing you over the edge, just don’t. One year it was just very complicated and I decided just to cook for my kids and partner. People popped in during the day but I just couldn’t face it. It was nice. If you host all adults and older kids must help.

I buy pigs in blankets pre-made every year, judging by how difficult to come by they are on Christmas Eve so does most other people. I’ve only made them once when I couldn’t find them for that reason.

sod making them, in fact sod the faff of the Christmas dinner. It’s just a roast dinner with a few extra bits, I even buy a chicken (cheaper and I don’t like turkey) 😂

I’m so far behind

we moved in august , house was a tip still is tbh , trying my darnest to decorate and buy furniture etc

I’ve had two lots of new school uniform to buy on top of trying to decorate and sort the house , that’s on top of 4 kids bdays October our funds are well and truly gone

I’m normally done by oct all presents wrapped and tree up nov …. Even Our Xmas decorations didn’t make the move no room in our removal van 🙈 trying to make do with what we have

If you have an artificial tree, this evening get it out (or get your dp to) and get the rest of the house to decorate. If getting real supermarkets have them. Stuff the other decorations for now. Superficial tidy up by rest of house whilst you hit Amazon, boots have good deals, Argos, jl etc online.

finally by the end of the weekend make a shopping list for food and ideal pick up the longer life stuff keeping it simple, just a big roast! Stick to easy sides that are crowd pleasers like red cabbage, I threw it together last night in 5 minutes from things in the cupboard (bar the actual cabbage) rather than complicated gratins and buy a let gravy!

I have done absolutely nothing .
I am working from home today and am looking at the tree but can’t be arsed to put it up.
I haven’t bought any presents as I intend to give money to my nieces/ nephews / my kids. .The only person I bought a present for is ME.
I ordered a walking pad. Absolutely love it
Food shopping will be done next week when the kids return from university. I will give them a list and let them get on with it.

Yeah me. I've done bugger all really and we are going away this weekend so it won't get done then either. I've bought two presents.

Just cant be arsed this year and i usually love Christmas. Ive bought a few presents but havent wrapped anything yet. Tree not up yet either. All the main food and drink bought though so at least i have my priorities right! It will get done, it always does.

Good point about the pigs.

I tend to make them to use up a packet of streaky bacon (cutting up chipolatas) and lobbing them in the freezer.

Today I will tackle the plain Xmas wreath that I bought on Friday and which has been sat in the garden awaiting Amazon pretty bits ever since.

I DO have some Xmassy flowers, but otherwise the house is its usual cluttered.

I'm blaming it on the fact that December started on a Sunday

Who says it’s a month behind, I say I’m on time this starting Christmas in November or earlier is fine for some but not for me, it doesn’t need to drag on for months. Christmas shopping starts today, tree up tomorrow only think I’ve done is calendars for the kids.

We don’t put our tree up until mid December at the earliest, we used to do it on the first day of the school holidays so that could be very late. I never buy presents before December either. The only way I could be a month late with everything is if I started around the middle of January 🙂.

How do you know they scowled at you for buying premade? Maybe they have resting bitch face like me and just look permanently annoyed. Or have other stuff going on in their lives, so aren't smiling over the sausage aisle.

I haven't bought a tree yet, nor a single present, all my food will be premade. My father's funeral is on Friday. I loathed the man, but for my mother's sake, all Christmas prep has been delayed until after it is over.

I'm behind as well. This year I've been adjusting to working full time after 17 years part time, and I'm behind on loads of things generally, plus getting my H used to the fact that I can no longer take on most of the domestic gubbins, Christmas included.

I prefer to decorate later, so that's ok, and I'm confident with all the food, but I am SOOOO behind with presents. I have too many adults to buy for, and previous suggestions of not bothering or doing a secret Santa went down like a lead balloon.

That sounds really hard - I'm sorry. Hope you get through it ok.

I havent done anything yet either but i never do. There is no rush. Its badically a Sunday roast with some presents.

I dint even j ow whis ciming yk mi e yet. Ill know about a week before. Its all very casual ;)

Also behind. Never been this disorganised for Xmas before. Tree is up but not a lot else done. Just remembered need to buy Xmas jumpers for jumper day at school while writing this. Need more presents and food. Will plan the meals and write food list tonight. Already booked slot so hopefully that’ll be fine. Need to decide what presents to get and get ordering and wrapping. Just no motivation this year

I'm massively behind, but tbh I always am and I don't really care. As @Maddy70 says, it's just a Sunday roast with a few presents. I'll write a few cards today and we'll probably decorate the tree this afternoon. It's up and dropping needles all over the floor, but the DC want to do it so I'm leaving it for them. I do the lights though, which is the worst job, and I need to do that.

Sorry to hear so many of us are struggling. This year is the year of gift cards / vouchers. Christmas dinner I am trying to make as easy as possible by going via the m&s / cook route. Tree is up.

I could have written this post! nice to see I'm not alone, we've got this!

My priorty list is:

• get the food ordered
• at least one thing for everyone to unwrap. I've got a list of what's ordered and tick it off and chucking it in a box as it arrives. Wrapping I'll do at night
• getting tree and decs up this weekend
• Low lights and hope no one can see the filth and mess. drape tinsel on the piles of laundry

Tree can go up whenever. Other decorations are not needed. Presents can be bought online in an evening if you are in a real hurry (and maybe talk about cutting down,SS or no gifts for adults next year?). Can you do a quick clean at the last minute in the evening while listening to some podcasts.

Hosting wise, I think dumping hosting responsibilities last-minute on working parents is a bit shit; if I couldn't back out of it, I'd be sending round a nice but firm email explaining that it's going to be pretty minimal due to business and work commitments, and that everyone's going to have to do some of the work and wait on themselves. And I'd be assigning all guests some tasks to do and some dishes etc. to bring.

I've just been reading a guide in a newspaper about how to make wreaths and hang up decorations from rolled up chicken wire....and thought...no, that's stuff I don't need to do....

Thanks for the solidarity and advice all!

Sending hugs to those who are struggling this Christmas 🫂

Last night I managed to get a Christmas delivery slot, albeit for 6 days early. So I've ordered everything non perishable on there and will update it before delivery so that's that. More expensive but done, except a few fresh bits/any missing essentials when it arrives.

Tonight I'm going to get any presents I can ordered. So todays to do list:
• Clean living room - tree tomorrow
• Order presents online
• write a list of what's left to do and work on some delegation

Then tomorrow I'll chip a bit more off it and we'll see where we are!

It's the most wonderful time of the year, so why are women especially so stressed!? My Husband is a good, helpful sort (and already pulls his weight daily but is having a very busy month too) but he has no sense of urgency or priority so he'll be working from the delegated list.

Yes! Hence my username 🫠

I have so much to do

@BigDahliaFan But that's the sort of thing I want to do. Chilled, relaxed season of good food, good company and slow and easy crafts and baking.
Instead it's crazy busy, crazy expensive and I need a holiday to recover from the holiday 🙃

Next year, I'm going to get in early and stop the train before we end up here!

Resisting urge to ask for the link 🤣

This is similar to how I operate. I'm useless without a detailed list.

I've been unexpectedly in hospital for a few days and with no end in sight, stressful at the best of times, even worse at Christmas.

But my system means I'm not too far behind, I'm compos mentis enough for admin tasks like ordering last bits and writing cards, and the list is shared with DH so he can cover the rest of the essentials. And we just need to accept we need to cut a few corners - but as long as I'm home, that makes it perfect!