To ask your best tips to make Christmas easy and stres free?

[Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar]

What do you do in the run up to Christmas to make it easier for yourself?

I book a day off work about 1-2 weeks before to give me a chance to buy any last presents and do wrapping.
I also make sure DH is equally involved in the food shopping and planning.
I’ve also learnt not to arrange too much like Christmas events.

I have followed the Organised Christmas programme for years now and find the whole season totally stress free.

I plan and prepare things.

Buy presents throughout the year depending on sales. Start buying some food items early. I’ve bought Quality Street tubs this week because of the prices. Next month I’ll buy biscuits/crackers etc.

Then in November I start preparing food that can freeze.

You can look on Christmas threads, lots of tips from others.

What is this?! The organised Christmas Programme?

Just do the bits you want to and have fun. I've bought reusable wrapping bags, stopped writing cards, stopped faffing with decorations other than a tree and will be doing a buffet of all our favourite foods on the day. I enjoy making pizza so it's no hassle and I'll buy some prepared lovely snacks. Stuff traditionally and make it your own. Dd and dh send me a shopping list with links so I just need a credit card and computer and that's sorted. Parents get tickets to a show. Ditch the stressful bits and keep it simple.

Ignore it to the best of my ability.

Take a child free day off work to finish shopping and wrap.
Dont do Christmas cards
Buy presents through the year
Plan a menu that's delicious but wont have you slaving for hours in the run up
Dont have family over 😭🤣🫣

Work out what you actually like about / at Christmas. Ditch what you think you have to do or feel obliged to do.

I’ve said the name wrong it’s actually The Organised Christmas Method created by the cleaning influencer ‘the organised mum’. It runs from September through to the end of November with specific tasks every week to tick off meaning that by the beginning of December you have done most of the heavy lifting and can enjoy the season. The only thing I don’t really do is wrap presents as I go because they can look a bit tatty by December.

Don't give it any headspace until end of November

Start early. When I see something throughout the year that I think someone is be buying a gift for would like, I buy it at the time. This week I got the stocking stuffers and last bits for my DC. I’m taking DH shopping in a couple of weeks so will have an opportunity to grab something he may like and not buy himself. I get gifts for 2 friends as well - those were sorted a month or so ago too.

All being well we’ll have an 8 week old baby at Christmas this year, so getting food from M&S, doing minimal meal prep and hosting.

Am buying and wrapping gifts now so eldest DS has most of his gifts sorted and away pre baby. Have also booked an advent day trip for DS and DH to London while baby and I stay here, and I’ve booked the local grotto tickets already which we can walk to. Other “activities” will be the school Christmas fayre and church services. We won’t travel to see family this Christmas but they’re welcome to come to us (if they cook 😂).

Cut everything back to the minimum. Only do the things I want. Only see people I actually want to see.

I love Christmas but it’s probably because I am quite ruthless about spending it to suit myself.

We all have separate jobs.

So whoever's house it is that year always gets decorations.
Someone else does food.
Table, cleaning, checking off the lists etc etc. it becomes a lot more manageable.

My mum gets desserts every year as she has a compulsion to buy a £50 cake from m&s. We leave her to it, oooo and ahh over it and noone else has to even vaguely consider it.
She also gets Santa butter and she does Christmas crackers.
I usually do food delivery booking and cooking the main.
Oldest childs family is doing car runs and decorations,
Youngest is games and recycling.

This is our fourth year doing it and it's been marvelous!

If you buy gifts throughout the year you run the risk of getting them something they already have, or in the case of children, they change their minds about what they want. I think starting shopping early means the beginning of November!

@Toastandbutterand what is Santa butter?

I got the Santas Bag app to keep track of what presents I’ve bought/want to buy, and where I’ve hidden them!
I don’t do Elf on the Shelf or whatever. That’s extra work I don’t need.
i tend to start shopping beginning of September - usually the stocking fillers, or presents for adults that don’t tend to randomly change their mind about what they want every 5 minutes! Nieces/nephews get vouchers now which I wrap up with some chocolates. PIL get a theatre voucher - they regularly go to shows to they get to choose the date and show that way.
Christmas dinner is now always from M&S - so easy and means nobody is slaving away in the kitchen. I mean, I pop in to “check the turkey” every so often as that’s where I stash the Prosecco….
i decided it’s only as complicated and stressful as I make it so I simply won’t do that.

This, 100%.

Christmas is utterly ridiculous now.

I do it all online, avoid shops and every year cull something from the food, drink and present list. Only buy a few useful and consumable stocking fillers. Don’t buy the tree too early and literally just buy presents, food and drinks none of the other crap.

I’m going to cut food down further this year and will wrap well before so Xmas Eve I can do nothing. Not allowing myself to get sucked into stupid Xmas projects either or expensive Xmas days out just a few walks . Did zilch last year and didn’t miss any of it.

Going to go by the it’s only a roast mantra and the environment doesn’t need yet more landfill.

Don’t over think or over do it.

Spreadsheet of presents so I keep a track of spending and not duplicate too much from previous years, only do the bits I enjoy, have a husband who willingly shares the tasks and has no expectation of me buying cards and presents on his behalf. Being veggie helps as I don’t need to worry about roasting giant turkeys.

I start shopping early already started I also book a couple of days of work in the middle of December to get everything wrapped. I put the decorations up early in December before everything gets to hectic. Iv stopped sending Christmas cards. Some years we have Christmas dinner on Christmas eve so that we can spend Christmas day just enjoying the day without spending to much time in the kitchen.

In our house:

Cut cards down to the absolute minimum

Presents - 1 present for immediate family adults. 3 presents for immediate family kids. Kids’ stockings - 6 items (no tat). But throughout the year as you think of or see things.

Decorating: moderate-sized tree, wreath on front door, fairy lights scattered around.

Food:
Christmas Eve - go out
Christmas Day - buy it all from M&S
Boxing Day - cold turkey, ham, jacket potatoes, salad, coleslaw. Buy a meringue roulade for pudding.

Don't fall for all the hype!
Shop online - I have a rule of "no shops in December
Remember it is only one day - just 24 hours.
Don't start too early - Christmas trees should go up on 24th December
Don't faff around with food nobody likes - have pizza for Christmas dinner, or an Indian/Chinese takeaway
Ideally, go on holiday and ignore the whole thing!

Just do the bits that we like ! So it is entirely un stressful and enjoyable.
One of my children is ever my disabled and unable to sit down for a long meal so we sacked that off a while ago. Honestly, no regrets!