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?

Drawstring bags and fabric stockings to put presents in so no need for paper or faffing around wrapping stuff. I have made my own over the years but you can buy nice ones too. Adults (other than DH and a couple of v good friends) only get booze or food so I can do one M&S or Waitrose shop for all of that.

When DC were little I made them each a stocking - its big enough to get a hand in easily for filling but not big enough to require much in the way of contents. Now they are in their 20s most of the contents can be bought in Boots or Superdrug so one delivery there and the occasional scroll of £10 Tuesday.

Dinner is late afternoon so no need to cook two meals - pot of soup and some nice bread in kitchen for those who are hungry to help themselves.

A lot of champagne....................

Oh and decorating - dump a load of ivy from the garden on mantelpieces with some fairy lights - takes about 10 minutes. A big tree with a lot of lights (all delegated to DH so not taking up my time) and then only glass white silver and gold decorations so it looks coherent and is easy to do. When DC were little they had their own tree for their own tat so now they think it is a huge privilege to be allowed to decorate the big one so even less of my time wasted.

Less is more for us. I love Christmas but it’s been gradually pared right down over the years. Just 2 of us for Christmas lunch ( 3 if DD16 isn’t with her GF). A short present list, shorter cards list now that the postage is so ridiculously pricy, fewer food extras as we used to end up wasting stuff every year & we don’t go mad with decorations. DD did the tree last year & it was absolutely stunning.
I buy the “ special” cards in the sales eg husband, Mum & Dad etc along with some presents, wrapping paper etc. Boots is great as their gifts end up reduced by 70%.

Go on holiday 😁.
Keep expectations to a minimum.
Only do the things we really want and see the people we want to.
I am organised wrt gift buying and shopping but don't go overboard.
We have a posh roast dinner with a few fancier bits and a very relaxed day in general.
It doesn't have to be perfect.

I never understand people who put Christmas trees up on the 24th December. Couldn't be bothered at that point and takeaways aren't open Christmas day

Make lists for everything
Wrap as you buy
Prepare and freeze food ahead of time
Add one thing for Christmas each week to your food shop

Don’t know…hopefully not like dragon butter!

This.

I don't bother with Christmas cards any more so that's one big task gone.

Presents are down to something for my Mum. We give our adult children some money and they buy us token gifts.

One Christmas thing I enjoy a lot and think is worth the bother is the food. I always make traditional British Christmas foods, including Christmas pudding, mince pies (I make the mincemeat as well as the pastry) and the main dinner of roast turkey stuffed with pork, sage and onion stuffing, giblet gravy, roast potatoes, bread sauce, sprouts, roast parsnips etc etc. We also have a rum cake which doesn't usually get broached until the New Year.

Other than that, I like having a Christmas tree to brighten up this dark time of year and I like having a break from the normal routine. You get a few decent TV and radio programmes at that time of year, so that's nice too.

It is a pat of butter carved into a shape of Santa clause.

This is why we just leave my mum to it 😁
I believe you can now buy them in Morrisons so it's not just a thing my mum does.

I don’t run around from house to house with young kids. My kids stay at their home enjoying the day with their gifts and people pop by if they want. We don’t run around trying to please anyone.

also if we host, everyone brings something. I’m not up at the crack of dawn cooking for a house full of people, I want to spend time with my family.

Most importantly, set boundaries for yourself. Don’t be a martyr and forget that you are important as well.

That's the traditional time. Advent is the period from 1st December to Christmas Eve. The twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and end on Twelfth Night, i.e. 5th January. Epiphany is 6th January.

Few people stick to this now, hence the strange modern phenomenon of starting Christmas festivities not long after Halloween and regarding Christmas as over on Boxing Day.

Well now im going to have to Google dragon butter!

I love Christmas and have done a fair bit of shopping already.

I don't go overboard anymore with food. We tend to only go all out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and then we're back to our normal diet (with the addition of a mince pie)

Presents for Adults are just a token, nieces and nephews get a selection box, plus a voucher or cash (much appreciated by them) DD still gets her stocking and presents. DH and I do each other a stocking.

When DD was little we planned to do one thing each weekend with her and we've carried on with the same principle as she's got older - keeps the cost down and we're not overwhelmed with doing this, that and the other.

This year its just the three of us so will be very chilled.

Prep food in advance and delegate tasks and some of the dishes.

Gift list is kept up to date, items ticked off as bought.

Enjoy it!! Which is easy for us because family gets on, no unpleasantness, and people help.

Nooooooooooooooooo

Don;t Google it
You will thank me later if you Don;t Google It . !!

@Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar

Come over to the Christmas Threads , we are nice

My grown up step kids and their kids live hundreds of miles away so mine is getting all their presents sent up in October (most of the kids birthdays are around Christmas too). Last year it was left a bit late but it was ok as my husband took it all up on a visit but the year before a parcel containing £300 worth of gifts for my oldest stepsons family got lost (stolen) by evri. We didn't get the money back until after Christmas and just transferred the money to my stepson but it was a shame as the presents were nice

I think pressure to enjoy it is half the issue. Why do people have to enjoy it? I actually hate it. I hate the build up, the music, the waste, the pressure, faux jollity, boring rituals….. It’s one big wasteful, dull, indulgent consumerfest for what? And yes I do have a nice family. I just don’t get the pressure for one day!

One meal with family and a walk- that is it. Doesn’t have to be enjoyed. Nice if it is but you can have a family meal and a walk any other day if you don’t .

I am safe, Google told me to buy Welsh butter!

I will not look again, just in case!

No more Quality Street in this house. I’ve bought a tin every year for the past 25 years and I remember we always had one in the house when I was a child: I loved them. Then last Christmas I suddenly realised that they are actually really horrible. Never again.

I put mine up around the 1st and take them down around new year I also don't understand the people who take them down boxing day thats still Christmas in our house

Last year for the first time I made some party food type stuff and froze it. Definitely a bit more stressful than just buying it from M&S or whatever but it was really nice to be able to bring stuff out that I'd made a month or so before and put a buffet together. Mushroom arancini stuffed with taleggio were the clear winners. Brie and cranberry tarts were very easy and a nice Christmas morning canapé.

Reduce the gifts. Start speaking to friends and family now about this. Agree with friends not to buy for each other. Perhaps agree to go to a Christmas event together instead (if you do normally go to Christmas events(

Set up a secret Santa with family so you only need to bug one present for one person.

Buy less for the DC. They do not need a Christmas Eve box. They will be fine with half the number of presents.

If you host then do you really need to make a starter? Do you really need 8 different sides of veges? Jamie’s make ahead gravy is awesome and freezes well.

Consider asking people to bring stuff. If you don’t host then offer to bring a specific thing.

I was thinking it might be brandy butter!

We do a family secret santa with all the immediate family (siblings, BILs/SILs, parents). Have a decent budget for it and use a thing called Elfster so people can make gift suggestions for themselves. It's great as you only need to think of/buy one present and that person gets something really nice that they want! It really helps take the present shopping stress out!