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?

Don't sweat the small stuff. That's it really. No need to faff around making Christmas pudding, cake, mince pies (and your own mincemeat to go in them), Yule log, 3 sorts of stuffing, sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta, yadayada. If you want them, buy them ready-made. Probably cheaper anyway.

Do away with that horrid elf on a shelf or the Xmas Eve box. Just get basic advent calendars instead.

I long ago delegated the writing of Christmas cards to DH. He is also 100% in charge of all drinks over the festive period.

Don't buy Christmas chocolates too soon. You will eat them. Leave them till December.

You do not need every condiment and variety of pickle under the sun. Nor do you need 17 different types of cheese.

If you have children, they do not need entertaining with Christmas-themed activities for every minute of every day between the moment they finish school and the morning of the 25th. A (free) carol concert and maybe a Christmas tree festival in the local church (also free) is fine. Santa at the local garden centre is just as good as the one that costs ten times as much at the Winter Wonderland. The rest of the time they can get busy with crafts, or watch endless Christmassy films.

Cut right back. On everything. Fewer decorations. Fewer gifts (agree secret Santa for wider family). Less socialising. Less food, less booze, less waste, less greed, less consumerism, much less expense. And most of all less stress.

And keep Christmas in December.

love this 🤣

Having seen dozens of threads over the years about all sorts of problems with Christmas, posted from 25th December on, I'd say the key things are:

1. Don't spend Christmas with people you don't actually like and who don't like or respect you.
2. Don't spend more than you can afford. It's not worth it.
3. Only buy food you're sure you will eat. What's the point in buying food and then throwing it away?
4. If you are staying with someone else, take snacks in case they don't provide you with enough food of a type you can eat. This seems amazingly common on MN.

Well, last year I got cancer, which resulted in the cancellation of the influx of the in-laws. MIL usually comes for a night, but BIL and SIL come for at least a week and just sit in my bloody kitchen awaiting the breakfast, lunch and dinner service. For a whole week!! I hate it, but Dh would never see his family ever otherwise (BIL/SIL too lazy and cheap to host, I literally haven’t been to their house in so many years that it was a different SIL back then 🤣 and MIL’s partner doesn’t allow her any family visits 🙄). So for Dh and the kids to see any family, we have to do the hosting. I hate it. It’s a lot of work and they bore me to tears. Anyway, last year I got cancer and Dh cancelled the lot and it was wonderful! 😂 I can’t say I recommend it, but maybe a little.

Really though, it’s keeping it simple. I’d like to do less catering and more fun stuff. Keep family visits short and sweet if you can. My dream is for everyone to come for Christmas, arriving just before lunch, staying one night and leaving Boxing Day.

Agree with family to stop buying presents for adults / kids over 18 or 21. Takes so much financial/time pressure and stress away. Stop sending cards to everyone except those over 70ish.

Spend the money on enjoying spending time together instead, meals out or get everyone around and get a takeaway in.

Buy good quality food that is easy to cook, unless you particularly enjoy being in the kitchen rather than with family.

Play silly games that everyone from 5 to 90 can join in and laugh a lot.

Remind myself it's 1 day and nobody has ever died from the lack of presents or an uncoordinated Christmas tree. It's all about perspective.

For me, It’s a roast dinner and some presents for the children, usually ordered from Amazon. Put up a tree in the corner of the living room a week before. That’s it.

I have friends who seem to run around like headless chickens. I always think I must be doing it wrong.

Don’t take it that seriously.

It’s literally just as simple as that.

It’s one day. One day. What’s the point in getting stressed over one day? Don’t go overboard with gifts. Don’t give in to consumerism. Don’t think everything has to be “perfect”.

I leave it all to DH.

Don't start traditions that take a load of effort.
Elf on the shelf... nope, reindeer and santa footprints in the snow... nooooooo...
Don't have all the presents from santa. We do a little stocking... he's not getting the credit for all the good stuff.
Our daughters are grown now... but they still get their selection box - as when reminiscing, it is one of the biggest smile presents... well, the "yes, of course you can have chocolate for breakfast - it's Christmas day!" is what they remember joyfully... so selection box every year.
Keep Christmas to a few days, not all of December and half of January.

As someone else said, it really doesn't have to be perfect.

Ha ha! Same!

My top tip would be to avoid it all, but obviously some people want or need to do it. Last year we did so little the whole thing took less than an hour.

But choose the bits you like, do those and ignore the rest. Stay off Instagram, who cares how many presents/baubles/turkeys anyone else has? Avoid the shops, they will just be full of nonsense and make you think you need another tree or that Christmas will be a failure if you don't handmade the chocolates or knit your own tinsel.

My DC, who tend to go on holiday over Christmas now, with our blessing, have fond memories of the time we had pizzas, and one once requested pasta "with sauce from a jar" as that was deemed fancier than my homemade sauce.

I live alone so this won't resonate with the majority but last year my only decoration was a real 6ft tree

this year I'm doing even less: a little 3-4 ft tree on the coffee table.

that's it.

For years I decorated the house like I had a family and lived in Country Living magazine and for what?? I never have visitors at Christmas they're all too busy with their own families!

Don't overdo the roast. 90% of it can be prepped the day before to result in a simple schedule of a couple of trays going in and out of the oven. Slaving for hours is a mugs game.

Same, I have fond memories of eating them with my late father. But now they've lost their charm, but I find a lot of chocolate is of poorer quality these days.

This

I think people plan too much which then causes anxiety when things change or don’t go to plan. This year I plan on making no plans. My dc are now adults and I’m so done with Christmas and all the hype. We will have a roast dinner and visit friends and family, I don’t really need to plan for that. So for now….I am ignoring Christmas.

I don't do Christmas cards. Me, DH and DS11 spend Xmas at home, just the 3 of us, have done for the last 2 years. We have Xmas dinner on Xmas eve and cook extra meat so we have leftovers for a few days.
No cooking on Xmas day, maybe shove some part baked rolls in the oven.
We literally just do whatever we want for 2-3 days, we love it.

Red cabbage is better made ahead.
Christmas cookies are best made the weekend of... otherwise there will be none left to eat.
We do one tree, decorations downstairs only. Same Christmas candle has been going strong for years.
I do enjoy a Christmas bauble shop but that's more for variety rather than a must.
Lots of Christmas spices in everything.
This year I'm hoping to force some paperwhites as a present to myself.
I find a glass of wine, wrapping paper and all that gets done in one evening but we only do immediate family.
Christmas hamper for dear relative abroad.

Gift wise I am planning to pare it back for the kids. Two under 5, they get way too much so might do that read, eat play thing.

But you don’t have to have waste and the crap music etc!

What I meant was, it’s time spent with people you love, eating some great food and relaxing. Surely people enjoy that?

Totally ignore it.

The chocolates...if you are going to buy them, dont hide them! I found ours at Easter (I think) and they are still in the Cupboard of Doom where foodstuffs go to die. They'll be out of date this year, but I dont care.

I am sad, but I have a list I typed up about 20 years ago of what needs to be done and roughly when.

I have amended and honed it over the years as things have changed.

But it helps me. Follow the plan and it all gets done.

I’m much the same… so far the quality street tins are unopened…but watch this space!!

Start early. For me, Christmas prep is a holistic, ongoing thing all year. I buy my wrap, cards and a few stocking fillers in the immediate sales then store them in my loft boxes with a photo/note on my phone. I buy any bits I happen to see throughout the year. My Christmas Chutney is already made for teacher gifts. Then it’s the final push in Dec (I’ve worked out who doesn’t want to think about it until then, so focus on them nearer the time 👌🏻).