Treating ourselves to a huge Christmas blow out - how would you spend £1000?

[Christmas25]

Posting for traffic.

We have had a crappy year for various reasons so have decided we are going to go all out this year.

We have earmarked £1000 to spend for Christmas (ignoring presents) - how would you spend it? We’ve already ordered the Tom Kerridge beef wellington from M&S (not part of this budget), but I’d love to know what other things Mumsnetters would recommend. I don’t know where to start!

£1k is easy to use, champagne case, large turkey, you are half way there.

Get some fun stuff too! We got coffee beans from Bob Marley’s coffee farm one year and they made lovely coffee. Not expensive but nice.

Do you need any nice serving dishes or cutlery? Get crackers from Harrods etc.

I hope next year is better for you.

If you're really struggling thinking of ways to spend it and need ideas, maybe consider a portion of it to buying some really fab toys for your local children's hospital, or cared for children. Or maybe some nice gifts/treats for a local care home. It will make you feel extra special on the day to know you've really shared Christmas and made it all worthwhile for someone who's had as shit a year as you but no budget for the treats! You could still have a big enough budget left for the seafood, cheeseboard and bubbles. Xx 🥰 Thats genuinely what I would do if I had more money than I knew what to do with and needed ideas to spend it. Xx

Have a lovely Christmas OP. Xx

Yes. I would buy some bloody incredible whiskey.

Christmas Eve at the ballet - the best seats! And an all out cheese/charcuterie board from your fave deli. Enjoy, have a lovely time, and I hope life is looking up for you all in 2026 :) x

Hire a hot tub for a few days.

Bank it because next year is gonna be worse than this year in price.

I've rented a hot tub for Christmas. We love renting a holiday cottage with one for a family break, so I thought we'd have one at home this year.

A posh cashmere Christmas jumper!

I can't see the point of allotting money and then searching around for things to spend it on. Just relax and enjoy xmas knowing you can pretty much buy what you feel like as you go along.

I think the deep clean suggestion was a good one. Make sure all family members have nice Christmas PJs that will last for several years. Let each family member choose one luxury food item that they know they will like and some fresh flowers in the reception rooms

During covid times, I got a delivery of freshly mixed, single-serve cocktails from a posh cocktail bar. We ordered for xmas eve delivery, and they were delicious. Much better than I would make myself.

I would do that again.

I couldn't bring myself to spend £1k on food though, I'd probably burn it.

I think I'd book a weekend away instead. And maybe upgrade tableware and decorations, with things that will last years.

I'd buy loads of stuff from Fortnum's. Maybe a hamper for you all to open together.

Cote at Home for the side dishes, or maybe for Boxing Day/ Christmas Eve

I'd buy a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser and some of their chocolate liquers to have posh hot chocolates.

Chocolate from a real chocolatier. 9

A lot of people I know aren’t buying their close family members presents this year because they can’t afford it.

Takeaway on Christmas Eve, don’t scrimp!

Fine champagne and cocktails on Christmas Day. Waitrose & M&S food. Fancy box of chocolates for all to enjoy!

Renting a hot tub sounds amazing

A really nice lunch on Christmas Eve.
And the same again on NYE.
That’s what we have planned. So looking forward to it.

How hideously vulgar. Go volunteer at crisis. Save the money for for your children's first car or something actually with a point.

Don’t judge - you don’t know what they’ve been through.

I would buy some really nice new fluffy white hand towels for the bathrooms, really posh hand soap and some new wrapped soaps (like from TKMax wrapped in paper) that will smell nice.

Then I would continue along that vein. Defo al free spirits and some mixed cocktails. Some nice new glasses for cocktails and some nice place card holders from John Lewis. Edible flowers and salts for cocktails.

I would probably pay to get lots of fresh flowers/garlands made up by a local florist and delivered. Posh crackers defo!

Juat generally stretching what we would usually do but do it all and do it well.

Before all of this I would get a house cleaner in and get all bedding washed and pressed by local cleaning company along with some of our washing if you don’t already.

Renting a hottub is a lot of fun too or something random like hiring local carol singers to sing at your door on Christmas Eve

If she’s got a grand to spend on Christmas then good for her, I hope she enjoys spending every penny of it. If someone is in the position where they’re really struggling financially and it’s upsetting for them to read about other people spending loads, then they’re unlikely to be clicking on a thread entitled ‘Treating Ourselves to a Huge Christmas Blowout’, would they?

OP, If I had your budget, I’d want to buy tickets for the Nutcracker ballet. I’d very much like some of Sophie Conran for Portmeirion’s Mistletoe dinner set. I’d want to chuck a good few quid at something like a woman’s refuge or a charity helping the homeless. A second turkey to go in the freezer (I love turkey). And then just more/upgraded presents for everyone I love.

I'd spend some of it on a family photo shoot - we did one for my Mum's special birthday a few years ago...we went for a family walk, all very casual and the photographer just snapped away for 30 mins whilst chatting and joking with us. No posing, just "us".

It was about £250. She then sent me about 40 images in an online gallery. They are SO treasured in our family - just my folks, kids, brother, DH...being us and mucking around.

When you said it had been a tough year, I don't know what you've been through, but might be a lovely way thing for all of your family to have some special and beautiful photos.

There is nothing more vulgar that dismissing other people's taste as vulgar.

me too

@ednaclouda
It’s at 9 pages now.