Any lessons learnt for next year?

[Guitargirl]

I think mine would be to try and get less stressed! Easy to say now of course but I got myself in a right tizz on Christmas Eve worried that one of the DCs would wake to find Mummy Father Christmas sorting out the presents and it would all be ruined.

Next year I must remember to NOT STRESS!!

Keep a list of where I have hidden the presents that need to be wrapped and then where I have put them after they have been wrapped so I don't have a 'ohhh xx should have had x as well and then rush off to find it !
And NEVER go go for lunch at MIL without checking what she is cooking ...they don't have a traditional meal here so what she did do was good but totally unsuitable for the dds who ate crackers and a banana...So I had to cook Xmas day evening ....

Try not to have MIL in intensive care and DH upstairs for four days with flu. Try not to be pregnant (am grateful I am of course) so can neck copious of alcohol when above happens.

Otherwise it went well. Made my own cake and Xmas pud for the first time ever and will definitely do so again.

"tjacksonpfc Wed 29-Dec-10 12:18:04
Ive learnt that we atre not next year going to be the only idiots doing the running around seeing people.

We are the only ones with dcs but we travelled to my family xmas eve till boxing day then we are going to dps family new years eve.

Im fed up with it it is a 2hr journey normally to them which can be 4 hrs at xmas.

So next year we are doing what we want. Not what everyone wants us to do."

our first year with ds we ran around trying to please everyone. now we stay at home. if they want to see us they can come, they dont have to handle an overexcited boy!

things i will remember for next year-
keep all presents together, not hidden under beds, in cupboards, in boxes...

• christmas lunch is just a roast dinner, I should have more faith in myself. the turkey was stupendous!

-the boys favourite present will probably be the 75p stocking filler that is a disc shooting blaster gun.

Remind the in-laws that they are DD and DS's grandparents, not their parents. DH and I are in our mid 30s so they should realised that by now!

New rule of one present per person.

They got hysterical about DD not having "enough presents". She had more than a 4 year old was interested in opening (which was a lot!), and we got told off on Boxing Day for not "spoiling her".

Never, ever, ever invite the inlaws to ANYTHING again.

Spending Boxing Day in my house not at ILs "because it could be FIL's last Christmas". MIL has been saying this since I met DH... in 1990. Yes, he's been ill, yes, more than his fair share of heart attacks and surgery but he's now 85 and odds are one year it's going to be his last Christmas, but you can say that about anyone really. Not buying into the guilt next year. I am staying at home on Boxing Day, with real mashed potato and not Aunt Bessies. LOL

Thanks to this thread I have edited and printed off the Christmas food shopping list for next year. It is going into the loft with the decorations.

Not very adventurous but it was so delicious that DH and I reckon we have cracked it for years to come

not to bother with delia's spiced red cabbage. Nobody ate it apart from me.

I think the writing a list for next year is a great idea!

Especially of food that was well eaten this year - maybe even a few black marks next to things that are still in packets in case am tempted to get the same ones next year - like the salt and pepper crisps that nobody in our house likes and M&S chocolate yule which was so rich that even I couldn't manage more than half the log a sliver. We did however eat loads of chocolate trifle and florentine thingies.

Also a list of random type stuff that always occurs to me as I go along - e.g. am always in a rush to sort birthdays and anniversaries near Christmas as I can't see past the Christmas wrapping paper. The name of DD's ballet teacher's assistant which I only discovered after I had sent all our cards. Our local recently opened cheapie shop on the High Street does some great craft stuff - again only discovered too late this year on the 23rd. And Hyde Park's winter wonderland is shit and seems to be getting worse every year, therefore is likely to be unbearable next year...

Do not buy any tins of biscuits or chocs for ourselves as we will be given at least five tins of each and will still be eating them past easter!

Do not invite MIL. Simple.

Merry Christmas!

To order online MUCH earlier (say November) as Royal Mail have gone completely to pot. Just had 3 parcels that were supposed to be Christmas presents turn up today, and refused delivery on 2 of them as had to go out and buy replacments in time for Xmas.

I know the weather was bad, but come on! Think this is the beginning of the end for Royal Mail.

Next year I shall make a careful list of people who have sent us/ DD Christmas cards/presents this year, match it up to list of cards/presents bought, carefully score through any sent but not reciprocated over two years or more.

Perhaps uncaring, but if they aren't bothered either way then there's no need for me to spend hours being terribly thoughtful in wording Christmas cards and shopping for presents, not to mention queueing in post offices to send them all.. (knackered emoticon)

This year, I think I was pretty organised, and everything went very well. However, I have learned a few tips each year, so every year I manage a bit better!

I always start planning well ahead, and make loads of lists. I think the only things I would change next year are,

1. Buy smaller quantities of some foods, where we had too much left over

2. Organise something to do/ people to see on those couple of days after New Year's day if they are Bank Holidays. Up until then we had plenty going on, and then we had a couple of days with absolutely nothing happening (and if you haven't pre-organised anything, most other people aren't open to anything spontaneous as they are already doing things with family, friends etc).

But apart from that, things went quite well.

I was pretty organised this year, but learned a few lessons...

1.Don't stock up on chocolates and fizz in November while they're on offer - you only need to replace them again mid-December and then again on Christmas Eve.

1. Order/buy Christmas cards before the weather stops them being delivered to you until two days before Christmas

1. Don't offer to take lots of homemade baking to relatives on Christmas/Boxing Day while thinking you will make it at the beginning of December and freeze it. Or, if you do, don't let DH eat all the mince pies before they make it to the freezer and then find yourself buggering up pastry on Boxing Day morning.

I have already written next year's Christmas card list though - taking careful note of all the people who sent us cards that weren't on our list

Tips from this year:

• Buy all birthday pressies and cards for Oct-Dec by the end of September
• Buy all christmas pressies by the end of November
• Write a list of people to buy for and set a budget
• Spend christmas day at home with own family and no-one else - we had a fab day until DH's family descended at 3ish for tea
• Cooking a ham in coca-cola on christmas eve worked brilliantly

On DH's behalf, not to order anything from Amazon in December and expect it to arrive before Christmas, unless paid for next day post! He thought he'd save a bit of money.......

Not run around trying to supplement with extra gifts because said Amazon order won't turn up as stuck in Scotland.

Buy presents when he sees them, and not wait until December when all sold out, and snow interferes with every aspect of Christmas shopping.

Me, sort through and cull Christmas decorations as they are being packed up, rather than leave it till next winter.

Continue with the same food as every Christmas, put shopping list away safely.

Decide to send less cards next year.

Expect to have to do more last minute shopping for food on foot due to snow.

• Don't send so many cards, I've used this years cards to amend my list.

• Give neices and nephews money and chocolate again, it went down well.

• Don't start a Masters module which ends in early January, you won't do any work on it over Christmas due to illness/wanting family time, so it'll be hanging over you all Christmas and you'll panic in January.

Oh and, remember you need more cash at Christmas, I've started saving for shopping vouchers already but need to start putting cash aside each month as well.

dont do the warpping on xmas eve when I have a daughter who dousnt sleep, this time next year itl ruin her xmas as shel know whats going on.

go to dps mums for boxing day next year

moan at the school to give the xmas cards out earlier some of us have family abroad and there is no point in giving me the cards on the last day of term

i will go to a carol/chrisingles service with the kids next year

I will also go to the theatre with the kids next year

Not eat so much!!

Don't watch any comedy on TV with MIL otherwise you end up having to explain terms like "dogging" .

Do as much prep for the main meal as you can ahead.

Write a timetable for preparing the meal and build in an extra half hour at the end. Include EVERYTHING that needs to be done on it. I did this and it worked out perfect timing.

Have one place that you put all xmas pressies you have bought. No hunting through all the cupboards looking for where you put X.

Buy presents early when it is on offer or sale but remember the point above.