AAAGH - Christmas is now at MY house - nothing prepared!

[Dysgu]

DSis was going to be hosting Christmas - but plans have changed and she never got round to telling anyone! No worries - these things happen and I have no problem with her no longer being able to host us all.

Anyway, this means that it has fallen to me to be the host on Sunday. Again, I am happy to do this (we had everyone here last year and my DDs both love everyone coming here).

BUT - I have done NO preparation for Christmas! We have the tree up. We have the meat sorted (I had already organised that for taking to DSis on Christmas Eve). We have done no other shopping - we are leaving on the 8am ferry on Boxing Day to go to visit DP's family (Mum and sister and her family) for 4 days on the mainland.

So - who can help me get myself sorted. I have the rest of the week off work; DP is doing his last day of work today (he had previously booked the rest of the week off so that I could get my 'holiday marking and planning done' before we go away - hard to do with DDs around); I have my niece and nephew with me for the day today (different sister - kids are 8 and 4); DP's dad is coming to visit for the day tomorrow (we will not be seeing him after Christmas as he is going away with his (second) family). We have two DDs - aged 5 and 2, although 2 year old is 3 on Christmas Eve. No party planned but still to buy her present.

Timeline and shopping list please??? We have 8 adults and 4 children. DSis had not done any shopping - recent events just meant she had changed plans for Christmas but had forgotten to tell anyone else!

I'm afraid I have no advice really as this is the sort of scenario that would send me wildly flinging things into at least 2 trolleys at a time around Tesco. Hopefully someone useful will be along soon....

It's just a boozy roast, buy veg, booze and crackers and you're done.

Ok, you have the meat, you need:-
Starter - Can you make a pot of soup? Buy ready diced carrot/swede, leek, bag of broth mix couple of stock cubes,
Veg and trimmings for main. Ready made stuffing, big bag of spuds
Pudding - Pavlova and a christmas pud
Drinks,
Do you have enough baking trays and serving plates??
Crackers

For DD's birthday, what are you getting her? Can you dispatch someone (FIL?) to pick up a reserved item from Argos/ToysRUs?

Do you have enough chairs for everyone? Can some of your guests bring a chair?

In fact can you delegate a course to some of the guests?

Go to the supermarket either first thing in the morning or middle of the night if you can.

Keep calm, it's only one day. You won't starve if you forget something.

Can you get the bags packed for going away beofre the madness starts?

Just remember it is a big Sunday lunch.
The sainsburys near us is open 24 hours a day until the 24th. So just make a long list of all you need and either send dh or go yourself fairly late in the evening.
My dh went about 9 yesterday and said it was quiet.
Good luck.

Use today to write a menu and shopping list when DH comes home hit the late night supermarket and get what you need - maybe leave veg til later on in the week.
Write another list of the things you need to pack and take with you and if they are dirty wash them now. As you are going to family they can lend you an iron if needed.
Good luck

Thank you for your replies - I am hiding away in the bathroom right now whilst the children are messing up the playroom!

Packing bags - I had not even thought of that! I am usually a 'last-minute-packer' but yes, I will get that sorted in the next 48 hours and then it is done.

Chairs - we will need some extra. The children will eat around a play table - DNiece is getting a bit big but I am sure she will cope, especially if perhaps I add an extra gift at her place setting for looking after the 'little ones'.

I can delegate crackers to one sister. DBIL may well already have made a Christmas Pudding when they were planning to host - will check into that.

I am not really the 'panicky' type. It just seems like there is so little time left and I have so much of my own stuff to do, including wrapping presents. I want it to be all sorted by Saturday so that we can have our usual Christmas Eve for DD2 and our annual visit to NICU.

Yes, there is a Tesco about half an hour's drive away that is 24 hour - will write a shopping list tonight and then head over that way.

Need to check baking trays and saucepans (an excuse for some new ones maybe )

Need to sort 'nibbles' for about 11am - younger DSis will not get her DCs until 12pm on the day from their dad so we will eat main meal about 3pm, which is traditional in our family.

We have a double oven and an American-style fridge: plenty of space just short on time.

Still, I am the relaxed, chilled one in the family which is why everyone will descend happily on us and have a lovely time whatever we put together.

Thank you Rosa for making me smile - iron?! (DP and I both work full-time and we have 2DC aged 5 and 2 - the iron disappeared some time ago! Not sure the DDs would recognise one if they saw one )

We are going to visit family but we do not stay with them. DP's sister and her family will stay with his Mum - we stay in a local hotel and everyone is much happier that way!

Like everyone says, it's just a drunken Roast with crackers. Buy the puddings or get family members to bring them. Lose the starter, or get someone to bring it.

Lots of drink. Packing early is a good plan. Organise someone to put your rubbish out for you if you'll be away - hosting Christmas sadly generates loads.

You sound like you are sorted, but I totally get the headless chicken blind panic that must have hit you when you discovered you were "doing" Christmas.

Make sure you put a good bottle onf wine on your shopping list just for you!

Ooh Rubbish - our last collection is tomorrow then nothing is being collected for 2 weeks! The 'Tip' is open so perhaps I can organise someone to take everything out there before we return from the mainland.

Think we might have to organise 'doggy bags' too - what would be the best way to do this, I wonder. I love having a fridge full of leftovers when we host Christmas but I don't think I fancy a fridge full of 5 day old leftovers waiting for us when we get back!

Starter - will have a ponder about this...

And the advantage of being home is that we can drink to our hearts content (allowing time to sober up properly before trip to mainland the next morning) and can take the kids up to the park after lunch and leave everyone else to pack their own doggy bags and load the dishwasher!

Ideas needed for simple veggie dish too?

Why not ditch the starter to make it easier?

Or get something pre-prepared from Tesco to make it easy?

You can buy foil takeaway containers for doggy bags. They're usually with the freezer bags etc in the supermarket.

Really simple? Quorn roast .

Can you chuck some money at it?

Get ready made Marks & Spencer/Supermarket finest or whatever of anything you CBA or don't want to make.

leftovers could go in the freezer if you've got a big one - it all freezes well so you can use when you get back and know you have food in

• icecream for pud especially for the kids maybe splash out on chocolate sauce (as its christmas!) or get the small tubs so they each have their own...did that one year and so successfull (noone likes xmas pud here) have done it every year since
• this year adults having tarte tatin (from shop) with icecream and/or cheese

-starter would do vegitarian for all as then only need one starter for everyone so soup or ready made tartlet things sure tesco had some mushroom ones - I would get the finest ones if they do as the pastry is usually much better..

or something like this if you want to make something

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4979/makeahead-mushroom-souffls

this is a lovely veggie main - and you can do most of it in advance! can use feta if they are not keen on goats cheese-

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3938/roasted-butternut-squash-with-goats-cheese

hth

Oooh I like the idea of having individual tubs of ice cream for pudding. That would be a real treat!

I think I might have to pop to Waitrose - another treat - and see what I can find that will solve some of the preparation problems.

I am thinking of perhaps making this for the veggie main. Lots of others often fancy trying - and I reckon I can do it all in advance and then just chuck it in the oven when we need it. (Might make another one for the freezer.)

Yes, we could freeze all the leftovers.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. Am beginning to look forward to it all now!

Just get festive santa sacks/large gift bags and clonk everything in them, save wrapping time. Poundstretcher and places like that have loads to choose from.

yy to waitrose - lots of lovely things I wouldn't normally splurge on! We're in same position on boxing day, only found out yesterday - thanks mil! I just bought a £17 heston blumenthall tart thingie so thats one less thing to cook....naughty pootles!

Thank you for all suggestions.

We have everything sorted - or else, anything we have not got will not be making an entrance in the festivities!

Hidden amongst all the shopping was a bottle of Baileys - I rarely drink and very rarely drink at home, but am enjoying it for the second night running.

Role on Christmas... and wishing you all a fabulous day!