Anybody else had their pre Christmas freak out(complete with tears) yet?Come make me feel better about mine.

[MrsHeffley]

I know their are many far worse off which makes me feel even guiltier.

So along side work(part time),I've bought/planned/written/wrapped every present,card and item of food.Sorted the house out(dec/tree wise), the manic end of term school schedule X3.Packed and been on 2 weekends away. Survived my mother in law etc.,etc.You know the drill.

Managed to wash my contact lens down the sink so stuck with my very old glasses all over the festive season.Dp and I don't give to each other and most of our Xmas money gets swallowed up as we're too busy to spend it on ourselves by which point come the new year we reckon it's probably not a good idea anyway.

Just trudged round Sainsburys for hours in said hideous glasses,forgot 3 items.Kids being a freakin nightmare with excitement and tiredness.House mingin and absolutely no idea when it'll be done(Xmas eve prob) .Loads to wrap,no idea where to start.

Just feel overwhelmed.Burst into tears,shouted at dp and the kids for taking me for granted.Dp shouted back and the kids sent in notes on their remote control cars asking how they could help.

Dp now out on a works do,I curled up on sofa watching The Snowman with the kids then popped them in bed.Now feel shit they'll associate Xmas with stress-sob!!!!!

Don't beat yourself up about it, I think you're doing well to have only burst into tears once!!! Remember you are not superwoman (maybe you are)! Loving that messages get delivered via remote control car!!! Hang in there xx

You're quite late I had mine a few weeks ago - DH agreed that he would take on some of the christmas load and he has actually only done half of the things he agreed to . Love the notes in the remote control cars as well. It doesn't do kids any harm to realise its hard work being a mum sometimes.

I will join you-had mine a couple of hours ago!
Like you, I feel like I have done everything, while dh has mad a meal out of tiny little jobs, like buying a pack of gift tags
Also been manic at work, so I was already feeling fragile.

I have been baking all day and knew I still had to supervise bathtime/hairwashing etc and I lost it when i saw dh relaxing with a newspaper while I rammed the newly baked pies etc into the freezer.

Exhaustion and stress got the better of me and I ranted about being taken for granted/being treated like a housemaid etc.
The poor dds came and hugged me and said they were so grateful for all I did-so I felt like crap

Am now lying on the sofa with a tin of chocs and a cuppa and refusing to do anything else tonight.
Enjoy your evening OP-you are not alone!

I wasn't best pleased when I was dragged from my bath tonight because ds had woken up and the girls still weren't asleep. Feeling awful with a cold, but know I have more presents still to wrap, as long as dd1 finally asleep. I did have the foresight to lock the door so when dd1 and then dh came down to get me to help they couldn't actually get in, and I did point out to dh that I couldn't really settle 3 children while dripping wet.

Anyway magic mummy got first two off in a few mins after pandemonium, and hoping dd1 gone now. If not will have to get dh to take them out tomorrow afternoon while I wrap remaining bits. Come to think of it there are a few things I need from sainsburys, three children with their daddy in a supermarket on fri afternoon, what could possibly go wrong?

Awww - get some big bags or sacks and put the Santa presents in them, one for each DC. That way you don't need to wrap any of them. Likewise stocking fillers, just stuff them in the stockings. I do it this way, I told the DCs that Santa is into saving the planet and the polar bears, and wrapping paper kills trees and it's fine.
Clean the house this time next week, just run the hoover round wherever the presents will be left and call it done.

yes I was in tears this morning. heating and boiler packed up Tues pm. No hot water and BG came. Wrong part arrived so boiler still not fixed. Immersion not done properly (long story). Strip washing is not fun.

just about coping with all that plus mess because daughter's 18th party and loads of stuff around and mess. was somewhere else but alot of leftover drinks etc.

Then my car had a flat tyre so it tipped me over the edge as DH had to go to work and I wanted him home.

Oooh yes, I'm in a foul mood tonight. Have taken nearly 2 hours to wrap all presents, have 2, yes, 2 baskets of ironing not done, got to clean bathroom and change all bedding tomorrow morning.......... and Dh has sat on his bum watching the friggin Sports Personality of the Year all evening. I even missed Corrie. So have slugged down a G&T, and decided that I'm off to Starbucks tomorrow morning with the paper for an hour.

If it makes you feel better, DH's contribution to Christmas has been:

1. get the decorations out of the roof. Well, half of them - I went up to get the rest.
2. bought about 3 presents
3. wrapped 3 presents
4. picked up smoked salmon at M & S today as I didn't have time to go over to the nearest store (15 miles). He did get it right, to be fair, as phoned me to discuss what it said on the label.
5. That's it.

Ironing is a Filthy Habit and should be stamped out. I "Just said NO" in 1988 and have never looked back!

I've been waking up early with anxiety brought on by Christmas (at 4 a.m) - ridiculous. Am cross with myself

Stop putting so much pressure on yourself! Christmas is a holiday. Relax! Who cares if the house is a mess? Who cares if everything isnt perfect?

Pour a glass of wine, drink it, have a bath, go to bed. Tomorrow is another day!

the past fortnight I have had a car break in, credit card cloned, phone stolen, john lewis order nicked by couriers...today childs gloves nicked. on top of this, the butcher delivery didnt turn up today...was too late to amend Waitrose order so had to cancel it...who knows what will happen tomorrow. I have had my freak out long ago...Hopefully can get meat before I go to a lunch tomorrow with my friend...

still have everything to wrap and christmas cake to marzipan and ice....why oh why

I had mine a couple of weeks ago. Since then have made a list for dh to do and not leave everything to me. Work in progress. Hey ho.

But why is it that women have to come up with the lists in the first place? Why does dh ask me what needs to be done, when it is surely plain??? Why don't I get to ask him, then slope off to the lounge with a cuppa????

Dp was supposed to be on holiday today and friday. But no, another disaster looming at work, so was at work all today and will be most of tomorrow. I have whole house to clean while occasionally communicating with dd (5). (ILs turning up far too early on Christmas Eve). DD has been fab to be fair, but obviously needs input from me to help with her decorations/card making.

If I'd known he was going to be at work I would have done things differently, but no, I have to be lulled into a false sense of security (and this happens almost every bloody holiday).

Seems fairly minor compared to all you guys. Lots of sympathetic thoughts to you all.

I had mine last Friday.

Car failed MOT, someone stole the aerial and the bit you screw the aerial into and someone smashed the back window. Garage wanted £250 for MOT repairs, auto glass wanted £368 for the window...the car only cost £500!

BIL and I made a 200 mile round trip to get glass from a friend one night after work last week and did the work on the car for a fraction of the cost but left me without a car for a week.

Family member is behaving like a child and causing all sorts of issues which is an ongoing problem but seems so much worse at the moment.

I haven't wrapped any presents (apart from the few I gave to my dsis and BIL yesterday).

I thought I'd have some days off this week but, due to my disorganisation, I will have worked four days and the day off I had was my Mum's birthday so that was spent with her and nothing else got done (was a lovely day though and I did relax a bit).

Every year I get really excited and start planning Christmas in october then by december the novelty has worn off and I end up in a bit of a mess but manage to pull it together by Christmas day - usually by staying up until 2am christmas eve/day finishing of the wrapping .

This year, however, I am hosting for the first time ever so have the added problem of getting the house ready aswell. I CM from home so the place is quite full up with toys and baby equipment which is all in use until tomorrow.

I have been a miserable arse for at least three weeks, mainly down to family member, and feel really bad that it's having an effect on ds as he doesn't seem to be overly excited about it being Christmas...although, now that he's finished school he does seem a bit more excited. This year, I have been giving him lists of things to do aswell...he wrote out the majority of Christmas cards from both of us . I figured it was good handwriting practise .

Dsis and I are going away for the night tomorrow to visit friends...not the smartest idea to go so close to Christmas but I'm really looking forward to being away from everything for 24hours. then I will panic from lunchtimek on the 24th until about 9am Christmas day (at which point I'll be pissed on bucks fizz and won't give a shit how untidy the house is!).

Eek, sorry, that turned into a very long moan

I haven't crumbled yet but could well do soon. Have however wrapped most things. And XH coming here on Christmas day and is going to do food so am leaving it to him (although having low level stresses about it naturally). Stressed about going yo stay with my mum and dad on boxing day as they seem to now dislike the DC ;coincidentally since XH and I split up but they didn't like him either. My dad gets grumpy and children never seem to behave how my mum and dad think they should).

Then at least a night with friends :) Then pass dc over to xh at his brothers house and I will drive back home to carry on marking exam papers. Feel they will go on for ever ;and why I keep going to bed late).

House a tip - tomorrow pm is cleaning time. Am hoping DC will help or at least not hinder. Plus own ridiculous desire for "perfect " Christmas (first since separation) but assuming it will be crap for me whilst wanting everyobe else (especially DC) to be happy.

Think it may be bedtime

Actually forgot I cried all over local vicar last week. Maybe that was my crumble

DP and I had a blazing row last night - over how much chicken to buy for our Boxing Day barbecue (we are in Australia).
Was totally ridiculous!
The house is messy, presents are unwrapped and I have not shopped for food or even planned what to cook.
Feel better?

And there's no snow. It's much too warm (about 12 degrees in the daytime).

Part of me wants a lovely snowy or st least frosty Christmas day. And that is definitely outside my control....

Made a promise to myself xmas 2010, that xmas 2011 would be all done months in advance, lists galore......well, it's just ACTION-REPLAY of 2010! DH's contribution has been: buy 1 gift voucher, hand over credit card to pay for DS's main gift, eat all tins of sweets i'd been saving for xmas day...nothing wrapped apart from 2 dvds, just finished sainsburys shop - got all way to shop, realised i'd left list in car......trekked all way back......in-laws from hell on way...why did i think it would be any different

As a child I well remember my Mum's Christmas meltdowns. They were horrible.

What would have helped would have been a "I'm sorry - I shouted at you. It's just that I'm very tired with lots to do but that's not your fault. Can you help me with the wrapping/shopping/whatever and then we'll do something fun - baking or creating something".

However my mum NEVER said sorry, no explanation, just a gradual thaw out during which we all crept around. The "notes sent in on remote control cars" reminded me of this particularly.

So to anyone who's had a meltdown, please "de-brief" your kids when you're feeling better. They need to hear it in words

I've just had mine. Big strop in kitchen, cooking turkey as doing a cold buffet, was all la la la cos I'm mega organised this year, left it in too long and it's going to dry and horrid and I'm a failure. Blah.

Dh done NOTHING as per, DCS whingy. I've no Xmas spirit yet.

Going out to shopping centre this aft to drink tea in the Market with my friend, ILS baby-sitting for DCs for the 2nd time in 2011!

I am an excessively organised person (anal would be another description) yet the fact that mum and dad are coming to ours rather than us going to theirs seems to be causing great stress to dad.
He has tried to talk me out of it several times - bit insulted really as it is me who does all the cooking whichever house we are at.
We have another do after Christmas for my brother and again my older brother is freaking out because it isnt at his house as usual.
Feeling like telling them all to sod off.