Anyone want to take part in a 'Lessons Identified' for next year?

[everydayaschoolday]

I'll happily go first:

1. No need for small pressies in advent calendar; kids only wanted the small piece of chocolate!

1. You cut back this year a bit and nobody noticed; cut back a bit more again next year.

1. More than 2 bottles of shloer is required .

1. All the material/clothing items (character bath towels, slippers, dressing gowns etc) from the elves on Christmas Eve worked well as our adapted Christmas Eve hamper.

1. Prep the veg and set the table on Christmas eve next year.

1. Hide the chocolate brioche from DH otherwise it'll be gone before christmas morning breakfast .

1. Fewer, well chosen items were highly appreciated this year. The no tat challenge was a success.

My little mini Christmas cakes were really well received and I'd do that again next year. Probably better (and cheaper) to make own mincemeat if you have time. Wrapping as you go along really eases the pressure. Leaving cards until the last minute is really not helpful. I need to find a fail-safe vegetarian main course during the year so I'm not scrabbling around at the last minute for recipes.

Buy mini sets of perfumes in the sale to split into stockings and beauty hampers.

This Lancome set is reduced to £17 & contains mini versions of their best sellers.

m.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prod_10701_10001_123055966499_-1

I won't bother looking for that cutter thing then, saved me a job

My biggest one - buying people something little from somewhere luxurious, and getting it delivered, was much better than the old stand-by of a calendar, for the older relatives.

And consumable presents are popular, because you don't have to find room for them.

In general, the more you can do online, the better.

Do not make a trifle again - it just doesn't get eaten.

Do not over-schedule the run up to christmas - we all lose enthusiasm and get too tired.

Presents were good though.

And do not have people to stay - we didn't this year and it was fab.

Get in the loft and do an audit / clear out of the Xmas stuff. I've already established I really don't need more wrap, tags or cards next year. Best 2hrs I've spent in ages (I have no life ), it won't need sorting again for years.

Re-pack said Xmas box with all the art & craft and cards on top (bits you need late november), followed by wrap, xmas dvd's, books and mugs then stockings at the bottom. Tree decs will go in a seperate box, that's coming down tomorrow.

We will have moved house by next xmas so I'm going to get the dc's a little cheap tree each. They can decorate them and leave me to do the main tree nicely.

Smaller presents are easier to hide.

There are some seriously cute / cool Xmas tree decs reduced down to nothing in the sales. I've bought a stash of them as token gifts for colleagues / teachers etc for next year.

Write a note of cards to send and put it on the calendar / diary / new fangled ipad thingy for NOVEMBER.

I have a document in Word of Xmas card addresses. It is set out to print on labels (14 per page). I update it throughout the year if addresses change and include those without full addresses but who I want to send a card e.g. Neighbours, school people. It is a life saver. Surely I'm not the only one who does this? I've been using it for years and it acts as a great reminder if people I need to send a card to and contact. Also makes it much easier on the hands doing the addressing and means the Post Office can actually read them! I also go through the Xmas cards we receive every year and follow up any specific messages, update addresses, kids names and sometimes remove people. Sometimes it us the only record I have of someone's address.

I've thought about doing the Word document for addresses, but actually I like getting my address book out and handwriting the envelopes, we only post about 30 so it's not a big job. I always update my address book before throwing the cards away and have a separate notebook with my card list in, also keep note there of who gave what to the DCs for thank yous. I also keep my food/drink shopping master list in there, and keep a folder with all my Christmas recipes in too.

Davros I also have a label document! Though if I helps WhoKnows I have handwritten the addresses for the last couple of years as have been doing without a printer at home and can't print labels at work as easily. But having them all in one document is invaluable.

Positives this year I will repeat:
Booking tickets for things much earlier - October in one case
Using the awesome bargain threads
Buying fewer mince pies
Starting wrapping earlier (I too had the Christmas Eve nightmare last year)
Consumable presents only for most adults

Things to improve next year:

Do cards earlier and spread the writing of them out, a few a night
Send overseas stuff earlier
Buy more of the veg as M&S pre-prepared stuff, do potatoes the night before, then dinner will be ready much earlier

davros I mean to do the pre-printed address labels every year, and never do .

I'm semi automated with the cards as I use the printed labels but feel it means I write more in the cards as I don't get RSI! I send about 80 cards so it definitely helps

I have finally managed to buy cards and wrap and tags in the sale. Cost 50p and 30p so no need for next year.

Choose carefully for DS. He's not really into toys and I fear £200 of playmobil from us and family is going to gather dust. He loved his stocking though.

Food we got just about right and have a list in the back of my calendar.

I need new supabright static lights for the tree. Soft white are rubbish.

Really interesting to read everyones lists. That trifle would not have been wasted in our house MrsC . Bet it was gorgeous. Frozen so glad there's still cards available in the sales, as I've not got mine yet. I did get lots of half price wrap and some tags in the M&S Sale.

Again, I'm going to continue choosing wisely for next year, bypass the tat again, which wasn't missed, cut back by another few parcels per child. We're going to book Center Parcs winter wonderland again for next year as this was a lovely break which got all the kids in the mood for the holidays.

A few add-ons after taking down the decorations today:

Don't waste £7 a pop on gorgeous little Advent Chocolate Bars for the Advent Tree. They didn't fit in the little boxes so I put them in a glass bowl. They are still there (from the 11th - 24th )

Fewer. better stocking gifts were much appreciated this year (now that mine are 14 and 11) they don't need the piles of little presents.

Next year:
buy more lights (some of mine didn't work so had to go)
don't need more wrapping paper ( two Costco rolls left)

Don't make a cake ( I say this every year, but every year I do it again )

Panatonne - well at least it's sealed in a tin, it might come out mid January (when we will have snow)

Nigellas Vanilla Tree Cake - tasted nice on the day it was made. Next day it was heavy and not very sweet. Bit like an old stodgey pancake.
Won't bother with that again.

The frozen Aldi turkey crown was lovely on Christmas day, and the Aldi frozen gammon joint was absolutely beautiful today. Will buy frozen from Aldi in advance again this year - convenient and yum.

Fewer nibbles required - 2 tins of biccies and tin of shortbread still to be opened, breadsticks didn't really get eaten, and 2 too many packs of stollen bites as we took ages to get through the Blackforest stollen, which was lovely.

all food related

Where are people finding cheap cards and wrap? I need to re-stock for next year but haven't seen any yet. Or have I missed it all?

There was quite a lot in Sainburys yesterday.

I got my wrap and tags half price in M&S but that was a week ago. I picked up some half price christmas cards in Card Factory today (store not online), but they had a limited selection left (lots of sisters and daughter's though - we have 5 girls altogether lol). I think Clinton Cards online have some cards left, but again limited selection.

I'll check out Sainsbury's too, cheers.

I tried Sainsburys and got 3 rolls of wrap, some ribbon, tissue paper and a gift bag. All 70% off too, thanks!

don't buy candy canes

it seems none of us like them so about to throw this years in bin

I use candy canes to decorate in the fir swags on the bannister. Can't remember where I got them but they were £1 a so.
They don't seem to do the proper festive red and white ones now. It's all pink/white which isn't right.

I'm eating a slice of Christmas cake now - first slice .

We don't like the red and white peppermint ones, but we had a load of fruit flavoured ones (different colours) from Sainsburys on our tree and they have gone down a storm. Especially the ones I got half price last week.

fruit flavour ones - now that seems a better idea .

Apparently the colouring they use in the red & white candy canes cause an adverse effect in children with hyperactivity disorders.

The pack that I bought from WHSmiths had a warning on the back of the packet.

That bargain mincemeat that I bought for 10p a jar early on last year.....still sitting in the pantry