What Christmas tips worked well this year and what will you not be doing next year?

[Monroe]

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas
I've picked up lots of tips over the years from these threads. This year we tried the lottery present opening for the 2 dc's. We had a jar filled with numbers that corresponded to the ones stuck to the bottom of the dc's gifts and they took turns pulling out a number then both had to find that gift. It stretched the opening of them out and they really enjoyed playing the "game"

What I won't be doing is buying loads of stocking fillers just for the sake of it. Most of them were opened and discarded within the first couple of minutes

Next year we will not be driving to and from the ILs on Christmas Day, exceptional circumstances this year as MIL had just had a leg operation...

DH was left in charge of the kids on Christmas Eve while I baked etc in the kitchen listening to Christmas songs undisturbed, fab!

I took all the kids new toys out of the packaging and checked they had batteries so there was no faffing about on the day... my two are under three and Happyland, vtech stuff can be VERY well packaged!!

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Didn't bother with starters or pudding, no one really wants either here.

The same: Spilt Xmas into Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
So on the big day we had my parents round and opened their gifts, relations gifts and ours.
Today we had dh's family and their gifts. They always go way overboard and the kids would have been totally overloaded if we had tried to do it all on one day.
Differently: This year the kids got BIG gifts from everyone - massive dolls house, full size keyboard, air hockey table, scooters, car tracks, big train track.
So next year I will be building an extension before Christmas and suggesting small presents for the kids!!

what worked well:
setting up new air hockey table in the garage and moving wii to garage for the day...kids all loved hanging out in there whilst dinner being cooked, playing air hockey and new skylanders, freeing up more space in lounge!

thoughtful and useful stocking gifts on the whole (shower gel, ear phones, phone chargers etc) and less tat.

presents that dc loved and played really well with all day with hardly any arguing

all presents wrapped and strored in bags ready to be put under tree for 6 dc

what I would change
not have boiler break down Christmas eve morning resulting in emergency trip to shops for heaters!(followed by one week wait for next available plumber with no heating/hot water)

structure Christmas eve better to allow more time for nice calm baking on my own in kitchen with carols on!(although see above as this was didn't help!)

I'm not the only one to think that about the stockings then! Next year we will definitely go for quality over quantity.

I'm really glad and quite proud of myself actually that I managed to resist giving in to the twitch this year. I bought throughout the year but started panicking mid December I hadn't bought enough. Previous years I would have run out and bought a few more gifts for the dc's just to bulk up the numbers.

Things I'd do again...I agree with buying fewer but more thoughtful presents, the extra bits aren't needed

Brining the turkey, it was so juicy and not dry at all

Having Christmas dinner at dinner time, why stress trying to serve a big dinner at lunchtime - everyone was really hungry by 6pm when we ate and there's hardly any leftovers

Not doing a pudding - I made Christmas cake that's lovely and will keep for ages and offered that or mince pies

Things that went well: prepping the veg the day before, meringue and cream and fruit salad for pud, buying most of the presents in the black Friday sales, buying bits and bobs from lidl as I saw them (as they disappear fast round here), getting the cheese out in the morning so it was the right temperature.

Things I'd do differently: stockings were a bit crap, nobody wanted Christmas pudding, not trying to decorate the whole house in the run up to Christmas stares hard at husband who was plumbing in the downstairs toilet on Christmas morning

Best: Buying so early i was done by start of December. Really took the pressure off.

Worst: Do not buy a real tree beginning of December.

Things that work for us (so far).

Not doing xmas on 25th Dec.
Not doing santa (DD is 4)
Only giving a few gifts
Making it about time with special people rather than a massive consumer-fest.
Keeping it simple.

top tip: Different wrapping paper for each child saved a lot of time.
Agree B Day footie is an excellent idea - DD and I had a super afternoon yesterday :)

Next year: make a better list - I forgot loads of things! Though in the end none of them really mattered.

I learned that it's much easier to stay at home with the kids over Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents, Christmas Day at the inlaws and Boxing Day at my aunties. Tiring and stressful with 4 kids ranging from 13 down to 5 months. I'll be going back to our usual stay at home Christmas next year - much more relaxing!

Online delivery of food, never done one at Christmas before but it was brilliant.
Making stuffing, gravy, pigs in blankets, brownies and mince pies ahead and freezing them. I fed 27 over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and this proved invaluable.
Meat thermometer. Turkey was perfect.
Doing restaurant style serving dishes. Smaller dishes between 2-3 people stopped greedy in-laws taking too much food and cut down on the 20 mins of "Pass the ... please".
Keeping make your own crackers simple. Scratchcard for adults and older kids, toy car for little kids chocolate sprouts and stick on moustache. Less hassle for me and everyone was amused.
Getting DC presents ready to play with before wrapping. No faffing about with tiny screwdrivers and cutting wires, plus we don't have as much packaging around the house to be disposed of.
Having a box under the tree for tiny bits, instructions and gift receipts to be put straight in. No repeats of the year we lost Lego Indiana Jones hat causing DS1 much upset.
Doing FC presents on Christmas Morning and all other ones on Boxing day morning.

good tips here!

I wont be veering off smoked salmon starter again, this year went for meats and cheese too heavy and not the same.... simple smoked salmon, some asparagus and a slice of bread, perfect.

I will be going for goose again twas luverly....

I won't be going mad for cheese again, just two or three, we have six in the fridge un opened but at least they last for ages.

I wont be buying any more xmas decorations....we dont need them...

i will be buying something for dh as we dont expect from each other...but i was so touched by his efforts this year ...

Having a box under the tree for tiny bits, instructions and gift receipts to be put straight in. No repeats of the year we lost Lego Indiana Jones hat causing DS1 much upset. Now thats a goodie and you have reminded me,

I kept no receipts and have a broken toy I cant return!

so next year, hold all bloody receipts.

Doing FC presents on Christmas Morning and all other ones on Boxing day morning

excellent idea too....

aving Christmas dinner at dinner time, why stress trying to serve a big dinner at lunchtime - everyone was really hungry by 6pm when we ate and there's hardly any leftovers

you just reminded me, we usually eat when its dark, no set yearly time, this year dh wanted to start earlier and it lacked atmos for me....

so next year will def wait until dark, makes it far more special and magical.

Buying cards and wrapping in the jan sales was a great help

Started shopping early and finished in early December so could enjoy Christmas

Cut down on how many decorations went up- house looked better with just a few plus tree

Got dh to do the grocery shop - I do it all year. He enjoyed it and I was glad of the break from crowds.

Loved being here at home.
Got house ready for guests with 48 hours to spare
Wrapped gifts a few days in advance instead of Christmas Eve
Went out to party Christmas Eve so kids mad energy was burned off and they were in bed asleep by 9pm
Guests arrived at 11.30 Christmas Day which gave us chance to get up slowly and enjoy our stockings and breakfast.

Will do again:
Have the big meal at 5 instead of 2.
Cook turkey the day before.
Split gift opening - Santa stuff in am, gifts from others in evening.
Only fill stocking for each family member (from Santa) - book(s), clothes, small toy and sweets. No other big gifts needed ( works for us as both children have birthdays within a few weeks of Christmas. Will get any "big" gifts then - bikes etc.)

Don't buy gifts til November/December as I'll forget what I bought already and end up with too much.
Wrap gifts as I buy them so I can take my time and make them look v pretty :)

Want to try next year :
Prep veg and set table before we go out for afternoon walk/park visit so I don't feel so overwhelmed coming home.
Being ahead with housework and laundry so not scrambling on Xmas eve. ( baby dd was ill for few days so I was stuck cuddling her for 3 days on sofa, getting minimal sleep myself. Was potential for disaster!)

Oh yes. Wrapping everything sober and relaxed, a few days before Christmas was a revelation. Normally this is done drunk and frantic, late on Christmas eve and I even had tags, rather than writing names on with biro

Writing down the battery requirements of toys before wrapping them. I normally buy loads of batteries anyway, but wouldn't have thought to buy the 9v square battery that one of DS's toys required.

Bought early, and wrapped early.

Prepped veg etc and made giblet stock Christmas Eve.

Made time to enjoy a family outing beforehand.

Washing up as you go, leaving dishwasher empty Christmas morning to stack as needed.

Stripping Turkey carcass straight after dinner, frezzeing 1 breast so not too much leftovers to cope with and throwing bones into slow cooker with veg, herbs also prepped Christmas Eve and ready in a Tupperware tub for making stock.

To do better, includes check Turkey cooking times on more than 1 website so it's not fearfully dry and over cooked. Bit less rushing Christmas morning. Announce I advance I intend snoozing on couch so I,m not woken after 5 mins [Angry]

We always set the table the day/evening before. So much easier. I also bought less stockkngvtatbthis year and better presents. We had a MOUNTAIN of packaging last year. There's hardly any this year.

Worked well
Christmas dinner at 5pm not lunchtime
Couple of presents to myself (no partner)
Wrapping everything in advance leaving Christmas Eve free for once

Next year
Quality over quantity re presents
More decluttering esp kids' toys in advance

We were at the IL's

Top tips - help them to prepare as much a possible on Christmas Eve so that we're both able to spend time with their GC.

Get to the kitchen sink before FIL to do the worst of the washing up. He usually misses out on a lot of the post lunch fun because he's adamant that he needs to wash up.

Things I must do - keep all receipts in one place. We've had some double lego sets and I can't find the receipts for the ones that I bought.

Stop putting tat in to make up the number of presents. I'm interested to hear what those of you who cut down actually put in that was so successful.

We're hoping to be abroad next year, so cutting down to less, well received gifts will be great.