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

Bought my eldest DS's one present only, ( designer clothing) and they were thrilled . Let my mil do loads of work while I sat around drinking champagne and boring everyone with my constant chatter.

scratchcard is a brilliant stocking filler!

Popular in stockings in this house (DC are 11, 13, 15) as well as usual chocolate orange and selection box and shampoo/shower gel were nice new sports socks for DS2, exclusive handmade Frozen hair bobbles for DD and those cute mini Paperchase rubbers for all 3.

What worked well here was staying at home for the first time in forever...so much more relaxed than our usual rush of visiting. We only had the 4 of us and my mum Christmas Day and she came over at 10 so had a lovely couple of hours with the Dcs opening stocking presents and watching the snowman and the snowdog, then tree presents with grandma and the in laws with their usual ott gift stack landed on Boxing Day.

We've played loads of board games, built all the lego, been to the cinema and done a couple of frosty walks - and it's all been on our timescale and when we've wanted to. Bliss.

Doing the veg on Christmas eve was a plus too.
And asking dmil to bring a trifle so no dessert to make for boxing day.
And lego advent calendars.
And sponsoring a polar bear for ds1 who had a big birthday present last month so didn't really want anything much for Christmas (and/or knew he couldn't ask for anything big)

We did less stocking tat this year but there are still a few bits hanging around that haven't been looked at since 8am on Christmas Day so next year I think we'll cut the tat back even more. Having said that ds1's 2 favourite presents (a Flint and steel and a minecraft beanie hat) were both stocking presents so we got it right too.

Get everything done before Xmas eve so yiu can enjoy it.
We went to the panto at 12 then had lunch and straight to church.
It was really magical and it's our wedding anniversary so felt really special.
Foil trays I've done for years.
I started v earky shopping but I still le dds up with a hast minute panic which I hate.
I realised that although less stressy christnas isn't the same without everyone here and I was glad when they all turned up later

GetMe as an alternative, we DH parboiled the potatoes on Christmas Eve and then just left them in their saucepan, drained and cooled until we cooked them the next day. These, the bird and various other things that would be cooked the next morning were kept cold enough in the garage rather than the fridge, freeing up space.

Generally, leaving DH a list of veg prep chores to complete on Christmas Eve while I took the children swanned around London while they went to work with DAunty worked very well for me

I will not leave all the wrapping until the children go to bed on Christmas Eve.

Oh, the other thing that worked well was planning an outing for 27 Dec - I wrapped up ice skating tickets for the DDs as one of their presents. It gave us Boxing Day to slob around and play with presents, but then got us up and out doing something different the next day.

Fantastic thread. We'll be at home next year for the first time, probably with in-laws (normally at my sis's but will have to give way sometime), so a chance to set things up how I want.

I'm adopting:
Xmas notebook for recipes, tips, plans, food etc
Quality over quantity stocking
Table laid Xmas evening (we have small kitchen table which will be fine for breakfast)
Buying wrapping paper, crackers and cards in the sales

I'm repeating:
Xmas present ideas and purchases list on phone, and buying throughout the year
Attempting to negotiate more adult gift exchanges off the list next year - I love the friends but neither of us need more scented candles
Unexchangeable but unwanted gifts into the gift box labelled with whoever gave them straight away, rather than hanging guiltily around, to be regifted with confidence in mint condition
Making gingerbread house for DS and DNs to decorate on Xmas eve
Smoked salmon for Xmas lunch, big dinner in the evening
Cutting out motifs from prev year cards to use as tags the next year
A tree, a wreath, lights up the stairs, outside lights, and Xmas cards up on the wall is enough decoration

Not doing:
Trying to please everyone

Hit stocking fillers for 4yo DS: PJs, onesie, welly socks, gloves, mini table football, DVD, novelty bubble bath, giant jelly babies and personalised nutella jar

The trick to crisp roast potatoes is putting them in really really really hot oil.

I love the idea of sticking post its on next year's calendar, will def be doing that.

And def buy wrapping paper in the sales, mine was 10p a roll from Waitrose last year. Half price cards too.

Next October, I will be drawing up a list of jobs for my husband to do rather than getting left with everything again! I plan to make his list full of jobs that will only affect him when he's too bloody lazy to do them eg he will be in charge of presents for all his family and he can shop for the meat (I will have some chicken in the freezer but just enough for me). I already stopped sending cards to his family. No idea if they got any! I will probably leave him with the kids' stockings to do then sit back and watch as he realists on Christmas Eve that he has nothing. My MIL and SIL would be shocked that I am being so mean to their poor little darling but he really is bone idle!

Yes to cold alternatives to fridge, fruit and veg in garden shed, turkey in car boot (only 12 hours), drinks on patio. Stinky cheese also in garden shed.

Use disposible foil trays.
Start putting something on a supermarket card from jan. Even 5-10 per month helps with the big christmas shop.

interesting what works in different houses.

I like lunchtime food, so I don't spend all day in the kitchen, it is all done at lunchtime and I can relax.

we do all veg prep the day before.

no tv on christmas day, we play silly games.

laughing ta the idea of pjs, onsie and mini football being stocking fillers, as our stockings are quite small, and none of that would fit!

We had a lovely, busy, fulfilled Christmas Eve this year: dh took the dd's to a thing at his work in the morning whilst I got new tires put on the car and had coffee with a friend; then we met up in a playground in the city centre and went out for lunch; then ice-skating and a walk around Hamleys; then back to the city centre to watch mostly brilliant musicians busking for a homeless charity; home to wolf a quick dinner, then round to friends' for drinks and snacks.
Would love to adopt all of those as Christmas Eve traditions, but next time drink less at friends' house in the evening, so I don't need to go back to bed after the presents on Chiristmas morning , missing out on watching Elf with the dc.

I also regret vetoing dd2's request for an iPad mini (I said it was too expensive and she would need to save up for it), because it turned out three of her cousins of a similar age got more expensive iPad Airs each. We could have afforded it tbh, but I prefer to keep expectations lowish for Christmas, and also would need to spend a similar amount on her two sisters... And we have two birthdays soon after Christmas. But, I felt bad for her feeling like the poor cousin when we all got together on Boxing Day :(
Next year I might need to check what all the cousins are getting before saying no to something!

The recipe I used for nut roast worked beautifully, even converting dh who thought he didn't like nut roast, so I'll definitely make that again :)

Fun filled, not fulfilled!

Did a treasure hunt for the older teenagers/adults - worked brilliantly.

I've been married for 30 years and after each Christmas I write in a notebook what worked and what didn't ( it changes over the years) and I readjust the Christmas food and present spread sheets for the next year to adjust for too much/too little of different things. For 30 years I've been writing "write and send cards 1 December" and guess what? I'm always chasing the first class post cut off.

Here is a novel tip. Cook the turkey on the barbecue. It tastes lovely, cooks quicker and frees up room in the oven for tons of veg. Can't say that I do it as I don't do cooking but we go to my DSis on Xmas day and she does this, also puts pigs in blankets on while turkey rests. It has become a bit if a tradition for us

Agree with lots of these - including wrap as you buy/not on christmas eve, eat later in the day...
Buy Christmas pud (usually has an 18 month sell by on), tinned chestnut puree for stuffing, crackers, cards and paper after Christmas really cheap and keep with decorations (have also done advent calendars in the past...saves that 'damn I have to get one today and the local shop hasn't got any left' panic -but keep forgetting!!!)
Both DCs have different wrapping paper - no labeling and they decorate a sign on Christmas eve (card folded in two) to leave out for Santa to label their piles. Also gives them something calm to do on Christmas eve evening apart from peeling sprouts and carrots.

Usually reuse big bits of wrapping paper but this year I binned more than usual (recycle bin) - really lazy...but have lots more than I'll ever use...(I do have some for DP and I's presents that must be almost 20yrs old!)
Have two identical stockings for leaving on DCs bed -(we use men's socks - so the other half of the pair - family tradition). They have different ones so no arguments and they hang one on the bed and I fill the other downstairs. Santa hasn't been until their stocking is filled so they have to go straight back to sleep...I swap them over on my way to bed. (Years ago a friend's DC was devastated - had woken up to no stocking on her bed and her brother -shared room- had a filled one -her Dad was in the middle of filling hers!) And they bring their stocking through to our bedroom and go through with us before going to see their big presents (You can snooze quite well through this bit!). I also take two plastic tubs upstairs to put their stuff in as they take it out -saves finding a chocolate coin under the bed 6 months later...
Turkey - I get a whole one, make a turkey crown - take off the legs, bone and stuff them - use the rest of the carcass, giblets and leg bones for stock for the gravy. Quicker to cook, easier to carve and leg gets eaten.
But my best tip would be lists ...I have a word doc ones.
I have a card list with eg all DCs class mates on it for them to use and the few people I send cards to with their addresses - and if they change address I change it on there straight away.
And a Christmas list (which DCs don't see). It has the presents on it - teachers etc
Then a list of what I can buy anytime - so wrapping paper, crackers, chocolate coins for stockings etc. Selection boxes, chocolate oranges etc
Then food stuffs in the run up - so biscuits for cheese, roses, lemonade, pudding mincemeat etc.
Then last shop before christmas (cream etc)

Then a Christmas eve veg etc prep list, then a Christmas day cooking list.
I go through it after Christmas and change things as needed - then save as 'Dec Next year' - then I go through it and if eg I have got a pudding in the sales or have enough cards etc I annotate it - so eg Wrapping paper - have or enough for DD1, need more for DD2 etc.
So I know what I have or haven't got before I get the box out/decorate the tree.
I also have a 'special shopping list' in my tasks from Oct - where I write down ideas I have for DCs presents - then I tick them off when I've bought them...or had second thoughts...
(I love lists!)

With four teenagers staying, none of whom are great at volunteering, I gave each one a choice of four cards. There was one for cranberry sauce, bread sauce, stuffing one and two. They were asked to find a recipe online or from any cook books that had ingredients already in kitchen and to cook and chill on 23rd. Cue very loud music, surprising amount of cooperation among the cousins and very edible results!

For Christmas Eve, I took put 3 different types of leftover curries from the freezer, cooked rice and opened a pack of m + s ready made pup podiums, which worked really well and very easy.

Not putting the tree in the sitting room, but the playroom part of kitchen, diner open room, meant there was room for all seats in sitting room for guests and we enjoyed being together while I checked cooking in the middle of present openings.

Having a. Black sack ready for wrapping paper was great, and very handy to chuck in recycling bin later.

I realise I didn't explain Turkey stock well in my shorthand version. After dinner Christmas evening, while dh washed up, I stripped bones, froze the whole breast left uncut, and put dark meat and rest of white meat in fridge. Then I threw the bones into the slow cooker, along with a tub of carrot peelings, some extra carrot, chopped celery, chopped onion and herbs (including stalks leftover from those I needed on.y leaves for other uses). Then just covered with a kettle of hot water, turned on sc while we had cheese and pudding, turned off before we went to bed, and strained on Stephen's morning. So it was very low fuss, but a good result.

Need to get more sleep over the whole period. And make downtime to just read beside the fire.

my mum definitely had it sorted. She always hosted big Christmas. As people arrived on Christmas eve they naturally came and sat round the big kitchen table to talk/drink tea etc.

So she developed this system, as you arrive you get a mug of tea/gin and tonic and a bag of veg plus peeler. All the veg got done, even peeling the hot chestnuts got done so my dad could make the stuffing.

This year I hosted and we did same with guests. (except the stuffing - I bought peeled chestnut, too many memories of burnt fingers)
I realised though that I did the turkey, whereas at home it was my dad. Dh told me I made a mistake in early married life, I should have got my dad to take him under his wing and teach him about turkey!!

Freezing what I could in advance... spiced cabbage, mince pies - will do Jamie's get ahead gravy next year I think.
Having the shopping done early and online. inc. batteries.
I also used disposible foil trays.

Great thread - I feel I should 'watch' it for later next year.