Mine and yours Dont/won't do this for 2017

[Princesspinkgirl]

So mumsnet what are your won't be doing for christmas 2017!
After this year's disaster I will be avoiding the usual large family meal and planning in advance for me dp and baby to do something else

ping my DH thought it was a bit against the spirit of things too, but he didn't have to do any shopping as it was all done, so he decided to live with it!

It was good because for example eldest DS wanted very specific slippers and a chair (wtf?) neither of which I would have got right. It was also good as younger DC gets very anxious about getting things right, so was able to say to his siblings "do you like this?" (Holds up book/jumper etc) and then get exactly the correct thing. We agreed once the stuff was in the trolley it was effectively invisible and we weren't to nose at our own presents again, so they could be a kind of surprise on the day itself.

I find shopping in real,life shops hideous in every way so I was pleased to have help and get it over with in one go.

forgetmenot I could always remind DH that he took me shopping for my birthday present this year & got me some gorgeous jewellery which I've worn loads...

Will get stocking fillers earlier
Will host Christmas Eve party again- was ace but did too much food
Will NOT start in September and get complacent then panic in December

We are moving into our new house in Feb and I'm already excited that this is our last Christmas slumming it! (Self builders in 40 yr old park home at present)

Next year I'm definitely not running around like a crazy fool on Christmas Eve, and I'm going to try and enjoy it

Agree with poster above about Jamie's get ahead gravy, expensive and time consuming and not that great!

Won't :
Worry about accommodating in laws
Remember stockings are wrecked on Xmas eve.

Will:
Not bother with turkeys and do steak for meat eaters and veggie stuff for vegetarians - did this this year and it was so much eAsier and kids actually ate it.
Watch out for bargains - saved loads.

I will slow down the unwrapping of the gifts. MIL kept throwing gifts at DS, and he didn't get a chance to open and look at them properly. Next year I'll insist on him just doing a few at a time. MIL likes to open gifts as quickly as possible, and I hate it.

Contrary to another poster above, I will do Jamie's get ahead gravy again. It tasted good, and I quite enjoyed the process of making it.

I will get somebody else to carve the turkey. I'm crap at it.

Will:
Stay in during the Christmas to NY days. We normally go out to the sales but avoided it this year and have had such a nice time holed indoors playing with Christmas presents and eating leftovers.
Won't:
Invite my mother round for Christmas Day. Last year she didn't turn up (too tired ) this year she was two hours late. Really don't know why I bother to keep trying when she obviously can't be bothered to make the effort. Next year it will just be us and the in laws. I say that now...

If I have 3 different events on different days/nights of the same weekend I will not go to them all. On the second weekend of December I went out on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and that was after going out on the previous Monday and Saturday too. It was too, too much and necessitated a ridiculous amount of faff for having DS looked after.

To top it off I put my back out getting out of the car after the Sunday event and spent all that Monday in agony, then I took strong anti-inflammatories and spent all of Tuesday with bloating and all of Wednesday with diarrhoea. On Thursday I was running a playgroup Christmas party when all I wanted was to stay collapsed in bed. I barely enjoyed it because I was lightheaded with low blood pressure and by that afternoon I was suffering severe anxiety brought on by anaemia. It really spoiled the rest of the run up for me.

I'm a Christmas 'hobbyist' but truly the side of it that I love is just doing things with DS and that tends to be very full on but in a way I love. So from now on I'll pick one or two nights out for the month of December and save the rest of my energy for the part of Christmas that's really special to me. Immersing myself in all of my son's sense of wonder.

I won't be taking my asd ds to anyone's house on Christmas day. The black eye. Bite marks and bruises have taught me that change is not his friend. I am exhausted and actually thank Fuck I'm working next year. I am close to breaking point and want the whole horrible shit storm to be over.

mylittle and for you.

I hope to have all presents brought by the beginning of December next year.

Will be going to our local NT house Tredegar House before xmas and taunt Scrooge and walk the house and grounds... just magical. Won;t buy bargains beforehand and have to store them all year and then wrap and transport pressies to the ppl and bc they were bargains give more to make the money up am done with it all. Will give money instead .