How are you scaling back/ tweaking your Christmas this year?

[BanyanTree]

I am still on a mission to create the Christmas I want and not repeat the Christmases I have had.

What are you doing differently this year and what lessons have you learned?

I am reducing my Christmas card list to about 5 which will be my very elderly relatives only who appreciate a card. I am also not buying any wrapping paper or gift tags and am going to use up all the bits I have in my cupboard. Finally, I am going to upset a lot of our extended family again by saying I am not spending loads of money on presents. Every year they get the hump but I cannot carry on spending the amount of money we have been doing.

Christmas cards - work only as im new and its a office job and a very small business.

Christmas presents - dc will have about 50 quid each spent on them rather than 100.

Dh and I did a tenner limit for each other last year will do that again.

Eat at mums and we do the turkey so cheap on the food front. Though im off work the whole fortnight so will cost in the long run doing stuff.

We all came to agreement with extended family that we stop doing presents for aunts/uncles and cousins over the age of 18 - it's saved everyone a lot of money and a degree of stress and we're all happy with this arrangement !

I'm forever stressing about arrangements on the day... who goes where and how not to offend.

Secret Santa worth about £50 for the adults so we all get one present that's not just cheap rubbish. My issue is always the amount I spend on food mountain. Got to be better on that this year

Determined to have a cheaper Christmas this year. We will be in our own home on the day which helps because I don't feel I need to give the DC plenty of stuff to keep them entertained on the day as I do when we are elsewhere.
And will not do last minute 'topping up' of other people's gifts as I often do when I think that what I have bought isn't 'enough'

I am not doing a huge Christmas shop. I might purchase cranberry sauce / puddings once a week on the lead up but no need for a huge shop. Lidl are selling proscecco next week six bottles for around 3 pound each.

I have three nephews. Will limit to ten to fifteen each. My own are done. Dh - will tell him we might book a night away and small gift.

My parents - will scale right back. My mother is very spoilt anyway.

Starting early with the shopping
Reducing 'bits to open' presents as we did last year and putting more 'big' presents in the stockings which means we leave tree presents to after lunch wine which makes it much more enjoyable.
This year I'm not leaving my house between carols at 6 on Christmas Eve and 12 noon on Boxing Day. Anyone who wishes to join us is very welcome. But I'm sick of driving here there and everywhere and sleeping on floors and rushing about to get places. Last year all my dc wanted was to just play with their new toys. So this year that is what we're doing!

But in terms of saving money, I'm probably not going to- we don't spend loads or have huge lists of friends/family to buy for. I love Christmas and Christmas dinner, decorations etc. We don't go bonkers but it's nice to splurge a bit.

Well done everyone.
I "cut the crap" ten years ago and it's liberating.
Only buy for partner and 2 dcs who are both adults. Dcs get money plus a Crispsheets special stocking which I love doing. Partner and I are going to get a laptop between us and do a stocking each.
So no 3 for 2 shit or useless crap to buy.
Only send cards to about 3 elderly relatives.
Moving house Jan 5th so it so be a very quick Xmas with tree down on the 1st.

Concentrate on reducing the amount of "stuff" we buy.

Not buying turkey because we "should".

Not rushing around to visit my workplace.

Being more organised (most of kids are bought and wrapped...)

Less stocking presents for DD. We're going for quality not quantity.

If it's just the 3 of us then I'm not doing a full roast on Xmas day, I spent hours in the kitchen and then DD barely ate anything, it really annoyed me! Im just going to do a buffet or something.

I've been thinking a lot about this. I was sorting some stuff out last week and found loads of stuff that was bought me that I still haven't used, absolute madness

Less stuff. I want Christmas to be nice and chilled and last year was crazy and headache inducing because of all the toys. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just me that had gone overboard but my mum and my Auntie also got the kids loads and it was so bad I got buried under a pile of presents - not joking! (Lots of people in a small room so it's not quite as bad as it sounds)

I'd like to go to church too. Haven't managed it in recent years because it's been so manic.

We're reducing the amount of dc's gifts again. Our hand was forced due to travelling last year and they didn't care about having less. We've also decided never to travel again! We like xmas in our own home in our own way. I'm going to start gradually adding in one item of homemade food per year. I usually only prep the turkey but as dc's are getting older and easier to manage I'm going to do more. Thinking I might venture away from packet Stuffing this year!

We are considering a visit to the inlaws between xmas and for NY so that will reduce the stuff we buy for them as flights are expensive so they will be getting token gifts and the "gift" of seeing their grandkids.

I do themed stockings- smelly (toiletries, and bathroom products) or sweet (as it sounds but no other sweets such as selection boxes)

Erm. Setting a budget and using a spreadsheet helps too.

No cards

Plan my Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/Boxing Day menu and eat normal, simple things in the lead up and the week before New Year

Make and freeze vegetable lasagne and vegetable chilli so there's something solid but quickly available (which will need a trip to Waitrose to buy the best vegetarian mince)

Not to do endless shopping (usually with DD) in the lead up.

I have a day booked before Christmas to do last minute tidy ups (on the day the bins go out so I can be organised before)

A day booked for DH and I (without the DC) to go shopping.

DD and I have a traditional day out in London (go down Oxford Street)

Chinese take away on the 23rd

I'll make a cake but no pudding (no-one eats it unless we have visitors)

Give DS money and a couple of small gifts to open, he's a saver not a present type (unlike DD)

DD gives us a list most of it online (last year was earrings, gift vouchers and a couple of make-up items)

No presents for adults (DH and I buy what we want/need before Christmas anyway)

Buy a really good quality fake tree and clear space to adore it.

Don't buy my own bodyweight in cheese that no-one eats.

Sit in my kitchen one day with all the Christmas magazines on the table , drink coffee and mark with a pen
Ditto the TV Times everyone has their own highlighter pen

And Countdown to Christmas Princessing when we get to 100 Days (which is about 4 weeks)

No extended family on Christmas - just us four. Last year was a train wreck with all of DH's siblings and mother.
Focus on the "magic" bits for DS who will have just turned 4. but I draw the line at elf on the bloody shelf.
Set a budget and stick to it; I'm sure I heard talk last year of some incredible spread sheet-ing going on.
Eat all the cheese, drink all the wine to make up for what I missed being pregnant last year

I am going to stick to a budget for DC this year.
I'm not going to buy a whole load of food that we won't eat.
I'm not going to buy any more decorations well maybe just 1 or 2

No cards

I never buy bargain crap anyway but I will be spending less on docs.

@HollyHollyBooBoo I did a buffet last year rather than the traditional Christmas dinner and it was brilliant. I'd definitely recommend it.

I'm going to buy less food this year. We ended up donating a load of stuff to the food bank last year as I just had way too much, and it would've been us eating it just because it was there.

I'll still put stuff in the food bank, but won't go overboard for us.

I think I may suggest no cards except elderly relatives, and give to charity instead. Anyone on email can have a mini round robin (basically our new address!).
Trying to get DCs less stuff, if they need things then that will make good present suggestions for relatives (e.g. DS is probably getting a bunk bed or cabin bed so will ask for single sheets/duvet).
Also will suggest e.g. my DM takes DS on a theatre trip rather than a present, paying for swimming lessons from my DF etc.
And I may well ask for spa/house stuff that I either need, or would maybe spend my own money on otherwise. Maybe some cinema vouchers (and I'm thinking of getting those for other people's DCs as they went down well with some of DS classmates)

We are usually OK with food shopping as there are usually only us 4 so we get a turkey crown and don't plan to have much else different.

I'm doing the complete opposite this year. Hoping to get the all clear for DS aged 10 in October, the it's full on Christmas mode and I intend to go mad after the year we've had!

I am going to try and cut down on the amount of choc I usually buy though.

We're not hosting this year so that'll cut the cost.

We will have had a spendy year though as pfb is due to arrive in late sept/oct. I'm not planning on presents for baby boy as he'll be at most 3.5 months old on Christmas Day. Dm and df who were going to for Christmas however.....

We'll do presents from us and the boy. Will take stuff with us but won't go crazy like we did last year.

Next year when baby boy will be more aware of what's happening then we may go a bit more bonkers...

Fingers crossed really hard for you and your DS, Muddling - you sound like you all deserve a wonderful, mad Christmas.

Every year, I say it'll be understated and less spend Christmas, and reflect the fact that my children are mostly grown up (youngest is now 14), etc etc etc

What actually happens is, October arrives and I start carefully, cautiously working my way through my sensible list...

By November, I have blown a gasket, parcels are arriving by the lorry load, my credit card is smoking, and Jeff Bezos is sending me messages telling me to slow down as Amazon can't stock their warehouse fast enough 😉

So this year, I have embraced and anticipated the mad spending spree, and been running my own one person Park scheme, buying vouchers whenever I have saved enough cash. So far I have several £50 Tesco and Amazon vouchers to help cushion the blow.

I gave up sending cards years ago, and although some people were a bit huffy, most of them have followed suit.

Crispsheets can you fill us in on what's in your special dc stocking ? Struggling for imaginative ideas

Thank you so much @ScrappyMalloy