What can i do now to get ready for Christmas?

[Fibbke]

I hate Christmas. i always leave everything too late and it ends up being a stressful expensive nightmare.

I have four teens. Ive bought a few bits for their stockings. I'd love to get them done and finshed in the next couple of months. Anything else?

You could start buying some dry goods, booze, etc that you normally have at Christmas and hide them away if it’s too tempting? The tins of chocolates come out around mid to late September I think, usually stock up then as they are usually £5 or 2 for £8.

M&S food brochure comes out start of October and have an early bird ordering if you want to get your stuff from there.

If you get your shopping delivered from the supermarkets most delivery saver plans have priority slots so book your slot as soon as they are available usually in November.

A lot of sales happen around end of August to clear out stock so you could pick up more presents then.

Hope some of these will help 😊

This week I’ve bought three presents as sales have started. I bought the first Christmas present about three months ago! Just remember where you hide them!

Check when tickets for Christmas things you want to go to come out and put them in your diary.

We don't do Christmas like that...
They have silly gifts and Christmas Eve we have £50 each to go mad at the shops, but what ever you like for you...
Christmas day is now naff gift day...
Then we get what is needed during the year...

Placemarking. Last year I bought the Good Housekeeping Get Ahead for Chistmas issue in August and started building Xmas hampers with extra bits from Aldi/Lidl/etc from Sept onwards. I wasn't ruthless enough in my forward planning for presents, though, and ended up overspending there.

I like to get things like dressing gowns, pjs, bath stuff, books etc early so that I can just concentrate on the main gift for my dc although they're younger (7,9 & 10).

Do you buy for other family? Could you get them done early?

I am buying bits and pieces already and putting them away. I bought a lot in January for the dc (in the Works sale- science kits and magic trick sets etc). Dried food is a good option / wine. They do coupons for a local supermarket beside me.

Start saving- then a bit lot nearerthe time all decide together what you want to do.

What do you usually put in their stockings? Are there any "must haves?" I have done stockings for mine since they were little (now 2 adults and one almost teenager) Nowadays they are less about occupying them first thing in the morning and more about traditions and being the most convenient place to gather together all the little bits that I collect that might amuse them or be useful.

Always: undies and socks - nice matching sets for DDs and Christmas themed socks.
Make up for DDs
Good quality grooming stuff for DS
Chocolate of some sort. Toblerones or chocolate santas.
This year I have already bought handbag mirrors and nice nails files for DDs stockings.
Pencils with quotes from their favourite shows/films.

DS will get a card game or travel version of a board game

A small gift card of some sort. Costa and PS4 points have gone down well.

I'll buy magazines with my last shop before Christmas - something that ties in with their interests.

I've bought earrings in the Pandora sale and a couple of gadgets from Prime Day. I'll be looking out for some stuff on Black Friday. DS wants a football kit and some video games that come out later in the autumn. I've also made a note of a couple of films that they have asked for on DVD and I'll wait for them to be released. One of DD1's favourite authors has a book coming out in November so I've made a note of that to buy for her.

One thing I do is to set up a private wish list on amazon and when something occurs to me or they drop a hint/ask for something I make a note on the wish list. I don't get everything from Amazon but it saves me trying to remember.

I buy supermarket stamps each month for my Christmas food shop. The preorder catalogue comes out in November so I pick it up and place my order by the start of December. I buy non perishable stuff as I see it - a couple of items a week and keep it away from the main food cupboards. Same with wine, beer and cider.

I wrap what I have a couple of weeks before Christmas when I'm at home alone. Everything goes in a labelled bag (one for each person)

Mine are teens ( DD is 17 and DS will be 20) by Christmas .

I am doing a list of what I won't be buying (you know the tat you're left with in Feb that you kick around the pantry/fridge/freezer till it gets grudgingly eaten or thrown out )

My DD is a complete Christmas Fiend , she wants her Christmas bedding on Nov 1st (its a winter fleecy stag pattern so not overly Christmassy)
I do a Beauty Advent for her (I've looked at the Advent Calenders and they don't have what she wants . It costs ££ but it forms part of her Christmas presents . So she gets 24 nice little gifts , no plastic filler tat . (I look out for 3for 2 and GWP) . Oh, and they have to be Cruelty Free .

DS , bless him , just wants money and guitar bits.

I buy bulky things like the PJs,robes , underwear , in November . The thought of struggling round with huge bags doesn't appeal

Plan ahead , book an online delivery slot and secure it with 5 bottles of gin . ( You can take the gin out of the order if you want)

I love the Good Housekeeping magazine (usually comes out round Guy Fawkes)

Lakeland Limited Christmas stuff
Costco (they start selling Christmas in Sept)
M&S (I like to look at the food )

We're vegetarian (except DS) so I don't do anything new-fangled on the day (there's loads of other days to have chilli or lasagne)

Check things like cooking ware - pots/pans , steamer , glasses, plates , cutlery .

I have two cats now so my Christmas decorations will need to be CatSafe . Any glass baubles will need to be out of reach of their tiny inquisitive paws . The tree (pre-lit) will have loads of lights and a star but no other decorations in case they attack it .

And YY to save now . I don't buy too far ahead but I save my Nectar Points (Sainsbury shop) and have a £2 jar (we split it and have a compulsary splurge)

I make a list of everyone I need to buy for and a budget (I I have an idea of what they may like I note that too) for them on the notes app of my phone. I usually buy in the sales and if I find something suitable I make a now against that persons name. I may not always spend up to my budget and could go over, it’s more about what I think they would like than how much it costs. I like to get people things they wouldn’t usually buy for themselves so it feels more of a treat.

Have bought a few bits for my sons stocking. Found a reduced fossil chocolate in Hotel Chocolat with a long date. He is dinosaur mad, so thought he would like that. We don’t go mad with chocolates at Christmas as past experience dictates we just eat tubs and keep replacing them! 🤣

Oh and I definitely do the M&S food service. I look forward to the start of October each year!

A pound coin jar would soon add up if we started now.

www.theorganisedmum.blog/2017/09/04/the-organised-christmas-week-1/

This is how you can get ahead! It’s a 12 (or something) step plan to be ready for Christmas by the end of November. I’ve been checking it and seeing what I can do ahead of the autumn as I’m pregnant with number 4 and need to be prepared!

I have a Christmas shopping list on my pc that i use every year.
I always revise it after Christmas if we don't use anything.
Saves the mental load of what to buy food wise.
Presents I'll only buy freaky little stocking fillers in advance, but my DC do a list before amazon black Friday. I've cut presents down and only do immediate family now.

And find somewhere to hide things that your pesky teens won't find - they are as bad as tiny DC for snooping ....worse even, they're taller !

Freaky little stocking fillers!! I meant tiny little stocking fillers
My DC's change their minds what they want so I don't buy too early I do put money away every month from January though.

Wow I love this thread, so many great ideas!

We have DC2 due on 29/12 and DC1 3rd birthday on the 21/12 , DH birthday on 05/12 including a 2 night stay in Edinburgh and DSS 16th birthday on 27/11 😩😂

Planning on having Park vouchers paid off by 1st Sept in order to receive in time for Sainsbury half price toy sale in Oct.

Hoping to go to DMIL for Xmas day lunch to avoid cooking and chaos at ours/ having to do a bit food collection from M&S at 39 weeks pregnant.

We mutually operate a strictly choose off the wish list only policy with DSIL to avoid duplicate/ unwanted gifts/ plastic for all nieces and nephews which worked very well last year - lists normally done for October.

Open to ideas of other bits I could be doing in advance now, but slightly limited until Park vouchers arrive

🎄🎄🎄

You could put the sprouts on

You could put the sprouts on

You do know its July Maiden the sprouts need to go on in March unless you're into RawFood .

Ideally any time in early Feb on a low simmer , but last minute rush again. Luckily I have a pressure cooker and a microwave , I'll just pop the pressure cooker inside it .

Lots of good ideas
I dont do pjs, duvets, robes or hampers!

I have bought ds a really good laptop but he needs it for school in September so i need to get him some small things to open on the day.

You could put the sprouts on

🤣🤣🤣

I bought a few things recently in the Joules clearance sale - I got three Christmas mugs that all have a pair of socks in them. They will be ideal for my adult nieces and the secret Santa at work.
I had an app on my phone last year which helped with planning, it’s called Gift list lite.

If you are a baker, then it's not too early to get started on that. A boozy Christmas cake will greatly improve by the time it's Christmas, likewise mincemeat . You could even make mince pies and freeze and loads
of buffet style food is ok for freezing.