My Christmas food shop is done in many stages. Emphasis on MANY!!
We bought the first cheese in August (brought back a ball of Edam from holidays in the Netherlands).
I was very late buying my turkey wine last week, normally I get that in September (just the wine for the meal itself).
I also made my mince meat back in August, so that is about ready now. And I made limoncello then which I filtered for bottling last weekend.
I have been gathering a few nice bits as I see them since early November - nice crackers from a deli on my way back from a Cub Scout overnight (I was delirious from lack of sleep and stopped at a really nice deli just for coffee/loo break, and left with 1 bag but a considerably lighter pocket!); hot chocolate mix from farmers market on our last trip "down home" (really nice artisan chocolatier there!!) and some local cheese too; a Christmas decoration tin filled with truffles from Lidl a couple of weeks ago....
I have been working on restocking the store cupboard and cleaning cupboard generally over the past 3 weeks with online shopping orders (and some wine for regular drinking on entertaining days). And having things in the freezer so I can mostly avoid main shops on my manically busy weeks. I will have to go in person this week, but only need things like milk, bread, yoghurt, (and the teabags which were out of stock last weekend?!) and may grab a few extras while I am there.
Next week I have one final online shop ordered. So the regular shopping for the week, most of the veg and fruit for Christmas itself, things like streaky bacon and sausage meat, mixers and sparkling water, extra bin bags etc are all included in that. And some cheese.
I've been to M&S near my office over lunch today and got some of the things I need for the Cubs Christmas party (James Bond Casino theme requested, so we needed chocolate coins and I got some gold dusted billionaires' squares) and a few party packs of crisps etc and small bottles of port for our own house.
I have just decided that, as I have a €5 off voucher for M&S, I will go back next week and get some rainbow carrots, nice mushrooms, olives, and some party food with long dates (and try to make some freezer space). There is a cheesemonger and a Leonidas on the route to M&S, so if the queues aren't manic, I may stop at both also.
Over the weekend, next weekend, (21st), I will go out to our local butchers and delis and cheesemonger and fishmonger and get things like a turkey (or some kind of nice joint to roast), salads, cooked and cured meats, cheese, some nice fish for over the weekend etc.
I will also try to get to a good off-licence about 20 minutes' drive (when no traffic) away, but that is right next to Ireland's equivalent of the Westfield SC, so it will be chaos - so DH may or may not get his Christmas craft beer.
We will be in M&S on 24th as I have to go to work and we need to buy DD's birthday cake (I am not baking on 26th!) so she will help choose it. So we will get some more party food then, and could end up only getting the turkey etc then too. And any other bits we still need.
And, in reality, there is nothing that I am worried about not getting. We will have some kind of nice food for the various days. There will be enough to eat and drink. And cleaning materials etc as needed. So if I don't get the Leonidas orangettes, I will make some extra mince pies instead. That kind of thing....but what might read like mammoth shopping efforts here actually isn't, it's more about ambling on a walk for my lunchbreak, and having a family stroll next weekend and choosing a few special things together rather than having to face the mammoth supermarket queues.