What are your plans for Christmas this year?

[PizzaCrust]

Obviously, for most of us, last Christmas was very different to what we’re used to. It was a really tough time where we missed out on so much family time and traditions that have gone on for years and years.

Staying positive (in the hope that there will be no more lockdowns), what are your plans for this year? I know it’s probably very early to ask but after last year, I really want to prepare in advance this time.

My plans so far-

• try and get something booked for DDs in the run up to Christmas (a grotto or something)
• start buying presents in September so if there is a disaster, they’ll all have arrived with plenty of time
• order the turkey as early as possible (late Nov if I can)
• try and see both sides of the family before Christmas so if there is a lockdown, we’ve already seen them
• try to see friends in early December so if things are locked down I’ll have hopefully seen everyone before the year is out

Honestly, I feel like a lot of these are preventative measures for if the worst happens again. I loathe the idea of another Christmas where so many things are cancelled and it’s stressful getting everything ready.

I'm of the same mind - I'm hoping there's no lockdown, but anticipating some form of issue is a possibility. I'm well underway with gifts & plans, and have just started picking up the special bits of food & drink that help make it feel Christmassy.
I'm planning outdoor things like looking at lights & local festive displays followed by hot chocolate & marshmallows when we get home, baking & crafts, making festive spicy popcorn with a movie for DC. I'm trying to arrange lots of little things rather than one major thing, partly to spread the excitement but also in case of cancellations.
Last year I finished gifts early & gave them out as we saw people over the autumn so that the kids had them for Christmas no matter what happened in the world (just to the people that would normally put gifts under the tree & open with their own families on the day; we have a few people where we open each other's gifts when we're together, even if it's early/late, so those gifts I kept hold of.)
It helps that my dc is still young, so doesn't have expectations other than last year really, but I try to make the whole of Dec special with advent activities & little gifts - it's much easier to manage the excitement, and to work around any bumps in the road, and anyway those are the type of memories I want to be creating for my family. It was lovely having all those little things to enjoy while everything was so difficult, and not having to worry whether it would all be ruined due to restrictions.

Well I have managed to put a good dent in present shopping and hope to be finished by end of Oct half term.

Hope to have wrapped by December.

We have booked panto, bowling, christmas lights followed by a meal with DC so far.

Myself and DH are hoping for a weekend in Krakow.

We have a cottage booked with family for over New Year.

It feels so much better when you’ve had a chance to prepare, doesn’t it?

I really do need to start looking at toys and picking ones out. I know I could always wait until Black Friday and the likes but I remember last year I just bought things early and thank goodness I did, as the Black Friday offerings were a bit shit. And a lot of the stuff I’d bought was now out of stock.

I find booking stuff in advance quite hard as myself and my partner work a lot in the run up to Christmas and there’s dates (TBC) we would need to be in work for. So booking things can be difficult until those dates are released. But I suppose it’s good to get an idea of what is on offer and have a shortlist of things to do so we have something to fall back on. We went to a Grotto last year at a local estate and it was lovely so hopefully they’ll be doing something similar again this year.

We have our annual switching on of the village lights event the last Friday of November.

Saturday after that will be putting our own tree up.

There will be several meals out with people from work and friends.

DH’s birthday mid December so will celebrate that.

The way Christmas has fell this year I’ll be breaking up lunch time 23rd December and back after new year.

Christmas Eve we are travelling to Yorkshire to stay in a holiday home until 28th. December. We will eat out Christmas Day and have lots of picky food and go on lots of walks.

From 29th to 31st we will be taking down decorations and getting the house back to ‘normal’ for the new year.

I’m very excited!!

Absolutely nothing. It’s not even the middle of August.

in-laws visit December I hope, advent calendar and tree from last year, then Christmas very quiet, lots of wonderful food dh mentioning treats even now, New Years `Eve Stranger thing binge as I count down, not much live tv it will be crap as usual, Dr who call the midwife.

Spending Christmas Day at home as a family, DD second Christmas and our babies first! 🥰 can't wait to see her face on Christmas morning!!

Spending the rest of the season just out and about so my DD can soak up all the magic and lights and hopefully a date day with my DH ice skating ☃️⛸🎁🎄

I’m very much hoping to be able to stay with my dm for Xmas with kids and dp for the first time since 2019 and to enjoy a lovely Xmas dinner all together. Will not be taking this for granted in future like I used to!

I’m not going to book stuff though, as I can’t face the hassle / stress of potential cancellations of dds get covid at school next term.

Cape Verde if the Covid figures allow.

Don’t think there will be a lockdown so all the usual really. Buying presents in Oct, booking days out and seeing family on the big day itself

I don't know. It will be the second one without my mum. We were supposed to go to family last year, but of course that was cancelled. Tbh, if I didn't have a dd I wouldn't do anything.

I keep it very simple, Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Day. The panto, Christmas lights etc has never appealed so I can avoid all that. No present rule in our family (no young DC), stress free .

Hopefully here but not really planning until nearer the time because family circumstances might well change.

Elderly in laws looked very frail when we via couple of weeks back. If they were unwell and not able to travel, we might decamp to near them.
Daughter is talking family, so might need a less busy Christmas if she’s pregnant and struggling with sickness/tiredness.
Son’s partner may still be away, so he might need more fuss or he might also deploy.

Time enough to firm up plans that suit everyone nearer the day. Who knows what new joys Covid19 and Brexit will bring?

Ours is very simple too. Grown up DS who lives away. Will probably have PIL round for a Christmas lunch in the run up to Christmas, as I’m working over the holiday period and think DH will be too.

Finfin I work throughout the Christmas period too (retail), the idea of having two weeks 'holiday' at that time of year seems very odd to me, my DH has to take annual leave at Christmas, he really doesn't want to but no choice. It's not a great time of year for doing much - normal 'holiday' he would use for hiking, camping etc. I do suggest decorating, DIY etc but those are not really his skills .

I would love to book a cottage for Xmas or New Year. Recommendations welcome by PM!

All we have to decide is who's hosting. We'll probably offer, as we were due to be doing it laat year. I don't even think about presents until November, or food until December. We don’t do panto or Christmas outings - teenage dc not interested in all that stuff! Dh and I, dsis and dbil all work in schools so have always had at least 2 weeks off, and parents and PIL are all retired, so we can all spread out the hosting and festivities as we like really. Usually host either for Christmas or NY and go to family for the other.

We will be flying in from Spain to spend Christmas week in Scotland and NY in Edinburgh. Last year it was just so depressing being away from family. This year I want snow and atmosphere which unfortunately never happens in Spain

DH and I are away in Gran Canaria for the first week of December so I'm hoping to have all the present shopping finished by then.
Sadly only one little one here so largely an adult Christmas but we still manage to have a good time. This year we have a whole family [8 adults, 1 child] weekend away in the Cotswolds booked for the middle of December. This includes an overnight hotel stay, Christmas dinner in the afternoon followed by Westonbirt Arboretum on the Saturday evening. After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday we will travel to Oxford for "Christmas at Blenheim Palace". That weekend will take the whole budget for our usual Christmas outings. and a chunk of the present budget but nobody cares -- we're so determined to make this year memorable and decided to do this in place of our usual theatre/festive afternoon tea/panto/Santa train outings. .
Christmas Eve we go out to a local fancy garden centre for hot chocolate and cake . Come home and do any necessary food prep. This is followed by an open air carol service in our village. After that it's a candlelit fillet steak dinner, drinks, filling stockings and putting the presents under the tree.
We will all go out for dinner on Christmas Day after a Bucks Fizz and chocolate biscuits breakfast whilst everyone opens their stockings. Main present opening when we get home which takes a while as there are so many of us. Cheeseboard and relax in the evening.
Boxing Day will be a lazy day and is our family games night and buffet party where we all let our hair down a bit and eat, drink and make merry. [I hope!]

I'll be very heavily pregnant by then so we've booked Christmas lunch at a nice country pub. Usually I host about 15 people but I've told them not this year. Maybe we'll do nibbles and drinks in the evening if everyone wants to.
We've not gone crazy booking up activities either. We're doing a Christmas light trail which we've done a couple of times before and is always very special. And we'll see Father Christmas at the local farm. That's about it really though. We're going to just take it really easy. DH can take the kids out on walks and bike rides when they need to blow off some steam.
Planning to start Christmas shopping in September once everyone is settled back in at school again.

Aiming to have done all the shopping before Halloween, including treat food. Then will just order Christmas lunch food once available and deliver all gifts before Christmas Eve. If no restrictions hopefully can host a couple of evenings. No booking any events as too uncertain and indoor crowds just increase risk of being ill over the holidays.

I had completely forgotten about ordering the rest of the food 😂 I wonder when M&S release their catalogue?

I’m hoping we can still get it here. I couldn’t order a birthday cake a couple of months ago (I presume from the whole sea border debacle) and I’ll be gutted if I can’t get a new nice bits in.

@recklessgran

DH and I are away in Gran Canaria for the first week of December so I'm hoping to have all the present shopping finished by then. Sadly only one little one here so largely an adult Christmas but we still manage to have a good time. This year we have a whole family [8 adults, 1 child] weekend away in the Cotswolds booked for the middle of December. This includes an overnight hotel stay, Christmas dinner in the afternoon followed by Westonbirt Arboretum on the Saturday evening. After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday we will travel to Oxford for "Christmas at Blenheim Palace". That weekend will take the whole budget for our usual Christmas outings. and a chunk of the present budget but nobody cares -- we're so determined to make this year memorable and decided to do this in place of our usual theatre/festive afternoon tea/panto/Santa train outings. . Christmas Eve we go out to a local fancy garden centre for hot chocolate and cake . Come home and do any necessary food prep. This is followed by an open air carol service in our village. After that it's a candlelit fillet steak dinner, drinks, filling stockings and putting the presents under the tree. We will all go out for dinner on Christmas Day after a Bucks Fizz and chocolate biscuits breakfast whilst everyone opens their stockings. Main present opening when we get home which takes a while as there are so many of us. Cheeseboard and relax in the evening. Boxing Day will be a lazy day and is our family games night and buffet party where we all let our hair down a bit and eat, drink and make merry. [I hope!]

Your christmas sounds perfect 😍

@PizzaCrust I think I booked my M&S for pick up slot in early October last year. I booked a soon as they came out and the booked up really quickly.

@PizzaCrust

I had completely forgotten about ordering the rest of the food 😂 I wonder when M&S release their catalogue?

I’m hoping we can still get it here. I couldn’t order a birthday cake a couple of months ago (I presume from the whole sea border debacle) and I’ll be gutted if I can’t get a new nice bits in.

Usually the first Tues / Weds in October. Most supermarkets are at around the same time.