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.

@caz198917 thank you for the compliment. I love Christmas and even though ours are all grown and flown I still try to make it a special time for the family. The reality is it's my one gig of the year as DH is pretty disinterested long suffering.

Never done the pantomime and hot chocolate for the month of December thing. Looking forward to hopefully being able to stay at home for Xmas (we've done that for the last 6 years) without anyone feeling they need to visit. We'll see the family in the summer so don't feel like we need to trapse around the country to see everyone

Mumsnet threads have starting me talking to DH about this year!

The main thing is I’m not cooking Christmas dinner on Christmas Day this year. I think the plan is to eat Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, DH will do a curry feast on Christmas Day (inviting the ILs) and we’ll have buffet food on Boxing Day. Will visit my family between Xmas/New Year as Mum is too unwell to travel.

We have panto booked for 27th (cancelled from last year) and I’m hopefully seeing Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker at the end of November.

Otherwise, I’m not planning on booking expensive Santa trips, lights etc. We’ve done various over the past few years and DS is not that bothered. COVID measures sapped the life out of the lights experience last Dec.

Our favourite trip over Christmas last year was having a (free) snowball fight at a NT property! So hope to do a visit to a property to see a decorated house and some outdoor walks/fun too.

DSis and I are taking our families to our DF’s. We couldn’t see him last year.

The Great Meal Planning needs to start soon. Controversially DH, DS and I want cockerel instead of our usual beef.

I’d like to take DS to a pantomime.

DH is hoping to take DS to visit PIL’s in Spain for the first week of the school holidays.

Ordered diary calendar for next year, I’ve decided theme for my presents of dh this year, but looking forward to sourcing in laws presents, dh no idea I’d like a new laptop for him.

Just a quiet one with DH, DS and me. In previous years I'd have booked our festive afternoon tea by now, and usually go to a Christmas jazz gig, a light trail and a carol service, but I can't see us doing any of these this year.

Things I did last year and definitely want to repeat:

1. Sending all presents to family using a courier that picks up from my home. Got myself a parcel scale, used the Interparcel website, game-changer
2. Ordered Christmas food in October from a farm shop which delivers nationwide (Dukeshill) - a poster on here recommended them and they are fab!
3. Made a lucky dip of 24 Christmas songs and DS chose one out of the hat to play at breakfast each day - another idea from on here, thank you!
4. Battery operated fairy lights everywhere!
5. Got some extra Christmas items along with our milk order (mince pies, cheese straws, fudge, that kind of stuff) and also from Costco - very good for panettone, fancy popcorn jars, chocolate and fizz.

Ooh I can't wait. DP has Christmas Day off which I think is the first time in 5 years. DS will be 2 so will enjoy parts of it (mainly the lights I think).

I've booked the Lanterns at Chester Zoo for the end of November so that will be the start of our festivities. I've also booked the light trail at a local National Trust place in December, which I think DS will enjoy. I'll probably take him to see Santa somewhere, but that will be as low key as I can manage. A garden centre maybe.

DS is going to have his first advent calendar. He loves opening doors and chocolate, so pretty sure he'll enjoy it!

For Christmas Day I think it will just be the 3 of us, unless my DM comes to visit. My DGM is 92 and has rapidly advancing dementia, so how she is at Christmas will depend on whether DM comes or not (we live about 4 hours away).

Then on Boxing Day the in laws always host. 10 adults, 7 children. It's always wonderful chaos. Obviously this didn't happen last year so I'm hoping we can go ahead this year.

Finally, sometime between Christmas and New Year we'll travel to my family and do the whole thing all over again with them

I'm not planning any trips or events at the moment, a couple of family members did National Trust events and were very ill with Covid right before Christmas which was horrible. That said, I'm double jabbed now so we'll take the children to see Father Christmas somewhere I'm sure.

Other than that, my main plans are to do all the present buying by the end of November. That way I can just chill and enjoy December and if I need to post presents to friends and family I have time to do so, that's what I did last year and it worked well. Hopefully of course I'll see them and ideally we're planning on going to visit my parents before Christmas so we're back in time for the big day and can just chill.

I'm also going to start buying bits of food and drink that will keep and store them in the garage. I feel better when I've got some things in stock, last year I got a full Christmas dinner in the freezer in case I couldn't get fresh nearer the time. In actual fact it was fine and we just had the second Christmas dinner on New Year's Day.

I'm going to attempt to make a Christmas cake this year for the first time as I like the thought of doing it as an activity with the DC. If anyone has a recipe for a pretty rubbish baker like me please do share!

We're going to have to work out what to do this year, I thought it was our year to visit my parents, but have been told that they are going to stay at my childfree db's for a non- Christmas as we lost our sibling this year and my mum doesn't want to be at home, or having to be jolly or around kids. I was a bit shocked as it's not really a response I'd have expected from my dm and feel quite sad but I understand the reasons. She's obviously in a worse place than I realised.

So I guess it'll be a free for all at our house as DP hates 'rules' about the order of Christmas day and thinks we should rip open presents whenever we want etc. I'd prefer a little structure but don't really care as long as there's something reasonable to watch, I can eat a range of chocolate and the others don't spend the entire day hogging the TV to play computer games. Think I'll make an effort with making Christmas pudding and crafts (not my forte) and maybe some simple board games that we can play and fall out over haha. I'd like to book the Santa express which we went on a few years ago and the DC might be less frightened of Father Christmas now. Going to read through all the responses for other ideas!

Enjoying our newborn 💕

I'm well into my Christmas shopping so that's sorted

We have a Christmas Market during the last week of November. I'm really looking forward for that, we're decorating for Christmas during the same weekend so it'll be a very festive weekend.

I'll book something festive for the kids. We might go away for a couple of nights for a festive break. We'll have turning on the christmas lights and santas groto etc.

We do a whole bunch of festive things at home too like camp under the christmas tree (we sleep downstairs with the christmas tree lights on and watch a Christmas movie), grinch night (watch the grinch and I make some green snacks), polar express party etc

All being well ill have a buffet on christmas eve. Meaning I'll be cooking on the 23rd and 24th but I love it.

@Thecomfortador - sorry to hear about your sibling. My DH lost his mum the year before last and seems likely to lose a sibling soon - I can see Christmas being difficult for him this year and I'll have to rein myself in a bit and be sensitive.

@Mindyourbusiness22 - how lovely for you!

Oh yes battery fairly lights for bedroom mind they’re not for Christmas so once up will stay up, no tree in bedroom no room now.

We are making the most of seeing family lots while we can, so if we can't be together for Christmas at least we have seen them a lot in the run up.

Last year we were lucky to be in a support bubble with my parents and brother, so we spent the day with them. We went for a walk on Christmas Eve with the in laws.

This year we will make sure to see the in laws on Christmas day as they didn't have any visitors on the day last year and that was quite upsetting. I really hope their other children and grandchildren also make the effort to see them this year, but they probably won't.

I'm starting to look at ideas for the kids now but not buying anything unless I see a great bargain. We had far too much last year - compensating for the crummy year i think.

Hopefully spend with family

Controversially DH, DS and I want cockerel instead of our usual beef. That is controversial! I don’t think I’ve ever even seen it on sale. How different is it from chicken?

We’re planning on being in Wales with the in laws. I’m not convinced that we’ll be going due to Covid and both being in rather poor health so am planning for all eventualities, including zombie apocalypse and the breakdown of western civilisation.

MinnieMountain, we have a capon from the local butcher, last years was 7lb 6oz and just fitted in our largest roasting tin! We managed to get 10 greedy adult portions of meat from it, even though it was just DH and I here to eat it. It was absolutely delicious, slightly more gamey than chicken but more expensive, though not as expensive as turkey, it cost £30. We have one every year now. We were hoping that DS and DIL could join us when I ordered it, but of course that didn’t happen.

We usually have big family Christmas as that’s what DH mum likes (he’s one of 4 and we pretty much all have kids ) . We spend a lot the of the day driving but last year because of covid we spent it at home just us and our 3 DCs and it was blissful! We both agreed it was much more chilled and nicer that way.

So this year for Christmas Day itself we’re going to do a little family Christmas. I’ll do a roast chicken or Lamb because I despise turkey (and am very glad I no longer have to pretend how wonderful dry turkey is) spend all days in our pjs enjoying playing with all the new toys. Our DC will be 2,3 & 9

We’ll prob see my mum, stepdad and brother if he’s around on xmas eve for a little party and gift exchange. My family are of a different religious background so although we did celebrate Christmas for the food and gifts it’s not a massive festival for us and it’s never been hugely important. Just an excuse for too much food and excellent tv 😂

Suspect we’ll go visit mil / DH family on Boxing Day. Less pressure and easier to actually spend time with each set of BILs S MILs and focus on them rather than the madhouse when there is 15 people in one room for their Xmas days

I am really looking forward to Christmas this year.

Last year we were asked to have christmas at the home of people we are friendly with and are 'new friends'. It was pretty awful. Not through any fault of our friends, but because they do not have children (we have two, one very severely affected by ASD) and we ended up plonking the Dcs in front of netflix because they could not cope with the change of routine, not having their newly opened toys, the strange and unfamiliar food.

And we had to talk in an increasingly stilted manner with people we simply did not know well enough.

They were so kind to invite us, but it was a strain.

This year it will be just us. I am hoping we might be able to do a city break the week before somewhere- hopefully Edinburgh (for no other reason but that we have never been before)... or even farther afield covid permitting. Then we will have a Christmas eve with smoked salmon and champagne and opening presents from friends and family, then the morning Santa presents and a big roast chicken (which we all prefer to turkey) and a boxing day of a walk and gammon and some films.

I cannot wait. I ADORE cHristmas (my parents were not big on Christmas for various reasons so I have embraced it).

I'm dreading it this year a bit. I'm a complete Christmas addict. I really love it! Got divorced though so my daughter will be with her dad for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then coming back to me on Boxing Day. She's 15 so it's not like she's young but it will still be very strange and feels like a bit of the shine has worn off this year in anticipation. I don't have any siblings. It's only my mum left so I will be going to hers for Christmas dinner and then I will host on Boxing Day doing a buffet. That will be when my daughter opens her presents from us.

@mummymayhem18

I'm dreading it this year a bit. I'm a complete Christmas addict. I really love it! Got divorced though so my daughter will be with her dad for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and then coming back to me on Boxing Day. She's 15 so it's not like she's young but it will still be very strange and feels like a bit of the shine has worn off this year in anticipation. I don't have any siblings. It's only my mum left so I will be going to hers for Christmas dinner and then I will host on Boxing Day doing a buffet. That will be when my daughter opens her presents from us.

I think (if you do mind me suggesting) that you need to schedule in something completely hedonistic and indulgent that you can look forward to on The Day.

Seriously? You all have plans already?

We have hired a private room at a restaurant which will have Santa visiting after our meal mid afternoon. Big tree in the room too, and plenty room for the kids to run around. Bit like the big family christmas we'd normally have but instead of gathering at someone's house and ending up with a tonne of washing and work it'll be more relaxed.

Seriously? You all have plans already?

I know I’m a bit of a Christmas freak, but it would make me very anxious if I’d got to August without having any idea of where I was going to be spending the most wonderful time of the year. I’ve had my Christmas planner out since April, it’s what makes December completely stress free.