Organised Christmas people - tips for next year!

[1AngelicFruitCake]

Please help
No matter how hard I try I still seem to be shopping last minute, wrapping on Christmas Eve, not having spare presents for neighbours who pop round. What are all of your secret tips? I’ve never shopped in September for example but should I?

For stockings yes. Buy presents early and wrap and put in marked bags (do you don't forget whose is whose)

Best thing I did this year was cook the turkey on Christmas Eve. Sliced it after it cooled and reheated on the day. It tasted delicious snd was so much easier.

Joining a Christmas club at a credit union has been a revelation in my life. Free to join. Money is protected. They let you extract the cash in autumn. Even having 75% of costs already saved makes things much easier.

There are apps available for helping you plan gifts etc.

Hit Black Friday/November sales to get most of the gifts out of the way.

Get Xmas gift wrap as soon as you see it in the shops, otherwise it might run out in December or you get stuck with the ugly or thin paper no one else bought. Ditto anything else that tends to sell out eg Terry's chocolate orange.

If hosting Xmas lunch cook everything in advance except the main meat. On Xmas day you just reheat everything and to the roast. Tbh you can do the meat a day in advance too.

Happy Christmas 2022!

I start thinking about Christmas in September. Asking key people what they want / present ideas. I slowly buy what I need for Christmas such as stocking up on champagne when it is on offer etc. I do a large shop before Christmas buy I will already have most of the main items like Yorkshires in the freezer, stuffing, all the accompanying sauces for the meals, alcohol etc.

The Organised Mum method (yes cack name) has a Christmas planner spread across multiple weeks.

prep all the food on christmas eve. My partner is extremely organised with the food. delegate tasks to other members of the family. I deal with xmas decorations and cards. buy presents in October and be finished by mid November, wrapped by end of November.

You know that time of year when everyone is moaning Christmas is in the shops too early. Start then! 😂

Love all these!
A few questions

• For people who you tend to buy similar for (neighbours, family friends etc) I always leave these until the last minute but just end up buying biscuits, am I missing a trick? Is there a magic box of biscuits that you always buy people? Never know which ones to buy!
• how do you know what your own children want so early?
• do you buy gift bags in the sale? People always seem to have nice gift bags!

@AmazingBouncingFerret

You know that time of year when everyone is moaning Christmas is in the shops too early. Start then! 😂

😄

I am a Christmas organiser.

I usually start June.
I buy, wrap and bag as I go along
I get the £1 boxes of chocolates for neighbours/unexpected people
I get the food end of November and put in the spare freezer

@1AngelicFruitCake

Love all these! A few questions

• For people who you tend to buy similar for (neighbours, family friends etc) I always leave these until the last minute but just end up buying biscuits, am I missing a trick? Is there a magic box of biscuits that you always buy people? Never know which ones to buy!
• how do you know what your own children want so early?
• do you buy gift bags in the sale? People always seem to have nice gift bags!

But naice boxes early (beating in mind BB dates), eg M&S and Waitrose do an early offer on their Belgian/Viennese boxes around Black Friday. If ordering Harrods/Fortnums/Hotel Chocolat, order early as popular ones sell out. Keep an eye on threads on here. What biscuits do you like? We tend to gift what we like to buy as treats.

Re children, make notes when they mention stuff someone got for bday and they loved / what’s being gifted at Bday parties/ they obsess with / point every time an advert comes on. Ask them!
Write an early letter to Santa/FC. How do you manage now?

Yes to gift bags throughout the year when you see ones you like and in September when they first come into shops, Next and M&S do a 3 for 2 on multipack (this year they were lovely).

• bearing. Not beating 🙄

Not that I’ve followed her advice this year (as I wasn’t hosting Christmas) but look up The Batch Lady on Instagram. I’m not sure if she got as far as the Turkey, but she seemed to have got most of ‘Christmas’ in her freezer several weeks ago.

I start work on it in September. Buy and wrap and plan and aim to have it all done by 1 Dec.

I have a Christmas planner that I make lists in using the The Organised Mum Christmas but add some things in myself. I'll go over it again in the next couple of days and add in anything that needs to be adjusted for next year now while it's fresh in my mind.

This year I got a prepared turkey thing from M&S to sling in the oven and prepped all the veg on Christmas Eve. Made the day so much more relaxed.

I wish I'd done more prep on Christmas Eve, I was working, but only, 12-3 so had plenty of time but faffed about looking for reduced bargains so by the time I got home I didn't have as much energy as usual, wish I'd peeled the veg etc on Christmas Eve ... but it all worked out in the end.
We have already massively cut down on exchanging gifts (all adults) which helps.

Write a list of people you want to buy for, including neighbours etc. I've never met anyone that doesn't like Fox's biscuits so I tend to get a tin of them if going for biccies!

Start today for next year. I shop in the sales today/tomorrow online to buy the jumpers in the next size up to put away for the next Christmas. Go to Tesco tomorrow and pick up the reduced Christmas cards and bags and wrapping paper. Buy the reduced Christmas jumper/hair decorations now for the kids in the next size up. Pack it all away with the Christmas decorations.

I would stop buying anything for people outside my family for starters. But if you enjoy doing it the start buying in January. If you see something X would like, it doesn't matter what month it is. The truck is remembering you bought it and where you put it!
So make a list (on your phone as unlikely to lose it). As you go throughout the year tick them off as you buy. As you've just don't your wrapping you should know what you are low in so buy stiff in the sales now. You could wrap as you buy.

I buy bits and boba throughout the year as I see them if I know they will appeal. E.g. someone on a local Fb site was selling an avocado and toast plushie set. Grabbed that back in September and put it away for my eldest.

I don't go overboard so I can allow for lists but it just means I can get some tailored stuff and I'm not rushing around last minute trying to get bits.

This year was just 4 of us so I got stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon. Much easier to cook!

All my non perishables / meat that could be frozen were bought at start of December and put away.

I also put away £60ish a month for Xmas and then tfr into my current account as I buy bits.

Instead of biscuits try posh hot chocolate or teas.

Yes start in September. Even if you don’t start buying then, start looking for ideas, speaking to family about doing a secret Santa for one person instead of buying for all adults, buying non perishables or alcohol.

You can also start doing stocking stuff early rather than main presents.
Buy wrapping paper and cards now and put them away.

If at all possible cut back the people you exchange gifts with. I managed this accidentally with my brother by saying "I can't remember, did we just do gifts for kids last year?" and he jumped at it, in fact I was thinking of DBIL.

DS is happy to start his wishlist in October time. I pick up bits and pieces as I see them from then on.

I'm definitely not super organised when it comes to Christmas but something I did do is just have a note on my phone for present ideas and then whenever Dh, DD or someone i buy for mentioned anything throughout the year or I got any ideas I would jot them down. Made it so much easier deciding what to get people and made Christmas shopping much quicker.

Seize any opportunity when you're in a decent shop by yourself. I went to the garden centre for something and clocked that I could pretty much get DH stocking sorted in the food section while I was at it.

If you can (can afford a little) start shopping from today. Any little stocking fillers like bath bombs/dove sets in the sales. Buy wrapping paper and cards in the sales now.

I write a list on my phone of what I've bought. If I feel like it, I sometimes wrap over the Xmas break for next year to store in the loft as I still feel in the momentum of wrapping.