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?

I am not the most organised but I have a spreadsheet of gifts, I also use this to note ideas and if I don’t end up buying one of the things I’ve noted I’ve got it to refer to for next year.

I can also see how much I spent in previous years and how this has changed. Also can easily see how much spent p / how many presents I have for each DC to keep it fair.

Oh! I also get colour coded wrapping paper so I can wrap as I buy things instead of one mad night of wrapping.
This year they all had brown paper but had different patterns. Son had nutcracker, daughter had gingerbread men and husband had trees. I didn’t bother with the baby this year.
That way I only have a small pile of people out of the immediate family to wrap for closer to Christmas.

I don't shop particularly early, personally I like the newer stuff that launches plus my dc will change their minds! Just shop in Dec.

I have extremely organised decorations, all in boxes, labelled etc.

Food wise - the majority is pre prepared by M&S, Waitrose so less stress. Big 2nd freezer so can put pre prepared party food in there.

I do always have a bit of wrapping to do on xmas eve but it doesn't bother me.

I stock up wines & biscuit tins & gift bags so if there's an impromptu visit I have a "gift".

I need this help!!

I have stick on labels for the dcs presents so I don't forgot which present is for which dc, cheaper & quicker than gift tags.

I don't buy my food early either or try & get a slot. Can always get what I need in the last week.

Planning. That’s all. Lists.

Two years ago we popped into matalan the days after christmas day and saw, by chance, lots of very cheap christmas decorations, table runner, santa chair covers, mats etc and bought them. Ive said we will do the same next week.

I have an unused large toy box I use for storing decorations for christmas, easter and halloween, tissue paper etc so i know where it is.

A have a gift cupboard so when i see things throughout the year I buy them and put them in it. Not always with anyone in mind.

I keep a list on my phone of gifts for the people i buy for. Now on iphone this even has bullet points and puts people to the bottom when you tick them off. Nothing more satisfying!

I wrapped as we bought this year. Only thing to be wrapped on xmas eve this year was my dh’s presents to me. He was shocked when he asked several times if i really had no wrapping to do.

What really is the key for me is having the christmas cupboard where things can be stored in one place. It makes things so much easier.

Pick an online food shopping retailer and start getting deliveries regularly now, so you get priority for the Christmas slots next year. You may still need to go out to the shops, but it won’t be for absolutely everything.
If you don’t usually cook roast dinners or aren’t confident in cooking them, start doing one once a week from November so that come Christmas Day, you just need to scale up and really know what you are doing. I also write a timetable for the cooking times, so I know what to do when and quantities for how many. It’s on my phone, so I just tweak it now each year.

Should add i do not have the stress of buying and planning food. That’s DH’s job. I take no part in food.

For the first time this year I wrapped as I bought and it made a massive difference

Some of the planning on this thread is insane! 😆

@DifficultBloodyWoman Ha! Do not be scared. I am a regular old mess and extremely forgetful but after one particularly disorganised year with young DC that caused me a lot of stress and tears, I made the decision to never let it happen again because I wanted to enjoy the festivities with them. It’s taken a good few years but the Master Plan has definitely paid off, along with knocking off some superfluous tasks as mentioned by PP I.e we only buy for close family and don’t go overboard with activities, presents and huge get-togethers etc.

It’s a bit of a cliche but I realised that for us, the Christmas magic comes from being able to be present with each other and this strategy allows me to do that.

@Comedycook

I still seem to be shopping last minute

Shop beforehand

wrapping on Christmas Eve

Do your wrapping before Christmas eve

not having spare presents for neighbours who pop round

But some

. There's no magical tip..just do the stuff earlier

There’s always one 🙄

Well yes obviously and you know what, I managed to do most things before the children finished school, which for me is a massive improvement. It’s just improving those last minute things I end up doing/buying and being better organised with better systems.

I thought coming on here asking for tips from better organised people at Christmas would really help me and I’m hoping it will, loads of great tips here thanks everyone.

Shame someone bothers to come on a thread full of people being helpful and makes a ‘clever’ comment. Oh well, whatever makes you feel better! Thanks to everyone else 😊

• 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!

I make a list of people who I will need to get small gifts for eg teachers, teaching assistants, brownie leader, childminder etc. I do not overthink these gifts. I get a voucher like M&S or JL for childminder, then chocolates for TA/brownies etc and I add those to my weekly shop from October or whenever I notice the Christmas section appear on the online supermarket. I also get a stock of Costa coffee £5 gift cards for teachers (get them early too before the Christmas themed ones run out). For boxed biscuits I often get the M&S ones as they're nice and not overly expensive. I also make sure I add a big stock of selection packs to the weekly shop for the kids stockings and nieces/nephews. Ditto chocolate oranges!

• how do you know what your own children want so early? I get a copy of the Smyth's toy catalogue as soon as it comes out and make them go through it. I also keep a note.on my phone of anything throughout the year that they take shine to or mention.

Half price toy sales at the supermarkets, Black Friday and gift lists so I don’t need up spending more than planned because I’ve forgotten what I’ve bought.

I like reading everyone else’s tips too, I am always late for booking Christmas experiences though !

I'm not super organised, but things I do...

Collect presents throughout the year. Main presents for kids are usually left till Nov.
But there are lots of things I buy when I see.
In the summer in particular I aim to look for things like...
Key rings/bookmarks/stuff with names on. From those touristy shops you get on holiday/beach resorts.
Pyjamas. My boys only wear shortie PJs, you can get them at Christmas, so I visit Primark in summer for them.
Outdoor toys, (often bought in the summer sales) e.g., bubble wands, water play toys, frisbees, garden games.

Food wise. I buy a frozen turkey as soon as they appear and put in the freezer, along with the frozen party buffet bits.
Sometime in November I make sure to buy sausage and bacon and things like Christmas tree shaped crumpets. They all go in freezer.
I will also by a few bits each week with long dates, such as Xmas pud, cake, mince pies, Pringles, stuffing, chestnuts, etc.

Keep your eyes open for regular events, eg tradition here for the kids to have a Terry's choc orange each, and Tesco have them on offer around Sept / Oct at 75p each.. a little saving but it all adds up! Ditto B&M's 2 toys for XX in around Sept for young children.
Sales are on in shops throughout the year so it pays to have a look online & get anything that's good value.
I've already ordered Christmas wrap in the sales online for next year, but Asda's normal price for a large roll was only £1 each when I ran out, good value.

This year I cba sending cards to anyone outside the family unless they sent one to me first - why have I never done this before? I HATE the sitting-down-writing-damn-cards-for-hours job.. only had four or five to send, close family I get special ones for (Card Factory but they aren't as cheap as they used to be) and friends cards go in with their pressies to post (if they live far away) and I post in Nov, NOT Dec! I now have plenty of cards left for Xmas '22..

As regards food, I dislike cooking anyway, so I get the turkey joints in foil tins from Tesco. LOTS of them. It's a game changer.. :-) Kids like the Aunt Bessie stuffing balls. The veg is all fresh but the week before Christmas, supermarkets sell at about 29, 19p a bag for spuds, sprouts etc.. :-)
Oh, & why would anyone want a Christmas Eve supermarket delivery? Too late then, especially for a non driver like me, to get to a shop & buy anything that was out of stock. I aim for the 22nd Dec.

Whatever you can do to make life easier is my mantra! :-)

@MrsHookey

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

It's called "The Organised Mum Method" because the blog was "the organised mum" as in Gemma Bray is The Organised Mum. Maybe she should rename it the Gemma Bray Method because it gets assumed all the time.

It's not because it's for "mums".

Your neighbours sound like scroungers, "just popping in" to see you. Just give them a card.

@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!

TK Maxx is your friend here. They sell all sorts of speciality biscuits, chocolates and panettones etc, I always buy a few interesting ones so they are handy for neighbour presents, and people who unexpectedly drop in or ask you round to theirs.

If there are any left over afterwards I scoff the lot

I finally came close to pulling it off without stress this year without compromising who I am. That is key because often people’s suggestions are to change what you do or how you do things. You shouldn’t have to change what you love doing at Christmas. The whole point of planning is to make doing those things go more smoothly.

Today while it is still fresh in your mind, make a list of everything you did to make Christmas happen. Every gift, every cleaning session, each thing you bake or cook. You don’t have to list every decoration you hang, but at least list the boxes you pull out of storage or each area you decorate. If you always need to buy sellotape this time of year, put that on the list. Don’t worry, you will also make a separate list gift list.
Type this up because you will be keeping it. Once it is made you will be horrified at its length. You will also fairly quickly discover that you only included about 25% of the things you actually do to make Christmas happen. Keep adding to it as you realize more of them.
Once you think you have everything (you don’t, but that is ok) go through it and think about if there is a thing that you don’t actually care about.

With everything that is left, you can now make your schedule, counting back from Christmas. Be realistic about long tasks take and build in time for the things you forgot. Also leave time for fun. Now you know how early you need to start next year

Next year, record everything you do. Keep editing the schedule.

I second the App idea - I’ve used Manage Christmas for the past few years. I use it all year to put ideas on - that’s been really useful!!! It also tracks spending and that is a revelation! All those little add ons really add up! You can choose if the gift is bought, wrapped sent etc and when I put the presents out I can check them off to ensure they’re all there (there’s 6 in the house so a lot of gifts). Definitely recommend.

I have an annual reminder in my calendar for mid September to check supermarket delivery slots - when they'll open and then when I've checked set new reminders for midnight on those dates to get my slots. Need multiple shops as I can't shop in person or even click and collect so I take what I can get. E.g. normally Sainsbury's but my regular weekly slots got taken last two weeks and next so I'm using Asda to supplement.

All good tips here, just like to add my own.
I read all the Christmas threads here, got ideas and knew what I was going to buy everyone. Some gift ideas came from threads from last year.
I find that there seems to be a lull for retailers in September/October as people are saving their money for Christmas. So, they often have flash sales over a few days and this seems to happen at the same time every year. I kept checking their websites and my emails for the sales and only then bought them. I like having them early as Black Friday’s discount is more or less the same and leaving it till then, you run the risk of stuff being out of stock.

Nothing new to add really but anything that can be bought now in the sale do it, so card/wrap/tags etc - but don't get carried away too. It's stressful too to have a mountain of christmas shite in the attic (ask me how I know...). I have reduced the number of cards I send and am going to be making up some fabric bags to reduce the amount of wrapping I do.

I also have a note on my phone to record anything mentioned through the year and for people/ideas which won't change I buy them when I see them (i.e. a print my mum took a shine to in the summer, I just bought it the next day).

We cooked pigs in blankets and stuffing ahead of time this year and that worked fine.

Strip out the shit is my best advice. If you love something keep doing it but don't do anything just because it's tradition if you don't actually like it. Oh and also tickets to things and consumables as presents mean less shit throughout the year in your house.