Taking inspiration from the home page tip ...

[Countingthegreyhairs]

Sorry if this has already been done/horribly boring but just wanted to write a memo to myself about what to do better next Christmas:

• wash and iron enough outfits for Christmas period for myself and rest of family as if I'm going away on holiday (whether travelling or not)
• make sure I have enough bin bags and hoover bags in the house
• buy all parcels to be sent by post by end of November and send them on 1st December
• write and send all Christmas cards by 7 December
• clean out freezers and all fridges November
• treat myself to pedicure/facial/haircut in fortnight before Christmas

I made so many promises to myself about Christmas this time last year.

It would be stress free, I would be more organised, I would do the cards earlier, I would save money towards it each month (whatever happened to that idea?!)

I really promised myself. I even put little notes ahead in my diary to get on and do stuff by certain times.

It was still the white knuckle ride that it always is. Like being fired out of a canon on Dec 1st.

I am very good at organising the timetable for Christmas it seems.....ie talking about it

Story of my life TsarChasm !!

It came as a bit of a shock to find that once dd has broken up from school it was really way too late to start ....

And don't you find there is such a lot happening at school in December that adds to the frenzy?

We've had concerts, a school fayre, assemblies, a school party, a day to go in help make decorations. And then as you say, once they break up it's impossible to get anything much done.

To be stress free, I think apart from the food, literally everything has to be done by the end on November.

Like that's going to happen in our house! 'Never do today, what you can tear your hair out about tomorrow (because you've left it all to late)' seems to be our motto.

lol Chasm!! EXACTLY that!!

That's what did it really. I was involved in, or totally responsible for, 4 lots of decorations/Christmas trees BEFORE doing the family ones (school, club, office, voluntary project) and then had two massive events (school + club) to organise and attend.

Yes, you're right, changing deadline to end November!!

OK - if we remember - let's give one another an on-line 'kick up the pants' next Sept/Oct!! We will prevail ....forward ... onward ... she says collapsing in to chair and reaching for cup of coffee ... just the thought of it is exhausting. I need a holiday after the holiday .....

Ok you're on!

In the meantime, I'm off to take it all down again. It's all the same in reverse.

God, you are so right about that post holiday holiday.

To make matters worse I have just discovered a Christmas present I bought for dd - completely and totally forgotten about - in the outside cupboard. It was too big to hide indoors (a little girly suitcase I knew she's love)

I must be going barmy. What do I do now? If I give it to her the other two will wonder why I haven't whipped out another pressie for them. And so the Christmas nightmare continues...Aaaargh!

Not barmy, you are just more organised than you thought you were - you now have dd's birthday present!!

At least it was one you had forgotten Tsar! I have ones here that were bought, wrapped, addressed and never got sent ... and they are still sitting on a box at the bottom of the stairs ... feel guilty every time I go up or down ... now have to visit these people in person which will be much more expensive and time-consuming ...oh well here's to next year ....double aaarggghhh!!!

er, hem, here's to THIS year (behind already