What activities/events do you do during the festive season?

[christmas2022]

These are the things that tend to fill our calendar~

Festive afternoon tea
An evening meal and drinks with friends we may not have seen much of during the year, Christmas always brings us back together
Family day out - light trail or similar
Works Xmas do - although hasn't really been properly resurrected in the same fashion since covid

I just love the buzz of my social calendar filling up as it's fairly quiet during the year and it all just feels jolly due to the time of year.

My DC will be 23 and 20 and I think this might be my DS last Christmas at home (he'll be at University this year then he plans to fly the nest / cut the umbilical cord ) He doesnt really do Christmas so he'll quite happily pull his duvet over his head and sleep through iit .

I start with lists ( so many lists ) in a notebook , no apps or spreadsheets .
Include things like "What I;m Not Doing"
Christmas Cake (no one eats it) , puddings ( they just want ice cream)
Any attempt at a Tree (Cats attacked it)

Dec 1st , the Christmas/Winter Bedding goes on (Nov 1st for DD , she doesn't do waiting ) I have Christmas toilet paper , handwash, towels , dishtowels and straws .

DD and I do a night out ( I'm looking at the ABBA Tour)
DH and I take a day off end Nov to go shopping
DD and I used to go to Oxford Street on the 23rd but she's at University in London so not such a novelty .

DH and I are going to a Christmas Market this year ( have to do this once at least )

Take away on 23rd ( local Chinese very £ but brilliant )
Then I do our Traditional Christmas menus , I don;t like trying new things over Christmas .

Less worry about presents , my DS likes cash , DD gives a list .

Don't go over board .
Don't try and cram in too much .
I miss the planning when they were little , days out and the counting down..
My DD still enjoys all the tradition even if DS is a little Grinch