Anyone else unorganised and overwhelmed?!

[Froppysue]

I have no Xmas tree up, so many presents still to be bought, not even thought about wrapping paper much less bought any. No stockings or stocking stuffers, no Xmas jammies.. house is a disaster and we have a birthday next week too which I have nothing for. Someone please make me feel better and tell me it will come together by the big day? I did find the elves today 🙈
Anyone else in the same boat? My Facebook is full of perfect Xmas trees with wrapped presents underneath which have been there since November.. I’m about pulling my hair out here!

Ahh this is me too- every year to be honest as I've been a single mum with a crazy bad ex constantly disrupting our lives for 10 years. And we never really had anywhere to live. I realise I am just in firefighting mode all the time, and was always wishing it away.

This year we've finally got our own house, and I've made it really lovely with lights decorations and a real tree. That has felt so good.

I haven't turned my mind to presents yet. So will need to do some crazy online ordering and panic buying soon.

Also haven't done any cards - even though posting deadline was yesterday.

Trying to not to feel too sad that my children won't be with me at Christmas, so will get their presents afterwards.

Trying to force myself to stay cheerful but a bit of a mess inside.

We've also been ill this month, and I'm still ill.

Upstairs is a total bomb site and laundry all over the place. And work is a stressful nightmare as usual.

I should really order the children's main present tomorrow and take it from there.

Sending Christmas hugs to all of you

Our tree doesn't even go up till after today - family birthday today so we do it after.

I have presents still to get, baking to do, cards, wrapping - so much still to be done.

I did see an idea for any gifts that don't arrive in time, to print a gift certificate with a picture of the gift on it, that you wrap up so you still have something to give the person.

At this stage I’d recommend everyone to either shop local for gifts or places like Argos, Amazon who have their own delivery. Or places that definitely don’t use Royal Mail.

Theres huge delay with parcels. A 48 hour tracked of mine took 8 days. They’re also on strike tomorrow and Thursday and also 23rd and Christmas Eve.

I’m much less organised this year. I usually have all presents bought, wrapped and hidden in the loft I’m Santa sacks by the end of October. This year - a week ago I had only bought 2 gifts (and I have 4dc so that is not going to go far!). I did take a day off work last week and go shopping and came home and immediately wrapped them, so the dc are now done. However I still have dh and my family to buy for, and ds3 birthday which is Christmas week. We haven’t got any extra food and although I have bought cards, they are still on the box unopened.
you are not alone OP

I would prioritise what really needs to be done and to hell with the rest.

In your case: order Christmas presents asap in one big order, do a supermarket run this week to grab wrapping paper, cards (I only send to my grandparents, mother and one great aunt and let DH deal with his family) and maybe some easy Christmas dinner stuff like premade desert.

This weekend put the tree up.

Keep Christmas dinner as simple as you like if it otherwise stresses you out.

Are you me? Also have a birthday next week. Fuck all done for any of it.

You're not alone OP. I was thinking this myself the other day and I felt like I was the only one who was so disorganised. The present shopping is 80% done but I have done no wrapping. We bought a new table and chairs spur of the moment and had to assemble that so we created more crap to get rid of. The house needs a thorough clean for guests to stay over Christmas and the tree and all the other decorations are still in the loft. I'll be glad when the school holiday starts as the endless emails about Christmas events that need attending or things they need things sent in for are just extra things to put on the to do list. Then it will be a list of who to see when and a few Christmas events with friends and family to go to. My head is spinning just thinking about it!

Ignore pictures anywhere.irs a snapshot.its one second of their lives and it's the best they can portray.noone would post their shit times.ignore ignore.

Meet yourself where you are at.the pressure and guilt will just shame and then paralyze you.
Could you write a list.at least it then gets it our of swirling in your head.
Maybe just give yourself a timed hour.get or organise what you can.if you want to carry on do so.if not come back for another timed slot another time.
I would say if you get your tree and a few devs up.put a Xmas movie on or music up loud it mighy thrn help you feel more excited and in the spirit.
Start small.dont look at a pile of what you have to do.tgats an impossible task.one.tjing.at.a.time.

So sorry about your mum Diversion. I was in the same position 16 years ago, as mum died a month before Christmas, and my dad had also died 5 months before her. It's so very hard. We decided to do a totally different Christmas, for the sake of my children and my nieces, so whereas we'd always gone to my parents', we had Christmas Day in our house. It didn't feel like Christmas at all, but we got through it.

You can buy Christmas cards that just say, 'Thinking of you at Christmas'; I know I've sent some in the past to bereaved friends and family. For your DGC 1st Christmas, you get little decorations that mark the occasion - we still have our kids' on our tree and they're all grown up. You will get through it, and it must be lovely to have GC at Christmas - I don't have any yet!

@Froppysue take some time and do a braindump of all you need to get. You can always buy some gifts/books/toys/cards in a supermarket and get them delivered (though I'd do that ASAP in case something is out of stock), or make an order at Boots and either collect or get them delivered. Argos is very quick normally for delivery too. I still have some bits to get but am not willing to fight my way round busy shops, so these are some of the things I am doing. Amazon Prime too. I've been buying bits as I've shopped, like cranberry sauce, bread for stuffing (I break it up by hand as we like it coarse and it's been in the freezer for a few weeks). I bought wrapping paper in M&S when it went 20% off - I like it because it doesn't rip as you cut it - though the choice is limited. Do all of the above online in the next couple of days - it will be less stressful than if you're still running around like a headless chicken next week. Best wishes x

Throw money at a neighbour's teennager to wrap for you? I'd have done it for a tenner at that age. I'd do it for free now, to help out, free and a glass of Bailey's!

DH has just had a promotion at work and has been off travelling round different parts of the country. I have been really ill with a terrible cold that’s turned in to sinusitis and it’s 2 weeks of it. I have missed two Christmas lunches :( and my friend and I were going to make wreaths together.

We have pigs in blankets, swede and carrot mash, sausage meat in the freezer. No trees up yet, we have two. I had already bought DS GF gifts. We have done the few cards we send. I usually have everything done by now.

OK this thread is making me feel a bit better. My house is in utter chaos. We've got two beds to put up, old furniture to get rid of, mattresses arriving Saturday, many many boxes containing beds, and Christmas stuff everywhere. A door has just fallen off and we need a toilet seat putting on. I've wrapped 4 presents. We have a tree but it's outside in a bucket. Only decoration up is a wreath on the door. Feeling v stressed and can't sleep hence why I am up posting!!!

Needing support and solidarity to make it through!

I've just had 2 weeks in hospital for emergency major surgery and I'm still in a lot of pain, DH has been running around like a headless chicken between me & the DC. We (mostly DH) were going to start Christmas stuff this week but school has been closed due to the snow so we'vehad the joys of homeschooling instead.

We got as far as making a list last night of what we need to do and buy and we're just praying school will be open today.

we have new sofa(much bigger than thought/undecided-durty already,with cuddle chair n stool-old..was always huge suite, no tree,sick kids,i refuse let him "save us"or move in,stalker ex, mental health is fine...probli,but stalker ex relentless n am pretty burnt out when not on edge...apparently i should rejoice is better than last year.maybe so.i cant remember last yera.i dont even know if i threw?or put tree away.yet....as yet not been impregnated by stranger n saddled a donkey.starting to think i have no luck at all.fa la la lahhhhhhhhhhh

Feel really behind here , like others we had covid in November, and I still feel I’m playing catch up since then. I haven’t done any cards and the house is a tip , we also have snow , so getting out is tricky .

Yes yes yes!! Still have loads and loads to get. I think I'm trying to get through this week at work and then focus on Christmas. But I'm always Ill just before Christmas so I need to get sorted quickly really. Also whenever I put something off and think I'll do it next week, something happens and I can't do it. Can't leave it up to hubby. We're on a budget and he would definitely go over!

@TooHotToRamble brimh I. Your tree and set it up in your stand. Get the decorations out of the loft and store it near the tree. Next time you have a sleepless night, come down & decorate the tree.

It'll probably be very therapeutic to do it while it's quiet in the middle of the night.
If you're not sleeping then you might as well use those hours to get stuff done like decorating & gift wrapping. This will free up daytime hours to do other things on your list.

Such a good idea, got one from Smiggle on the way!

I don’t think it’s not organised not to have the decorations up yet fwiw. Mine only ever go up about a week before Christmas (and come down on 12th Night). I don’t remember in my childhood anyone having them much before then, when did this trend of having them from early December start? Pretty sure my grandparents only decorated the house on Christmas Eve.

So if it makes you feel better you’re not disorganised, just traditional 😁

Me 😕. I have a recently diagnosed autoimmune condition and although on treatment it takes time to make a difference. In the meantime Christmas is not going like usual but I am exhausted and lacking in stamina. Dh is utterly overwhelmed with work and can't do much. I am due to work until the end of next week but something needs to give if I am to still be standing by then.

Amazons your friend, especially if you have prime. If you dont, sign up for it just to get free delivery. At the moment it is the only place I trust anything to get delivered from. I ordered 3 presents last night which are due before 1pm today.

Don’t panic. Write lists.

At this stage, I think Amazon or Argos is your best bet for presents. There are loads of deals on wrapping paper (3 for 2 etc), so that can be picked up at Tesco etc.

And don’t bother about cards. I sent mine out in the 3rd week of November and we’ve only had 3 back this year. Assume people can’t be bothered anymore. Also Royal Mail probably making a picket line bonfire out of our post 😆

Same here OP. Same every year really, but worse this year as we had so many illnesses in the family that November was wiped out, and all of a sudden it was December.

Me - another one struck down by this awful virus. That combined with lots of work stress and other health-related stress has wiped me out. I am back in the game now, only to realise that I've missed lots of last order dates. The people I need to post stuff to are having to have stuff from evil old Amazon because Prime is my friend right now.

I've a couple of days off work next week to shop in person next week, which hopefully won't be too awful if I get into town early. The DC are old enough to do the tree themselves this weekend, and we don't really go in for other decorations. The house is a tip though.

We're hosting Christmas and I never got round to ordering any meat, so we'll be having whatever's in Morrisons on 23/12!

to all who are struggling.