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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Share your Christmas Eve disasters

60 replies

livelollove · 25/12/2022 00:23

I'll go first... so tonight I went in our front room which is one of the last rooms we are yet to renovate and could smell gas. Found this very odd as the room isn't used but the gas meter is outside the window so was concerned. Rang the emergency number and Cadent came out. He found a leak under the floorboards, an old pipe just wear and tear which was small and could have been leaking for months - we don't go in that room often it's become our dumping ground whilst we save to start doing it up, it was pure chance I went to put something in there and could smell the gas.

Anyway, the very nice gas man has fixed the pipe after him & DH pulled up the floorboards to find it. In his words 'if it wasn't Christmas Eve I wouldn't have done this' I suspect they normally just condemn or shut off the pipe when it's a normal day (?).

I felt sick with nerves whilst he was here as I was just expecting him to come and tell us there was nothing. We're also hosting 8 people tomorrow so was racking my brains of what to do (!). Anyway it's all sorted now but at 9pm on Christmas Eve with a gas leak was not how I wanted to spend it!

OP posts:
1stTimeMama · 25/12/2022 03:00

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

I don't know why you think this, but I'm sorry you're feeling this way.

Wetblanket78 · 25/12/2022 03:15

Back in the 90's my older brother was working in Reading. Him and his friend missed the last train to where our mum lived in Christmas Eve. So went back to they're flat all they had to eat was 3 tins if beans and a crate of beer.😂😂😂 They did come home day after boxing day

fancyacuppatea · 25/12/2022 03:20

ScarierThanBoo · 25/12/2022 00:30

Mine is minor but I'm still irritated. I go to my in laws every year for Christmas lunch at their request. I provide 3 desserts, the Yorkshire puddings and the gravy, I spend a lot of time on the bloody gravy as I hate instant. My mil messaged me an hour ago to ask if I had used red wine in the gravy, I explained that I made the stock by cooking a chicken in a little red wine with other things but that vegetable stock would be used for the gravy tomorrow. I asked why she was asking and she said that DGMIL had phoned her earlier on Christmas Eve to ask if she could make the gravy as she can't have red wine (she can, she's just being fussy). Why does nobody tell me these things when they happen and not once im finally tucked up in bed? My gravy is wonderful, its the reason i am asked to make it every fucking year. Dont like it? Stop asking for it!!!

Everyone else can have your gravy.
The GMIL can have bisto.

Maternityleavelady · 25/12/2022 03:22

I got conjunctivitis - the bloodshot eyes, oozing eye snot, blurry eyes, stuck together eyes. Am hosting and having to be jolly for my family on Xmas day and DP family Boxing Day. Will feel and look awful!

Wetblanket78 · 25/12/2022 03:43

Just to add this is why it's worth investing in a carbon monoxide detector.

Mixedupkids · 25/12/2022 03:50

CaptainBarbosa · 25/12/2022 02:18

Not this year, but a previous year.

The cat we once aquired/he chose to live with us in his old age. Had some sort of spurt of energy one Christmas Eve, leapt at the Christmas tree (which he had never taken much notice of the previous two years) managed to get his leg tangled up in the wires of the fairy lights, panicked started screaming and writhing around, pulling the tree down, to then continue screaming and frantically trying to escape whilst entwining himself in more.

I attempted at first to go in with no PPE to free him, but he hissed and tried to scratch/claw at me, so I panicked and got oven gloves from the kitchen, then attempted again to remove him.

I finally freed the screaming writhing beast, for it then to leap at me and practically attach itself to my face with its claws like a scene from alien.

I then begin screaming, fall over the Christmas tree that's now on the floor breaking it, meanwhile the cat is still hissing and attached to my face.

Eventually I remove said cat from my face whilst being impaled by tree branches and a sharp star ornament.

Cat runs off into the kitchen.

I just layed there in disbelief.

Tree broken, ornaments broken, and I looked like I'd been in a fight with a million razor blades, and lost.

I did my best effort to put the tree back up, nurse my wounds.

I spent all Christmas Day avoiding as many photos as I could and feeling sorry for myself.

Mr Cat carried on like nothing had happened. Furry twat.

Proper cracking up! So sorry but that is hilarious 😂

Wetblanket78 · 25/12/2022 03:55

I used to faff about labelling them but figured it's easier to use different wrapping paper for each child. For example my daughter's are all wrapped in pink unicorn paper. My son's are all Santa paper. Only put labels on other family members.

MumChats · 25/12/2022 04:02

Dd is in a&e, thought it would be a few hours to get some medication. Instead they are keeping her overnight. So she's going to wake up in hospital on Christmas morning :( all her presents are here of course. Just really hope they get out tomorrow and hopefully in the morning. She's with her dad and I'm at home with her baby sister. This isn't how I imagined our first Christmas all together.

IAmWomanHearMeRoar1 · 25/12/2022 04:30

Just last night. Last night I was doing the washing up by hand as our dishwasher is broken. I was washing a drinking glass and gripped it too hard, the glass around the rim broke and sliced right into my left pinkie finger and palm. Blood flowing all in the water, over the plates on the side, on floor and covering about a third of the bathroom basin top. I had to have stitches. I am profoundly left handed so typing this is hard and I'm supposed to help carve the pork today and help peel potatoes, and my hand is fat-bandaged. This is NOT how I wanted today to go.

RudeElfTheRainDear · 25/12/2022 05:03

Very minor but I'm knackered and been awake for about three hours now. Am staying with family and they have the house so warm that I cannot get back to sleep. The bloody bedroom windows are locked with no key about so cannot even get some air in the room!

Xmas day is going to be a long slog on so little sleep.

Ricco12 · 25/12/2022 05:30

Not mine but my friend messaged to say her dog has got her turkey Confused

So it's ruined.

Dyra · 25/12/2022 05:45

Currently ongoing. 3 year old DD woke up at 4am and vomited. Felt like she could eat and drink, so had a nibble of toast and sip of water, but bought it all up a few minutes later. Just woke up again (5.30), but DH has swiftly dealt with it. Nothing to vomit up I guess.all in the normal range. Except one that was 41.7(!) Leaving her for now and will re-evaluate later. Vomited again (5.45). Temperature fine.

Praying whatever it is isn't contagious. I need to be cooking Christmas dinner in a few hours, and the last thing I need (other than being ill myself) is a sick DH and DS(9mo) as well as DD. We're also supposed to be visiting my family from Boxing Day until the 28th, then the in laws from the 29th until New Year. Everyone is looking forward to it, and I really don't need yet another set of plans derailed by illness again.

RedHelenB · 25/12/2022 05:55

PortiasBiscuit · 25/12/2022 00:33

Just lie about the red wine, or take some instant bistro for her.

I wouldn't lie, but I'd give her just bisto.

frenella · 25/12/2022 06:07

Sat on a plane in Toronto that was supposed to leave 3.5 hours ago :(

liarliarshortsonfire · 25/12/2022 06:40

I cleaned the oven this week, only found out on Xmas Eve that it won't get hotter than 150 degrees now (we tend to use the air fryer), we'll be cooking the turkey low and slow Grin

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 25/12/2022 06:44

@ScarierThanBoo take your own gravy and DGHIL can make her own. I bet most people will choose yours!

Blessedbethefknfruit · 25/12/2022 07:23

5 years ago, my nan who had dementia went missing from her home during the dead of night (she has just started trying to escape) Grandad noticed at 1am but she could have been gone for up to 3 hours.
Que 5 of us running around the streets where they lived in the pitch black, pouring rain shouting nanny for over an hour.
Eventually got a call to say she had been taken to the hospital by the police, after she'd knocked on someones door.
I just kept picturing her laying on the floor soaking wet and freezing cold.
Thankfully she was okay 💜

Wizzelina · 25/12/2022 07:52

Several years ago DH, DD and I went for dinner Christmas Eve. DD ordered a bottle of wine for her and I to share and then decided to only drink one glass. Stupidly I then drank most of the rest of it! Result? Santas elf went straight to bed when we got home and slept really well, failing to fill up the stockings so on Christmas morning no presents! They still remind me several years later!

Gemütlich81 · 25/12/2022 08:37

Crying with laughter and can imagine the scene so clearly! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

BlueSuffragette · 25/12/2022 08:44

CaptainBarbosa · 25/12/2022 02:18

Not this year, but a previous year.

The cat we once aquired/he chose to live with us in his old age. Had some sort of spurt of energy one Christmas Eve, leapt at the Christmas tree (which he had never taken much notice of the previous two years) managed to get his leg tangled up in the wires of the fairy lights, panicked started screaming and writhing around, pulling the tree down, to then continue screaming and frantically trying to escape whilst entwining himself in more.

I attempted at first to go in with no PPE to free him, but he hissed and tried to scratch/claw at me, so I panicked and got oven gloves from the kitchen, then attempted again to remove him.

I finally freed the screaming writhing beast, for it then to leap at me and practically attach itself to my face with its claws like a scene from alien.

I then begin screaming, fall over the Christmas tree that's now on the floor breaking it, meanwhile the cat is still hissing and attached to my face.

Eventually I remove said cat from my face whilst being impaled by tree branches and a sharp star ornament.

Cat runs off into the kitchen.

I just layed there in disbelief.

Tree broken, ornaments broken, and I looked like I'd been in a fight with a million razor blades, and lost.

I did my best effort to put the tree back up, nurse my wounds.

I spent all Christmas Day avoiding as many photos as I could and feeling sorry for myself.

Mr Cat carried on like nothing had happened. Furry twat.

This really made me laugh. 😂😂🤣 Merry Christmas x

marvellousmaple · 25/12/2022 09:28

OOOOO! OO! Me ! I win for sure.
After a lovely afternoon with my visiting mid -20's sons I dragged them out of the pool and insisted they all have a ride on my incredibly gentle horse. Well you can probs guess the rest.
I rode, all good, one son rode all good, 2nd son got on and the horse that has never ever spooked , well it spooked. And bucked . Cue ambulance, hospital etc.
I have never felt so fecking guilty.
Thank goodness the ambos were here in 10 minutes ( and we are regional) but it will go down in family lore as the worst Christmas since my mother fainted head first into a cupboard trying to cook a full roast dinner in 40 degree heat in an un-airconditioned house back in the 80's. ( We don't do that shite anymore - Australia here obvs).
Merry Christmas to all of you lot that haven't had it yet!

PS - they x-rayed straight away and no broken bones but a really torn ligament and a sling and follow-up in a week and may need surgery!. My poor baby.

breatheinskipthegym · 25/12/2022 09:33

My daughter got an iPhone for Christmas. I upgraded mine so she got my old one, and I was so meticulous - even got myself the same case etc so she wouldn’t notice I’d upgraded.

Woke up on Christmas Eve with a migraine - in pain, shaky, nauseous. OH and kids all have horrendous cold.

My toddler passed me a measuring tape, which I dropped onto the phone, cracking it and making the LCD leak, despite it having a screen protector.

With me unable to drive, had to bundle everyone in the car so OH could drive 40 minutes to the phone repair shop. Before we left, I had to hide my phone and forage for old discarded phone case so I can plausibly explain that I broke MY phone, felt like I was moving through treacle the whole time.

Thankfully all’s well that ends well, the lovely phone repair shop owner fixed it, and she’s delighted this morning with her ‘new’ phone.

DifficultBloodyWoman · 25/12/2022 09:41

I forgot to defrost the fucking turkey.

Food is a big part of Christmas for us. Turkey on Christmas Eve and seafood on Christmas Day.

I’m in charge of Turkey and trimmings. Planned to serve it at 7pm. At 2pm on my way to the shops for some veggies, I realised I forgot to defrost the bloody turkey that takes 48-72 hours to defrost.

We moved to plan B - roast chicken (shop bought and therefore it had to be reheated which dried it out so it did resemble turkey - a small win). The turkey was saved for New Year.

marvellousmaple · 25/12/2022 10:26

Ok
Not so funny now as he has just been told to go back to hospital after vomiting as may have a head injury. I am now 2 hours away from him. Feckity feck

RoseGoldScottish · 25/12/2022 10:36

Last year I tested positive for covid on Christmas Eve (we were meant to go to SIL’s house for Christmas)

This year i started to feel awful yesterday and I’m pretty sure i have a chest infection!