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Christmas

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

Original poster

What will you do different next Christmas?

147 replies

MsMiaWallace · 26/12/2022 18:07

Mine would be a different venue for Christmas Eve dinner.
We went for carvery this year & the place was scruffy!

OP posts:
Bromley4goof · 27/12/2022 21:42

Prepare stuff further in advance in case I get Covid again over Xmas and be careful with super spreader events the week before. Who am I kidding?

treadcarefully · 27/12/2022 23:41

I'm not sure what I can do differently next year.
All presents bought and wrapped in good time. Food all prepped ready. Wrote myself a timetable, stuck to it but still dinner ended up late, me getting all worked up about getting food to the table hot, plating up meals to be shipped to poorly relatives down the road. By the time I sat down I was done. Didn't enjoy any of the food, sort of sat watching everyone eating and enjoying themselves but felt detached. I've cooked Xmas lunch for years and years and never felt like this before. Help!

XelaM · 28/12/2022 00:39

TwoBigNoisyBoys · 26/12/2022 18:31

We’re going to have the big Christmas roast on Christmas Eve and have a chilled Christmas Day opening presents and chilling out in pyjamas. I love hosting but it’s full on MANIC (cooked for 11) and I don’t really get chance to sit and chat or see everyone opening the presents properly. It’ll be a nice change 😊

This is what we did and Christmas day was so lovely and relaxed. We were watching movies in our pjs all day after opening presbytery and eating all the leftovers from big Christmas eve dinner

XelaM · 28/12/2022 00:40

opening presents*

JaninaDuszejko · 28/12/2022 00:52

Not have the ILs visiting. MIL is lovely, BIL is not. Among other things he upset my 15yo who was telling everyone about her school choir who just won a competition. BIL then talked over her to tell us all about his choir and how brilliant it was then made us watch videos on his phone of his choir for about 20 minutes. When I pointed out that we didn't allow the teenagers to have their phones out at the table he got all huffy with me. He's in his 50s FFS.

extratimeplease · 28/12/2022 00:58

I want to go skiing for Christmas!

crossstitchingnana · 28/12/2022 06:54

00100001

Yes, well my crystal ball was broken so I didn't know that people were not going to have their usual appetites. Probably because my dh had Covid.

What a stupid post. Do you really think I would do all I did, knowing it wouldn't get eaten?

Letsbekindplease · 28/12/2022 07:39

To be more organised. Everything was rushed and a disaster. Buy my puddings instead of making them. I’ve even considered going to local pub for
dinner as there is 13 of us (inc kids) it’s just a nightmare

wrap and organise presents in gift bags for kids friends and cousins way before Xmas

00100001 · 28/12/2022 08:43

crossstitchingnana · 28/12/2022 06:54

00100001

Yes, well my crystal ball was broken so I didn't know that people were not going to have their usual appetites. Probably because my dh had Covid.

What a stupid post. Do you really think I would do all I did, knowing it wouldn't get eaten?

🙄

00100001 · 28/12/2022 08:51

treadcarefully · 27/12/2022 23:41

I'm not sure what I can do differently next year.
All presents bought and wrapped in good time. Food all prepped ready. Wrote myself a timetable, stuck to it but still dinner ended up late, me getting all worked up about getting food to the table hot, plating up meals to be shipped to poorly relatives down the road. By the time I sat down I was done. Didn't enjoy any of the food, sort of sat watching everyone eating and enjoying themselves but felt detached. I've cooked Xmas lunch for years and years and never felt like this before. Help!

Don't cook the dinner.... Problem solved.

SkiingIsHeaven · 28/12/2022 10:33

I wouldn't change anything. It was perfect. I am very lucky.

Wishihadanalgorithm · 30/12/2022 22:19

Not host any family next year. Felt like an unpaid skivvy for 5 full days. It cost a fortune, DP and I didn’t enjoy it as it was so much work and TBH don’t think people appreciated how much we did.

Next year it’s going to be just us, relaxing and doing nice things we want to. I’m excited about it already!

VillageFete · 31/12/2022 12:18

This year, that bit between Christmas and New year felt very flat. A real anti climax. I can’t do this again next year, it’s all a bit depressing so i’ve just paid the deposit on a luxury log cabin with a hot tub in a Christmassy little Village. We go 27th December to 30th December, so only 3 nights but I’m really looking forward to it.

I always feel responsible for everyone’s happiness at Christmas. I come from a family of
people who say they’ll do something but never do. It’s always me hosting, changing plans to fit others’ work schedules etc… Why? It only makes me stressed and miserable! I’m going to have a healthily selfish attitude next Christmas and do what suits me and my children.

The build up was magical, hopefully that will stay the same. But no midnight mass in 2023, I’m always shattered Christmas morning and we do enough Church services/Carol concerts in the build up.

TwoBigNoisyBoys · 05/01/2023 20:52

@XelaM thats good to hear, I’m definitely doing it. Christmas Day completely wore me out (came down with flu late Boxing Day, which didn’t help!) and I haven’t really enjoyed any of it, which isn’t like me. Time for a shake up!

ilovebagpuss · 07/01/2023 08:50

@treadcarefully I always feel the same and accept that I am just so tired by the time lunch is done that I won't really enjoy the meal. I always enjoy boxing day food more as it is relaxed and not so structured.
I only cook for 6 but this yeat i made my stuffing in advance and bought red cabbage. I did roasties and 3 other veg and little sausages. Just think of ways to reduce your workload.
Reduce guests? Say you need a break hosting but are happy to do a buffet get together? I think Christmas needs a reset sometimes. I dont mind being the main cook for one day but with elderly sets of parents I now never get hosted back so it can become a drag. On the up side it's always at home.
Shipping plates to relatives is kind but can anyone else do that next year?
Make a list now of how to improve the day for you.

ivykaty44 · 07/01/2023 08:55

I’m looking for ideas for the meat, we had chicken this year but we eat one breast between us.

id like to do all the trimmings but with something else.

I was pleased having prepared my vegetables for roasting beforehand so everything went in the oven

but I’m going to cook the yorkshires first or the day before & heat them up. There is never enough power on Xmas day for decent yorkshires

WellTidy · 07/01/2023 09:04

No turkey for us next year. We will have beef and ham. I didn’t even want the turkey on Christmas Day, let alone the masses that remained and then had to be eaten at every meal in some form or another until 28th.

AllotmentTime · 07/01/2023 09:36

Break out the festive nibbles during December. For some reason I didn’t have so much as a mince pie in the run up to Christmas. I think I got carried away saving everything. Less stuff spread out more would have been nicer!!

Wrap early (actually did do this this year for the first time ever. GAME CHANGING, I was so relaxed on Christmas Eve!)

Start earlier. Okay this is every year’s resolution, but I did manage a bit earlier this year and it helped soooooo much. Cleaning/decluttering needs to be ready and done so that I can get the most out of enjoying decorations etc!

PumpkinSpicedTea · 07/01/2023 09:51

I don't think I'll do much different from Christmas just gone as I made some changes for Christmas 22:

  • followed TOMM Christmas but did leave some wrapping and present buying until December.
  • wrote cards in November
  • limited commitments with a hobby have which meant the last weekend before Christmas we had time to make a Christmas cake and have more time for Christmas movies.
  • visited santa on the 23rd which felt late for me but it felt more magical

I still ran out of time for somethings as I was trying to save it until nearer the time e.g Christmas food like another poster said, Christmas magazines I was trying to save until December but think it will be better reading in November!!

  • Food wise, I prepped more on Christmas eve and got some M&S pre prepped veg as a help.
  • we had less puddings and more time for cheese later!
GoodbyeLondon · 07/01/2023 09:58

I've seen my two main ones mentioned already recently!

  1. no turkey (unless someone else really wants it). I just don't like it.
  2. I want to go away, maybe for Christmas itself or the bit between Christmas and New Year. It was very depressing this year. Or maybe go away for all of it. I don't like where we live though, and we're trying to find a way to move, so maybe we'll be living somewhere else by Christmas and will want to stay there.
treadcarefully · 08/01/2023 00:41

@ilovebagpuss thanks for your reply. Glad I'm not the only one!
I do everything to prepare in advance. Only close family for lunch so that won't change. Everyone has their favourite veg so always feel I have to do those. I think I do far too many varieties of veg too. Maybe that's something to change. As i get older I seem to get more worked up about meals for guests. Wanting the unattainable I guess. My daughter has said she will do lunch at hers next year as she could see what a state I was in! I've definitely got worse since Covid. My confidence is shot.

Sweetener12 · 09/01/2023 08:49

My main one has been mentioned already as well, we're defiitely going out for Christmas dinner. Our traditional smartshow 3d video with pictures taken throughout the year will be missed, but it could be played any other time. All the dinner planning, cooking and arguing about it gets the best of me and I'm not doing it again

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