If you could share one thing that you do that makes your Christmas less stressful.

[MaryJanesonabreak]

To counteract the current wingefest of everything irritating about Christmas, I thought I would start a thread for those of us who enjoy it.

It can be a lot of work, and I can’t think of anything more helpful to offer than as much prepping as possible. I’ve frozen a batch of gravy, the vegan stuffing and regular one, the little sausage things, the braised cabbage and a tray of cauliflower cheese which we always have on Christmas Eve with baked potatoes.

If anyone has any tips on managing the more bonkers members of the family that would be great!

I've stopped doing cards.
I don't cook Christmas Dinner.
I don't go to parties.
All shopping is online.
I really don't like Christmas!

I also colour code wrapping paper instead of gift tags.
Use tinfoil disposable roasting things for veg etc.
Party food in freezer.
Spreadsheet with dinners noted in advance and deadlines for deliveries etc.

Buy M&S food.

Precook and freeze some things. Red cabbage, cheesy leeks, pigs in blankets, stuffing balls, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, roast parsnips/carrots.

Colour coded wrapping paper for the stocking presents so I can keep track and I keep them in carrier bags for each child - they do have to be wrapped though and the stockings have to placed on the foot of the bed (this is a hill I will die on, despite the hazards of teenage bedrooms in the dark and 'father Christmas' mutters ho ho ho in a rather sinister whisper as she does so).

Cards only for people they will be posted to (only 3 or 4). I'm so glad the DCs are past the school cards ages. I can buy a pack of 10 nice ones (in the post Christmas sale, of course) and they'll last a few years!

Tin foil trays. I'm not usually wasteful and it pains me every time, but it's worth it for once a year.

When DCs were small (under 8 or so) we did the big meal on Christmas eve so we could spend the actual day watching them enjoys their presents and eat leftovers and chocolate, rather than cooking. We don't do it now, as we found as they got older and presents were less about toys, it meant the day was a bit meh and long without the focus of a big meal. But it was brilliant when they were little.

Generously ‘allow’ DD to wrap all the presents. Emotionally blackmail DS into wrapping DD’s presents.

Chicken breasts get stuffed, no more whole turkey, £35 and nobody seems to want to eat it, most expensive soup of the year!

I heartily agree. Ever since our children were small, our Christmas dinner has been on Christmas Eve and they were allowed to open one gift. Christmas Day was a lovely relaxed day with presents and "easy" food.
It has now developed into a big family occasion with about 20 of us sitting down to Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. Later we all open our presents. It's a lovely tradition I recommend it.

Reusable drawstring gift bags for everyone. I have an extensive collection in all sizes and FC uses them as well, so we have NO WRAPPING AT ALL! This also means less clearing up and less recycling to fill the bin up.

Tragically, my other tip is to get rid of all extraneous packaging in the last bin collection before Christmas. We always seemed to be desperate for the first post-Christmas collection because we were jamming a million Amazon boxes in there on Christmas eve!

😁😁

I organise everything except my own gift. That way, literally everything runs through me and DH can't forget until the last minute.

I start gift buying in October. I write a list of everybody who we buy for and cross off as I go. Usually finish by end of November. Everyone gets same wrapping paper and ribbons.

Christmas dinner is whatever normal meal we want. Only guest is my mother, who is alone for Christmas and happy to have company, without a fussy dinner. She generally brings pudding. Last year we had gammon steaks and a carrot cake

Don’t do Christmas.

I don't buy or wrap any presents: DH & I buy what we want for ourselves, we send money to family, & gifts for friends are ordered online & delivered direct. The relief of not doing the choosing, shopping, wrapping & posting is immense. I remember one year, the wrapping took me all afternoon & I got through a bottle of red wine & a box of after eights while doing it.

Freezing gravy? Why? There are brilliant instant gravies now, which are far less work than making & freezing your own.

DH insists on making Christmas dinner, & he's excellent at it. (My role is to get up at OMG-it's-early o'clock in November to get the meat delivery booked.) All food is delivered, so no supermarket shopping.

I got diabetes this year, so that rules out puddings at Christmas, so less work there. But I wouldn't recommend it.

DH has an irrational hatred of Cristmas crackers, so they're banned from the house. Less work there, too.

My cat hates fuss, toys & new things, so he's easy at Christmas. A catnip bag & a bit of turkey & he's happy.

This probably isn't helpful but I just ignore it.

Can't you recycle the trays?

The last couple of years we've spent Christmas Day just us and DC at home and it's been lovely. No family drama or rude comments from MIL. And no driving around in the say doing obligatory visits!

I do a real laid back and paired down dinner. This year I'm prepping a lot Xmas Eve and using the slow cooker and ninja to cook majority. Making mags, stuffing and pings in blankets the day before and wanting though and planning to buy ready made cauliflower cheese/dauphinois from M&S. leaves plenty of time to spend with DC.

We only buy for kids in our family except for MIL who doesn't have much family so I always get her something from the kids. DH & I don't buy for one another. Honestly can't think of anything we want/need.

The Elf comes in Xmas Eve type boxes that we give the day the kids break up from school so not too many days before the big day to tackle.

Boxing Day will be our day to visit family.

The only adults I buy for now is my mum, her partner and mil. Both my nana and my oh's nana have sadly passed away.

External family receive a card.

I dont do gift tags either. Family get their presents in a little xmas bag, and our boys have different wrapping paper for each other.

I cook the meat the day before and the veg on the morning.

I dont do Elf on the shelf. Can't stand it.

We split up the gift opening - Christmas morning is for Santa. Later on in the afternoon, usually not long before dinner, we exchange the other gifts, taking a bit of time over it.

I wasn’t impressed with this, the first year with my in-laws, but when I had dc of my own it made sense. They get bored with their new presents from the morning, and all the attention and fun and indulgences wind up even the best behaved dc. Introducing a new toy at this point buys some peace. I always choose something that will keep the dc entertained for a while after dinner, so the adults can sit in peace having seconds (and thirds)

1. Agreed with all adults to stop buying presents. Did this about 10 years ago. Saved £100s, stress and have saved the environment from buying more shite.
2. Everyone cooks a course and a side. Whoever is hosting does the main.

How many people do you have?

I couldn't eat ten courses. Even at Christmas! 😋

Great idea though.

Microwave your Christmas pudding and use Bailey’s or boxed custard. Everybody’s too full to care about the last course.
My version of dessert is posh Vanilla ice cream on a bed of cantuccini doused with vin santo and cantuccini crumbs. Assembled at the table.

I used to do all the elf and extra gubbins but I’ve pared right back and it’s much better- I loved Christmas as a kid and it’s better simple.
we have sausage and mash on Christmas Day and do the big roast between Christmas and New Year. We always buy a family gift if a big model/marble run or similar to keep everyone entertained through the holiday. We still buy presents for wider family and friends but I choose a theme and then personalise - eg all get slippers, or food or a game. I find this much easier and it’s still appreciated by guests. Everyone got an oodie or hot water bottle last year and it was so easy.
i’m the ‘matriarch’ of a big family so everyone is given strict ‘no obligation’ chats- they come when it works for them, which I love as I get visitors through the whole holiday rather than mass hosting events.

my priority is just to enjoy time off work- I used to be on call most christmases but I have a job where I get a week off now and I love it!

Cook! Do amazing Xmas dinners.
So much nicer and more cost effective overall than shopping and prepping and parboiling and all that stuff.
Lovely turkey and roast potatoes and pigs in blankets.

Only buy presents for our DS and parents in law.

I don't get involved with other obligations - cards for neighbours or token gifts.

Day itself is at home and we have a walk, croissants ( from freezer) for breakfast, and dinner is just cheese crackers or snacks.

We just pare it back as far as we can. Our focus is on a relaxed day and enjoying not being at work / in usual stressful rush.

Probably the biggest timesaver I've experienced is dong kriskindle for the family. Instead of buying for 20+ family members, I just have to buy for one, with a price limit of €50. We encourage everyone to post photos/suggestions of what they'd like on the family Whatsapp group. If someone just wants a gift card, that's fine. Much easier and far less expense. And better for the environment.

Labels for Christmas cards.

No gift tags, just gift bags. I recycle gift bags as much as possible. If someone gives me or DD a gift bag, I hold onto them for the following Christmas.

Separation (although that's probably a bit extreme). Less presents to buy. I don't have to spend days over the festive period with the in-laws. More time to lounge on the sofa watching festive TV while nibbling on crackers and cheese and chocolate and indulging in glasses of Baileys. Which, let's face it, is the best part of Christmas.

Assign jobs to your children from the age of 5.

My adult children get upset now if someone else makes the prawn cocktail or peels the veg as it's THEIR job.

That's true! We only have 3 families (parents, sister and me) however that still comes to 13 people. Plus usually a couple of family friends but we don't expect them to bring anything. So it's only 3 courses!

We're at home for Christmas. No visitors, no visiting. Love it.

The things we do to make it easy are;

Cinema and eat out on Christmas Eve

Panettone for breakfast on Christmas Day

Starter at noon, turkey at 3pm, pudding at 6pm