Tell me about your Christmas cock ups!

[Wanttobeok]

I have 2 this year.

Bought a present for my niece which I was really excited about then found out yesterday that she's already got this thing...so I've managed to palm it off on a mate for her daughter (to be fair it is a great present so her daughter will love jt)
I've then had to buy a replacement gift for DN.

My 2nd cock-up is also present based. Forgot to check my basket before I checked out of an online store and have ordered my sister 2 of the same thing...no returns or exchanges allowed 🤦‍♀️

Anyone else had a nightmare?

When ds was a toddler I had an ideas list for anyone who asked, and many did, and told me what they’d bought so I could cross it off the list.

Santa was bringing him a toy kitchen which I thought would have great play value, but as Christmas approached I realised that he was completely in love with a piano and made a beeline for it every time we were shopping and passing a toy shop with it in the window. So last minute, I exchanged the kitchen and bought the piano instead.

We were with the in-laws that Christmas and their tradition was opening Santa gifts in the morning, and family gifts in the evening. He opened the piano from Santa and was completely ecstatic.

I was vaguely aware that was having a bit of a strop, but not taking too much heed, because she was often in difficult moods and struggled with her MH. Then dh took me aside, also pretty pissed and asked me if the piano was on the list I’d given to sil. Which it was, but I assumed (stupidly with retrospect) that when she hadn’t told me what she bought (and I had texted her that exact question explaining that I was passing the list around my family too)that she must have bought other things instead.

But apparently I was the unreasonable one. So that’s how I ruined Christmas that year.

She still asks for ideas, and still won’t tell me what she’s bought so I would have to give her a couple of ideas that aren’t too big a deal if she doesn’t get them. And when she goes off piste and we double up it’s still my fault 🙄

@Stephisaur Christmas Eve makes sense, but November and then slicing and freezing it is far less appealing. I think she started doing it so that the meal prep doesn't take as long of Christmas Day but I gather from everyone's comments that it's very dry and tasteless. I've no idea because I'm vegetarian 😂