What does the next week look like for you?

[stillholly]

The final week in the run up to Christmas, what does it look like for you?

I have 3 and a half days work
A meal out
Parcels to collect
About 3 more presents to buy
All presents to wrap
Food shop
Hopefully all done so I can relax at home on Christmas Eve with a film and a nice dinner

On maternity so not working myself. Dh working until Tuesday so 2 more days for him. Dd1 at school until Wednesday. Dd has a church visit tomorrow with school to learn about Christians celebrating Christmas.

3 food shops to do, 2 which are deliveries and one to go into store. Farm shop Wednesday too. Dh going shopping Tuesday for my gifts then he needs to wrap them.

4 more presents to wrap this week whilst dd at school.

Thursday to visit grandfather with gift. Drop neighbour at train station. Dh will be logging into work in evening to do a Christmas get together online with his work colleagues.

Friday at PILs for meal and Christmas Eve boxes. Swap gifts for families as last time we’ll see them before Christmas Day.

Saturday at brothers for Christmas party. Swap gifts with friends who will be there.

Sunday morning breakfast at parents with family. Swap gifts with my family who will all be there and won’t see them until Christmas Day evening.

Not sure about Christmas Eve day. I’ve said we’ll go walking somewhere to tire dd1 out but not sure if this will happen yet or if we’ll stay home. I have a lot of tidying to do before I go to bed that night as I like the whole house spotless for Santa coming! Oh I need a carrot!!! We sometimes get a takeaway Christmas Eve but not sure if we’ll do it this year.

Utter carnage, disorganisation & disaster

Likely another several breakdowns about being stressed and overwhelmed because I'm left to do the majority of everything! 🙄 DH does cook the Christmas and boxing day dinner though so i fully intend to make the most of those 2 days of doing nothing.

4 days’ work, mostly from home. Christmas work drinks on the one day I’m in the office.
Video calling some friends who live far away one day in the week.
I’ve got two presents I’m waiting to arrive and then I’m planning to wrap everything on Friday with the help of some mince pies and mulled wine.
We’re not hosting Christmas Day but I need to get some party food in for the days after and I’ll probably do some baking on Saturday.
And I believe tomorrow is the last posting day so we need to write and post all our Christmas cards 😬

I spent today with my sons and my best friend/honorary daughter doing the annual tour of garden centres to look for this year's Christmas ornament and then decorating biscuits (used to be gingerbread houses but I always got left with all the houses!)

For the rest of the week:

Two drinks evenings with different friend groups
Plumber coming tomorrow to fix a leak in the shower he installed a month ago 🙄
Car going in for repairs on Tuesday (everything always comes at once)
Lights trail on Friday evening with my sons and ds1's girlfriend
For the first time ever I booked a click and collect slot for the Christmas groceries, so picking that up on Saturday morning.

Christmas Eve I'll be on my own, so am planning to wrap all the presents, watch Christmas films, and treat myself to something nice for dinner. I might do some veg prep for dinner the next day.

In between all of that I'll be ferrying ds2 to and from his father's place at odd intervals.

Quite busy really.

I also need to do a fuck tonne of laundry. Again.🙄

2 days of cramming 2 weeks of work into 2 days. Get my nails done. Work Xmas lunch to late drinks - expecting a messy one. Hairdressers appt. Drinks with friends. Visiting family for present drop off.
A very quiet Xmas day, no plans for boxing day yet but that may change, then away for a few days in cottage, back for NY.

Monday - work
Tuesday - work
weds - work and shopping trip to Aldi and M&S (for picky bits) and to get the last bits (except veggies)
thurs - DD’s school carol concert, baking for work and then I’m half child free as dd is going out with DP in the evening to burning of the clocks.
Friday - work
Saturday - work
sunday - all my usual Sunday jobs ( this week will be dust and mop, ironing, laundry,) cook the gammon, cook the yorkies, watch dd track Santa all day..
prepare veg, have Chinese for dinner, spend time with the kids in the evening before they go to bed.
thankfully my mums off this year and I will have some help, I’ve done it on my own the last few years.

Fairly easy here. Well tomorrow morning we have to put an old leather sofa and 9 bags of rubbish out by 6am and currently at 3 bags so bit to do first thing tomorrow. Rest of day only other thing is swimming, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.

Christmas shopping is all done, needs to be wrapped. Collect cakes from bakers on 23rd and meat and veg from butchers on 23rd, all pre ordered. Swimming another two times during week. School finishes for DD 18 on 20th.

We've got a day of looking after our grandchild,a wedding,an evening meal out for DCs birthday and a lunch out with friends.Also need to fit in a food shop and finish wrapping presents to put round the tree.
Over the weekend we had a funeral on Saturday and a lunch out with family on Sunday.Fairly full on for us.

My husband has surgery tomorrow, fairly minor but in a city a long distance away, we are then organising a huge meat delivery to a local food bank - we kill and process lamb, venison etc.

Visits to physio and chiropractor.

A few presents and groceries to buy.

Dinner at SIL Saturday for hubby's family, Christmas lunch at ours on the day.

My uncle's funeral Thursday, I cannot travel so will watch via livestream.
I was hoping for a very quiet lead up to Christmas but it has escalated a lot and I'm tired.

Monday - Cook flapjacks, something delicious in pastry, prepare crumble topping - Tidy up ready for guests!
Tuesday - my siblings are coming to lunch
Wednesday - massage at home
Thursday - telephone consultation with my doctor. Put the presents under the tree
Friday - housework and laundry
Saturday - supermarket delivery
Sunday - lunch out, then Christmas Eve service at the Cathedral
Monday 25th - Quiet Christmas at home
Tuesday 26th - Go to the seaside
Wednesday 27th - Supermarket trawl for post-Christmas food bargains
Thursday 28th - housework and laundry
Friday 29th - Maybe clear out and clean some cupboards
Saturday 30th - Panto with our local family
Sunday 31st - nothing much

That's my plans for the rest of the year!

I am working until thursday and have friday off

Church carol concert with scouts
Final couple of parcels to arrive and be wrapped
DS1 birthday on friday so we are doing an escape room
bit of a clean and tidy up needed before Sister and family arrive on saturday
Big food shop early saturday morning

T: Packing
W: Drive 4+ hours to in-laws
T: Santa visit with children
F: Visit DH's grandmother
S: Time with ILs
S: Time with ILs, probably a Christmas light walk in the evening
M: Presents, Christmas dinner, board games
T: Drive 4+ hours home

Keeping in mind all of this time is with a 3.5yo and a 1yo, so it will be chaos, but hopefully nice.

Monday (today): One more Christmas card to send. WFH. Currently getting over a cold, not great but just happy it’s not COVID.
Tuesday: WFH, no other plans. Hopefully more improvement cold-wise!
Wednesday: WFH. Will need to go to the shop but only a top up as we’re away over Christmas, then a few bits we’re taking with us.
Thursday: Office day. DH at a colleague’s leaving dinner that evening, so will be putting the finishing touches on one of his presents (I made it).
Friday: We’re both off work, teaming up to do a big house reset/top to bottom deep clean. Will be nice to come back to after Christmas. Likely a nice walk at some point too.
Saturday: It’s my birthday. 🎂 Coastal walk and a big, spicy Indian takeaway.
Sunday: Christmas Eve. Travelling up to my mum’s (about 3 hours away) for Christmas.
Monday: Christmas! Just three of us (no kids, TTC) and looking forward to spending time together. ☺️

Run this morning, then into school this afternoon to volunteer
Haircut tomorrow and then back into school to help with the disco
Work Wednesday
Off on Thursday and Friday because the schools have broken up. At some point on these days I need to do an interval run, a 20 min easy run, and wrap up all the presents
Run Saturday morning with my running club, then into the supermarket on the way home to buy vegetables
At some point I need to ice the cake, I keep forgetting that
Sunday is our Christmas Day, because that evening DH will be leaving to stay with his dad (who is terminally ill) for a few days. We will go over there for lunch, but it’s too far for him to come home if there’s an emergency. So we’ve decided to live everything up a day so we can at least wake up together. It will be the first weekend we’ve spent together as a family in more than 6 months.

Honestly, I’m sort of dreading it. It’s been an awful second half of the year, and it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.

Work 9-5 all week except Friday when j finish at 12. Pick up dh at 11pm from station today and tomorrow (client work dinners). Pick up DD's at 11.30 from work tonight.
Wrap up all presents
Clean the house which is a state
Sort out new years plans
Sort out my mum and dad
Pick up a jumper from M and S
Buy four remaining presents.
Shop and finish plans for DD's Boxing Day birthday Brunch.
Order damn baloons for it. (18 this year and after this I'm stopping the big number balloons that I wish I'd never stared) and pick them up on Christmas Eve.
Out on Thursday night with friends.
In-laws arrive Friday for early Christmas Day.
Take dss's back to their mum (2 hour round trip.

That feels like a lot when I thought I'd nearly finished!

Today wrapping and cards for hand delivery tomorrow. Sort out presents for delivery tomorrow.

Tomorrow DGS nativity play and looking for small presents for DH.

Wednesday pick up DGS and bring him home and Aldi/Lidl shop

Thursday taking DGS to big city to see Christmas lights making stollen

Friday Making peppermint creams and flavoured popcorn for DGS to take home

Saturday, ice cake and wrap presents for home.

Sunday put lamb in marinade, pick up sides from the Indian takeaway (if open if not do this on Saturday)