Love Christmas but wanting a lower effort one without breaking the bank?

[Notdeckingthehalls]

Then come and join me. I’m looking for ways to make Christmas more chilled and enjoyable with out chucking loads of money at it.

I’m thinking

• no Christmas cards, I didn’t do any last year due to bereavement and it was much easier
• more sensible meal planning for christmas week
• no buying random chocolates or biscuits. I just get fatter

Any other suggestions?

Secret Santa for family presents.

Following!

I only do christmas cards nowadays for people who really set store by them. Last year it was about 15 cards.

This year we are abroad for Christmas so will be doing very few gifts among ourselves.

For the first time ever I bought gifts in the sales last year so am hoping that helps.

But I seem to have masses of children of extended family to buy for which is already stressing me due to the expense.

Oh yes this is my plan for this year too. I spend a small fortune and by January have chocolate and booze left over and feel like a slob. I'm trying to trim down my habit of excess in all areas at the moment.

This year I've decided no expensive meet Father Christmas, ticketed night out with friends, themed event type stuff. We are national trust members anyway and our local one was beautiful last year so will just do that and all the local little things like carols at the church, the rotary club sleigh that goes round some evenings, crafts and Christmas film at home. Instead of ordering loads from M&S I will buy fresh in advance, prep and then freeze (cauli cheese, pigs in blankets, a pudding).

I'm going to buy less for my kids. They've never had mountains anyway but it wouldn't hurt to slim it down a bit. Especially as there's nothing they're desperate for this year (so far anyway!).

Ooh so jumping on 🙂 I love Christmas, but find it can be so stressful. I also have 3 birthdays to buy for just before Xmas too.
Last year I found buying Xmas cards so expensive. And for what? A bit of card with a pretty picture on it. I'm gonna make my own cards this year. I only ever buy for family now, which has cut it down a lot. My youngest has gone into Secondary school this year, so at least we don't have to sit writing out 40 cards for his friends anymore lol Bonus 👍

We now only do half a dozen or so cards for our elderly relatives.

Every year I have a note in my phone with what I bought and was it too much, too little or alright and would I buy again. This has helped. I bought too much cheese last year and sadly, some went in the bin.

I use ready meals between Christmas and NY. It’s pretty much the only time I do. I just can’t be bothered factoring in meal prep with everything else. I’ll pick up a few from the Cook range or M&S over the coming weeks and put them in the garage freezer along with some extra pizza and garlic bread.

I'm going to ask friends if they want to continue buying gifts or whether we should just have a meal out together instead.

Moving Christmas lunch to the evening so don't have to make Christmas tea.

I love Christmas, and normally I like to plan to see everyone who's meaningful to me me over the course of December, but I feel really exhausted by hosting or even attending things at the moment. It's just been too much over the past few months. So my plan is to decorate and have all the food, but just hunker down to films and walks and keep it quietly just us.

That's a good idea. I have a friend who adores gift buying and we go out for lunch at Christmas- a group of 12 so it feels like a forced exchange of 12 gifts between ourselves because she is so insistent on it. Only once did we manage to persuade a Secret santa, the rest of the time it's a gift for everyone. i can't readily see how I can change that dynamic tbh so i might just go the easy route and skip the lunch completely. Although with COL I might be able to see if the others want to go a Secret santa also to limit it as much as possible.

Love this 🙂 My idea of heaven 🥰

Good idea. Although we don’t buy for adults any more already. Except I buy books for my Dad.

Holiday sounds great.

I only have a few nieces and nephews and they’re older so I give them cash.

Secret Santa instead of buying everyone gifts
Stick to a budget
Have move nights or game nights
Walks/drive around looking at Christmas lights
Cheap meals eg ready meals between Christmas and New Year or use up leftovers
Look on EBay or marketplace for gifts and take advantage of sales

I already got caught up FOMO of the big man in August and bought expensive tickets. DH is talking about a light show but hasn’t done anything about booking it while they have a money off code.

We need to carefully plan kids stuff mostly due to lack of space but PIL will buy loads of tat.

Smaller gifts for our own children only. They had big birthday gifts, we told them and they are happy with that. We are using Tesco club card points to do the food shopping but again won't be going all out. No Santa visit this year. Nice and simple. Each Saturday in December we will go swimming and do Christmas crafts. I save a lot of crafty stuff in the garage. Maybe play a Christmas CD with old songs on while we craft. I would get stick for this but I think it's ok to be different and as long as everyone is relaxed and having fun. I want to stay away from retail and the madness.

Sound perfect to me. My children are young and with school assemblies, class party and PTFA disco there is already a lot going on.

We do secret santa for adults and a joint present for all the child cousins (usually a trip somewhere that we were going to do anyway!)

Father Christmas only buys second hand stuff from car boot sales (they have never complained, the teens now expect it)

Our "Christmas tree" is a house plant we decorate.

Go out for drinks instead of meals with friends (and then go out for meals in the 50% of food January bit)

No bollocks like presents for the dogs or Xmas eve boxes.

We have a reusable advent calendar that we have had for 15 years and buy little chocolates to fill.

One year met friends for lunch in December and did secret santa, max £5.00.

Now stopped present buying as only adults in the familiy, I have a friend who insists on present swapping so we do a max of £25.00

Stopped cards years ago.

You need to warm people up to the idea of no presents about now...

We pared the present list right back quite a few years ago so I only buy for 8 people now. The budget is set quite low too depending on the person.
I only send cards to people I don’t see very often or at all.
Quit drinking in January & DH doesn’t drink so we’re saving loads on alcohol.
Cut down a lot on festive food as it would get wasted (usually only 3 of us on the big day & last year it was 2). Don’t bother with a cake for example.
I used to have several meals out in December but last year I just met up with ex work colleagues - to be honest, I’m not even bothered whether that happens this year. Money is really tight.

We only ever did free FC stuff (our local department store do a lovely one with beautiful photos).

As DC have got older, it's the traditions that stand out:

Making biscuits for neighbours

Putting a wreath on the front door on 1/12

Decorating the tree and house

Making the Christmas cake (tomorrow for us!!)

Muppets Christmas Carol

Making Christmas cards (like a pp, we only make around 10-12 to send to family abroad)

Big dog walk on the beach after opening stockings and having breakfast, before opening tree gifts.

Visiting a local beach which has a different sand sculpture every year - huge thing! We've been going for years. Usually boxing day.

Christmas eve is an afternoon walk around town looking at the lights, perhaps picking up something last-minute. Then home for hot chocolate and a Christmas film or two, and setting the table ready for breakfast (gingerbread man shaped pancakes).

We never did different things every weekend on the run up, too busy with work and school. When they were younger, on Christmas eve we'd make table decorations and name cards for Christmas lunch, always a hoot!

Following....

I'm not really a "low key" xmas person, I have to admit. However, I am definitely a low stress xmas person, so my tips would be:

• Get all your shopping done in October/November - that way you can relax, and enjoy the run up to Christmas without a massive to-do list
• Invest in reusable fabric gift bags for wrapping - so much easier, and less waste on the day
• Keep xmas dinner simple & easy, last thing you want is to spend all day in the kitchen

We only do Christmas cards for the older relatives who expect it so this brings it down to a handful of people. You could donate the money you would usually spend directly to a local charity.

We have a set menu for a week which starts on the Saturday when they break up from school and we have a film and hot chocolate in reindeer mugs whilst slobbing around in clean pyjamas. All the menu/food shopping lists etc are on an excel spreadsheet so I don't have to remember what I did the year before. We have a feedback session after Christmas listing what we liked and didn't like so easier to hone it down to what makes you all happy.

There have been upgrade/updates over the years as the children are now adults. It is lower effort because you just print out the sheets for the shopping lists.

Same we don't have many to buy for at all (unfortunately) both dc prefer money now so will do that and some clothes maybe perfume and a few small odds and ends.

For me I want more practical things like upgraded olive oil, etc.

Keep food extra items down and I don't have to buy any more Xmas Dec's.

Same we don't have many to buy for at all (unfortunately) both dc prefer money now so will do that and some clothes maybe perfume and a few small odds and ends.

For me I want more practical things like upgraded olive oil, etc.

Keep food extra items down and I don't have to buy any more Xmas Dec's.

Oh yes WickerMam fabric bags instead of wrapping paper - takes 20-30 mins to wrap everything! Store them with decorations until the following year. DC remember what they used to contain 2-3-4 years ago: "that was my train set" type thing, lovely.