What was a let down last year?

[slipperypenguin]

Looking for lessons from 2024! Last year we bought a full turkey and it was just a waste and didn’t get eaten. Also spent a fortune on a playmobil set for DS that he didn’t even open.

This year going to just get a small chicken and not going to spend ££ on surprises that we won’t know they will like.

did you spend on anything last year that you thought would be a winner but wasn’t?

Nothing - my ‘partner’ left for the Xmas period and it was heavenly

We always have little bowls of chocolates around in the week leading up to Christmas and for guests to pick at on Christmas Day. Last year realised how rubbish the usual chocolates (quality street/roses/heroes) really are for how much they cost. This year I’m getting a box of M&S chocolates, some lindor balls and a bag of M&S toffees to put in the bowls, will cost the same and be nicer chocolate!

M&S chocolate log was a bit rubbish last year, we have one every year but last years just wasn’t that nice. Will give it one more try this year, if still rubbish will have to source a different one next year.

I agree with this, we thought it would be great but we were very underwhelmed and haven't got it out since.

Last year was stressful.

This year:

I’ve told adults I’m not doing adult gifts

Not asking what under 5s want, they’ll just get something nice & age-appropriate

Not sending cards, with the exception of 2 elderly relatives who I know love getting them

DD has done a Xmas drawing I’ve had made into pre-written kids cards (she wanted to write cards to her entire school last year and it got very stressful)

I’ve invited DH’s family (who all live locally) for Xmas day afternoon but told them food is a buffet and everyone can contribute a dish. They’ve all declined. Funny that.

DDs gifts already bought & wrapped

I collected stuff for school Xmas fair / things like charity shoe box of gifts appeal over the summer so that’s ready to go

I will book DD into whatever sports / hobby activities I can in the run up to Christmas Day as she needs to be kept entertained or that period gets stressful

Over the next week or so I’ll approach DD friends to book in some play dates over Christmas as last year she really missed company her own age. Can’t rely on her cousins being around

Pre-booked a few Tesco Xmas slots to ensure I don’t have to attempt to go to any shops for the two weeks over Xmas

Will speak to DH to make sure we each schedule in our “me time” (basically going to the gym / swimming) over Xmas to prevent us getting grumpy

It’s a damage limitation exercise really!!

Baileys - I cant drink that much of it, so then the bottle sits around for the rest of the year. Lidl own brand is apparently really nice, and today discovered that Sainburys has an own brand. Whatever it is, may be a small bottle this year.

Vegan 'cheeses'. No one touched them, which was fair enough as they were unhealthy, not nice, and absolutely nothing at all like cheese. I'll do better research for what vegan guests actually want on a buffet this year.

DS (26) isn't bothered by Christmas , he'll emerge for dinner ( he's the only non vegetarian except the cats )
DD and I are Full On Christmas
DH just goes along with it

Last year DH,DD and I went on a short cruise ( Christmas Markets ) leaving DS to house sit/cat sit
This year we're going on a UK City Break .
So we'll have our trip out and enjoy early festivities .
Then on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day/Boxing Day it is far more relaxed.
I do like the 6am supermarket trip for last minute things in Christmas Eve though.

No actual let downs . I don;t buy a turkey , couple of chicken breasts for DS , plain roasted and the cats get share.
I only make puddings that can either keep in the fridge or freezer another day .

We have plans for the weekends up till the day itself , nothing full on.

DD has a Dec 1st Box of things she wants through December ( make up, nail polish, skin care , her pyjamas ) so she gets good use .
Then her presents on the day are jeans or training shoes type . (GHD styling brush this year )

Don;t get The Twitch
Don;t buy too much chocolate
Don;t try and buy DS anything other than cash ( though I di buy his Dec 1st socks/underwear/loungwear for the year ) and some toiletries
Don;t imagine how nice a tree would be , the cats would wreck it

I am trying to find a nice Christmas cake but only I eat it so I wasn;t going to bother . But I really want one . So I;m going to bake one . (I do a very light one , no spices , caster sugar . I do my own marzipan and icing ) I will make 2 small ones and store one ./ ice one .
I have tried some shop ones and they really aren;t nice

I bought a Baileys Gift Pack for DD - small bottle (20cl ) and 2 glasses .
She;'d never finish a full sized . ( And she wouldn;t drink the flavoured ones ) I know there's the 5cl miniatures available too .

@70isaLimitNotaTarget do you know where you can buy the miniatures? I was saying to dh j wanted to get some but no idea where to look!

I was going to say this! We always buy a massive turkey and strip it, freeze some of the meat, boil down the carcass for stock etc. I make a gigantic turkey and mushroom soup and freeze it in portions, it all gets used and saves us loads of money in the new year.

Loads on Amazon .
I don;t drink but you used to be able to get loads of interesting miniatures in the Off License but they've all gone now

Ah… there’s a shop called bargain booze or something? That’s an off license I assume. Gone are the unwins and other off licences aren’t they :(

Things I wasted money on

1. surprise gifts for dc I thought they’d like and are still NOW in the original boxes - I am thinking of re-wrapping this year as I’m not sure they remember getting them they had so much. This year I am sticking to their lists!
2. Too much Christmas chocolate that was wasted. I buy it thinking it will be a nice treat but I get too much and then ‘save’ lots and it’s never eaten.
3. I always spend lots on Christmas activities and days out but I think I need to make a couple of days special buy doing activities at home like crafts and baking.
4. Didn't visit relatives and should have as they are only half hour away. Will definitely visit this year as dc will bring them joy.

thanks for this topic it’s quite reflective.

Starting Christmas a few days before Xmas is all very well, but some of it such as buying a nice bottle of brandy or something can be begun 1 Dec, same goes for nice seasonal vinyl records and so on, best not to treat the date as a deadline to reach at the last moment. Some presents maybe should be given on 1 Dec to enjoy in the run-up to the day itself.

Buying veggie main course on discount, stuffed it in my posh classy knapsack - it leaked a bit out of the plastic and the juice, veggie or not, made it smell rancid. If buying stuff like that, make sure it's in a plastic bag as well.

Not possible for families doing the whole Christmas lunch thing as tradition, but I would always prefer to have the big blowout meal when it is crisp and cold weather. However, Xmas week itself is often very mild and to me it just doesn't feel right eating like that, I would prefer to 'do Xmas' when it is cold. I know that doesn't quite work in many cases but I would check the weather forecast before going all out to buy everything in.

It won't be the first week of cheap crap chocolate that gets you overweight but the second week, when the body adjusts and thinks 'Oh, I see, we're dealing with a fat knacker now, I get it...'

I bought a tub of m&s chocs last year and they were bloody vile. Sweet and sickly.
Much prefer buying interesting looking sweets in Lidl!

La Fauxmagerie Brixton Blue from Waitrose and extra mature vegan Cathederal city from Sainsbury's and Tesco are both really good.

Yes - us too! Total waste of time and money

Beauty Advent calendar last year was a let down (think it was m and s). Lots of the gifts I wouldn't usually use, or didn't like (perfumes/ lipstick colours etc).

I would have rather spent the money on a few items I do like, so shan't repeat.

Some great lessons here! And glad it’s been useful to others too. Definitely being reflective as I often get that “feeling” on the 26th once everything’s opened and piled up and think actually they really didn’t need that… so like others am trying not to get sucked into too many surprise presents this year

Fancy desserts! DH doesn’t like non-chocolate desserts, and I like chocolate but prefer fruit desserts. Throughout the year we usually just get chocolate things but over Christmas we tend to get a big Yule log plus some fruit desserts for me to indulge (eg lemon tart). Trouble is then there’s always way too much of both left over. So this year I think I might just get a slice of something for my extra dessert and continue with the Yule log (not a giant one though). Never really hungry enough for dessert after Christmas dinner anyway!

The other one is fancy pate. I love pate, but have realised I prefer a plain supermarket Brussels pate instead of one of the fancy ones where I have to scrape off all the jelly and crap from the top before using it!

DM's behaviour - not being able to cope with her three young GC in her house after making such a song and dance about wanting us to visit and us having made a long journey at great expense to be there.

We had too much 'for the sake of it' or 'because it's Christmas' last year

Presents, food, drink it was all a bit overwhelming and, while nothing was wasted, we were still eating quality street in February (no one really likes them!)

This year I've continued to buy bits for the 'Christmas cupboard' but been more mindful of what everyone actually likes, not just Christmas specific, I will open it much earlier this year like others. I spent the run up guarding it with my life but in reality the run up is the best bit so I'll be cracking open the biscuits next weekend I think (any excuse).

We don't drink alcohol often but I bought a few bottles to have once I finished work for Christmas, the Prosecco is still in the fridge! I'll stick to a miniature amaretto for Christmas Eve and J20/coca cola this year.

For something that went well: buying board games for DS (and asking family to) we had the best Boxing Day ever playing all the different ones in our pjs, it was my favourite time all season and I usually find Boxing Day a bit depressing. DS is 11 and that is what he's most looking forward to too.

Yule Log. Always seems like a good idea, I always end up disappointed. I’ve tried it from a few shops now and have decided I won’t be getting one this year.

We all love Christmas here and want to make it last as long as possible, so for the first time ever I put our tree up mid November last year (I’ve never put it up before 1st weekend of December before). It just didn’t feel as special though! So will stick to December.

I've bought advent calendars this year, rather than making personal ones for the kids. They loved my calendars when they were smaller, but are getting to an age where they didn't get as much out of it and it was crazy expensive to have a variety of cool things every day.

I found my last minute twitch presents are always the best ones. The worst are the ones I add to the list in October to fill a gap, and buy because I see a good price. This year, I am trying to not buy anything I am not 100% sure on early, and leave budget for the twitching.

No one really enjoys the joint of meat in xmas dinner that much so this year I am going to do something different.