What have you done today to get ready for Christmas?

[Talkingtomyhouseplants]

DH is at work until lunch time - I’m at home.

We are at my parents for Xmas day but hosting Boxing Day for ILs this year.

This morning I have:

• moved furniture around in dining area so everyone will fit and set the Christmas table (won’t be using it now until Boxing Day)
• unloaded £325 of shopping from my Sainsbury’s delivery
• Made a shepherd’s pie to eat for dinner tomorrow night
• Made and frozen a chicken liver pate and whipped feta dip (sounds like they won’t freeze but my brother, a professional chef, assures me he has done both before with no issue)
• Made and frozen some fancy olive bread
• Sliced and frozen some French sticks

All the stuff I have frozen can come out Xmas day morning for some relatively fuss free hosting of Boxing Day (that’s the idea!). Realised I haven’t got a ham though so will be off to the shops later to get one

My family are calling in tomorrow to swap presents with us so I’ve mopped the floors downstairs. I need to hoover the landing but apart from that I’m all done!

Made cauliflower cheese ready for the oven on Christmas Day
tomorrow will prep the rest of the veggies and stuffing ready for the oven.

all shopping was done on Saturday and Monday, wrapping Saturday

so now can relax

i like to have a few jobs each day and chill

Me too @MikeRafone - I’ve always looked on in equal parts awe and horror at people who do everything Christmas morning. Tomorrow I have two Yule logs to make (one for Xmas day and one for Boxing Day but that’s it)

I had an emergency trip this weekend so we only got back to the house at about 2am. This morning I've emptied the car from the trip and raided Aldi for EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS.

So the fridge and freezer are full. The turkey is brining (I've decided this is worth doing), and I'm sitting doing some work (which is what I'm supposed to be doing) and later I'll clear off every surface and get some washing on, and make some icecream base and get it into the freezer (for my beloved ninja creami), and get all the washing currently sitting in baskets in the living room upstairs to the bedrooms, I kinda want to try making eggnog or advocaat too. I'll probably leave all the peeling until tomorrow though (when technically I'm working, but no-one else in the company is, so I'll be treating it as 'on call').

Went to waitrose to get food..very quiet and mountains of reduced items so freezer full with the nice indian meals etc...currently clearing table and arranging our village with lots of little light up houses...its more of a town now...have about 12 little houses ...we buy them from b and m etc and fit new lights to them so super bright...if it gets any bigger, we will be eating off the floor...!

I picked up an order from the butchers, bought tinfoil (I had run out and forgot it) and bought greggs mince pies for DS.

To be honest, everything else is done - cleaned yesterday, shopping done already. I'm not hosting Christmas day so only the smoked salmon to sort for that. We are having party food tomorrow night but quite straightforward.

I will do the last bit of wrapping this afternoon while DS (12) is out playing with his friends.

Otherwise, chilling out as I had a root canal done this morning. I struggle with going to the dentist so it was a bit traumatic!

Been to Tescos and Lidl - luckily only £50 worth, so fairly easy. Hoovered downstairs, except for the lounge as cats are in there 😻😻. A small amount of dusting I missed on Monday.

DH just gone out, so will sort his presents for stocking and tree.

There's only five of us Xmas Day, so luckily as food prep doesn't take long and can be done on the day.

Not as much as some of the earlier posters!

I’ve been out to the shops for a few bits -have a Tesco shop arriving this evening. Collected the turkey and ham from the butcher. I’m boiling the ham at the moment so the house smells very Christmassy. I’ve made cranberry sauce. Also done a bit of tidying/cleaning.

I'm now on the sofa having my first Christmas sherry.

Great thread! So far today I have:

Wrapped two lots of stocking fillers and about 30 of the tree presents

Ordered a massive pile of beige crap for tonight’s easy dinner

Defrosted homemade cheese flan, sausage rolls, savoury ducks, scones, mince pies, ginger cookies, pasties, strawberry shortbread and Bakewell tarts for buffets from Boxing Day on

Made a big batch of rum and raisin fudge

I am cooking Christmas Eve so today made cauliflower cheese,stuffing,cooked and mashed swede,chop up veg,making sausage rolls,few more pressies to wrap and then early night tonight.

I wonder how many of these responses are from men...

I have managed to do some dishes and empty the kitchen bin. A flare up of fibro has put paid to anything else so am back.in bed exhausted. Thankfully all food is bought and presents wrapped. Cleaning isn't likely to get done.

I helped DH put away some of the Ocado order and then left him to finish and sort the dishwasher while I went to get my brows done and a pedicure as we are going away on Saturday.

I have just put on some washing. And will make the stuffing for Christmas Day and wrap DS’s presents. Might go for a walk around the village to deliver some Christmas cards which have been written for two weeks…..

Also want to tidy our hallway which has become a dumping ground. Again.

And I want to change my bed.

Oh no. Now I'm regretting not getting a swede... maybe if I have to pop out again..

Bought a couple of last-minute cards and some beer for DH which is now wrapped and under the tree.
Had a friend round for coffee.
Done a fair amount of tidying up.
DH went to the supermarket and didn't get the things I asked him to get, so I've just got back from there with the veg, salad, cheese, cream etc.
Reorganised the fridge and put the shopping away.
Prodded the thawing turkey to see how it is getting on.
Wondered whether it is worth trying to find a shop that still has cranberry sauce, and then decided it isn't.

More tidying up to do, and I want to sort out the dining table and put the Christmas tablecloth on. There are also some more presents to wrap.

I'm now drinking tea, and I have a cat looking at me wondering whether it is time to pester me for food yet. It isn't.

fuck. I forgot stuffing. I have sausage meat for sausage rolls or stuffing.. I will have to dig in the freezer and keep my fingers crossed for something I can re-purpose :)

Have not slept well for a few nights and was up at five this morning.
I’ve done the food shop and been for a run. I have a list of jobs planned for today but have sat down and can’t find the energy to move. Maybe a little nap first.

We’ve just been shopping for the food whilst our 4 year old is at nursery (his last day until after New Year) - it’s just us on Christmas Day so we have a party food buffet and we’ve got a little turkey breast joint to go with it as well 😊

I’m supposed to be tidying up the living room so there’s space to put presents but we’re not even home yet 🫣 There’s also still loads of wrapping to do and I need to get it all done tonight as there won’t be time tomorrow 🙈

I want to change the bedding today as well!!

No prep today. Had my six year old grandson over while his mum has been delivering presents to in-law's family. She's under pressure as their toddler has been very ill for several weeks and she's tired out, bless her.

My grandson and I played Christmas snap, he made a Christmas tableau in his bedroom here with lovely bits from Sostrene Grene and other decorations, played hide and seek, made up some Christmas fairy tales, helped him make a toy story Forky from lolly sticks, googly eyes and glitter glue and he decorated a felt Christmas tree with stick on decorations.

Lunch was gammon which I cooked yesterday - very nice, if I do say so myself - part boiled and part baked with black treacle and orange glaze.

She popped in with the baby to pick him up and we had a lovely hour together.

They've gone home now, so I'll be having a nice quiet afternoon reading and watching tv. All presents wrapped, food shopping done and house tidy. Out tomorrow to our nearest city where my husband volunteers at the Cathedral, I'll just have a wander round the shops, hopefully not buying anything!

Out to our daughter's Christmas day and no hosting for us as only a very small number of our family left sadly. I prefer the run up to Christmas rather than Christmas itself, although obviously love giving the grandchildren their presents and seeing them playing on the day itself.

I lit a candle to my mum at the Cathedral last week, (it's her birthday Christmas day) and had a glass of sherry while cooking the ham yesterday (my dad ran a lovely grocers back in the day and we barely saw him before Christmas as he was down the shop many nights cooking many hams and drinking South African sherry!) They would be so happy to see me with my beautiful grandsons - they're a joy.

Hoovered downstairs
Stripped the beds and washed bedding
^ I'd have done this anyway tbh
Picked up a pack of Christmas cards for mum
Bought more tissue paper
Bought chicken goujons for dd1 for Christmas day (she doesn't eat turkey)
Wrapped the last couple of stocking gifts (in purchased tissue paper)

That's it 😊

What isn't done now won't get done!

Hair appointment, now getting ready for the theatre this evening. Fridge and freezer organised, meat collected. Just hubby and I now for the next few weeks. Bliss. X

Been to butcher and Sainsburys for last bits
bought the final present for DS, which I’d forgotten
helped one child tidy their room, ready for presents (just need to get other child’s done now)
tidied my own room and tried to sort out the bombsite/kitchen
waiting in for oven man as our oven isn’t working (!!! 😱 !! 🤞🤞🤞)
I need to do some more present wrapping as haven’t made much of a dent in it…

We’ve been to M&S this morning to get all of the last minute essentials and have had a good tidy up ready for our guests tomorrow.

Christmas treats have all been put out and I’ve made some fudge with the kids.

Very little really. DH had last week off work and tidied the garden, cleaned the windows, cleaned the fridge (pre-shop), washed the sofa throws, got the spare dining chairs out of the shed and cleaned them, spruced up the bathroom, replaced the shower curtain, washed the rugs from the living room, and dusted everywhere. I wrapped presents after work and ordered anything we'd forgotten that we needed to get delivered. We did the food shopping over the weekend, I iced the cake and made ricciarelli and speculaas dough, and we dropped some gifts off with people yesterday.

Today will be a quick last clean round before MIL arrives, we'll probably need some more milk (can send DH out for that), and I'll get a couple of batches of speculaas baked. Might make some chocolate shortbread as well, but I'll probably save doing that til Boxing Day so MIL can take some home with her.

I’m working, so absolutely nothing.