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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

What worked over Christmas, and what didn't?

36 replies

FlowChart · 28/12/2008 19:02

Hi, what worked for me was:

  • opening presents after lunch
  • buying cheap
  • leftover meals - minimal cooking
  • really rare time with DH and DCs
  • playing games with DCs
What didn't work was:
  • DCs having Norovirus over Christmas, in succession!
  • Snotty young label-monster relative criticising my present choice for DH - ie lottery ticket - we are really broke - I thought a lottery ticket was a good idea. DH does a crap job for crap money. I go out cleaning at weekends to make ends meet. I put on a really nice buffet for Christmas Eve (for me and mine). Against my better judgement, and bullied into it by my mother, I invited these awful people. Wish I had eaten my own sick. Sat and listened to how hard it is to choose a Ted Baker dress for the ball, and how she wishes she knew where to get matching sequins for the mask - gaah. They didn't even bring wine, but drank a shit-load of mine.
NEVER AGAIN - The dreadful thing is - they will never know why. I wish they would, but you can't make people be nice, can you? Sorry, this has turned into a rant, it wasn't meant to be!
OP posts:
ninah · 28/12/2008 19:10

what horrible people! why do these kind always drink other people's wine, though!

Earlybird · 28/12/2008 19:13

Sounds dreadful. Does your Mum acknowledge that those dreadful people acted dreadfully?

justneedsomesleeppleasesanta · 28/12/2008 19:14

Sorry about the christmas eve buffet - people can be so rude! Can't believe they never brought wine! Did they contribute annything?

what worked -
*going out for lunch to indian restaurant - bliss and stress free THOROUGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
*Wrapping ds and dd's pressies in blue and pink paper (so we knew at a glance whose present was whose instead of searching for a tag that was bound to have come off...)
*tasty brekkie of cereals and croissants/waffles/pain au chocolat - YUM
*staying in pyjamas until we HAD to go out
*cheese and biscuits for me when dc had gone to bed

ninah · 28/12/2008 19:15

ooh like it jnssps
esp the wrapping idea. Oh yes and the indian meal. and the pj's

pinkspottywellies · 28/12/2008 19:24

Growing up we always had Xmas dinner on Xmas eve. My mum had a houseful for Xmas this year for the first time in years and did the dinner on Xmas day. It reminded her of all the reasons she used to do it on Xmas eve and would do that again in future!

Indian sounds interesting! What did you have?

aGalChangedHerName · 28/12/2008 19:26

Justneedsomesleep we also went out for Indian on xmas day. We did it last year too!!

Loved it so will prob do it for the foreseeable future.

Whay did you have?

blametheparents · 28/12/2008 19:27

Wrapping idea is great. We wrap DD and DS's presents in different paper too and it worls really well in the chaos!

It was nice to go to Mum and dad's for dinner. It meant that we could leave when WE wante and get the kids to bed at a reasonable time, unlike lat year where they stayed really late and by the time they went kids were overtired and DH and I just put them to bed and then followed!
We won't get away with it again nxt year though, definitely out turm to host!

CatMandu · 28/12/2008 19:31

What worked -

Blinis as a nibble/starter - who wants a proper starter when you're about to fill up on turkey.

Cooking the christmas dinner - great way to hide from mil.

PIL's arriving at 12pm on christmas day - could do the whole present opening with dc's without fil moaning about how much children get these days etc etc

PIL's sleeping in our room - they could get up and go to the loo (ensuite) without waking everyone else a million times a night.

What didn't -

DH and I sleeping in dd1's bed - pulled out the truckle bit and managed to break the bed, so both had to sleep on the sofa.

Original poster
FlowChart · 28/12/2008 19:32

Hi Earlybird - my Mum has no short-term memory, so there's no point telling her. I always knew they were dreadful, so it's partly my fault. I do keep hoping my guests (sister and her daughter) will improve, but they never do. They are both horrid. I did tell my Mum - no more - they are just users, but she keeps on about "family at Christmas".She just keeps on with the guilt trip, except she never invites them, does she? - Who's the mug?
PS - jnssps - sounds great, yum.

OP posts:
SleighGirl · 28/12/2008 19:36

what worked:
saving the presents from family & friends that we didn't see on Christmas Day until day, it was really nice to have another lot of gifts to open.

MIL have 17 of us for a sit down meal at 3pm - amazingly the dc coped, ate food and were well behaved whilst everyone ate.

Only have 3 glasses of wine all day!

Original poster
FlowChart · 28/12/2008 19:48

CatMandu - I love blinis, but they are the very devil to cook from fresh. I would cook for the whole world if it would get me away from MIL (purveyor of useless presents ) - crap handbags x 8 (I shit you not) - yes, 8 crap handbags - also, toe separators for the whole family, including DH! (Don't quite know what to make of that). Several mirrors - how many do you need, especially magnifying ones (at my age?) Also, weirdly, a cream, fake leather passport holder. How can I not be happy? Cannot believe you tolerated these folks in your bedrooms - you are a saint!

OP posts:
Earlybird · 28/12/2008 19:48

Flowchart - yes, families can be difficult at Christmas...especially if they're dysfunctional. There is the ideal ('oh families should be together at Christmas') vs the reality.

Consider it a lesson learned for next year - which will be better!

Original poster
FlowChart · 28/12/2008 19:59

Yes, Earlybird,
My DH says that the "ideal" is a soap opera myth. I don't need to go into what he says about soap operas and how they faciitate bad behaviour in our society. I do agree with him, but that is not for here and now, no matter what he thinks!
I am determined that we will do something different for Christmas next year. Will have to save some of my "scrubber" money for my studies (after paying off the Mastercard, hehe!)

OP posts:
CatMandu · 28/12/2008 20:02

Ah yes Earlybird and FlowChart - you are right, but it didn't stop me watching the Gavin and Stacey special and wishing our christmas was like that.

Original poster
FlowChart · 28/12/2008 20:05

SleighGirl - your DC did well. 17! for lunch? that has to be the most at one table so far?, unless anyone knows better?

OP posts:
unavailable · 28/12/2008 20:17

This thread has cheered me up! I too have had crap handbags (boo) and blinis (hurrah)this Christmas.
I am currently having first Xmas domestic of the year - Dp and I currently not talking because this evening (yes 28th!) he tells me he is going to see his family (200 miles away)on New Years Eve and coming back on 2nd Jan. I am working on NYE and on 2nd. He knows this. He is annoyed I am not going with him! Says I am trying to get out of it. I have been asking him for at least a month when /if he is going to arrange a trip up north.

Clearly this is all my fault.

Hey ho - Compliments of the season

SleighGirl · 28/12/2008 20:26

we were on 2 tables adults v children - worked well though MIL and AuntIL did a fab meal - starter, roast, puddings, cheese, liquers, etc etc

I'm going to buy them some flowers to say thank you.

melpomene · 28/12/2008 23:08

Having Christmas dinner in the evening (first time we've done that) worked well for us. It meant we had plenty of time to open pressies at a relaxed pace in the morning, something to do in the afternoon and spread the enjoyment across the day better. We had lunch at 12 and dinner at 7.

justneedsomesleeppleasesanta · 28/12/2008 23:09

don't know what I ordered as I was a bit busy seeing to the dc but it was lamb and spicy and delicious! Dc (1 and 3) had chicken korma, fried rice, naan bread, popadoms and bits of our starters - chicken tikka and chicken pakora.
Was all delicious and we took a few small toys to keep them occupied, ds booster seat, snacks (not needed apart from a yogurt) and the staff were great!

However the prizes in the crackers were nail clippers, small screwdrivers (x2) and a necklace thing to keep your glasses on - not too kid friendly but useful (used small screwdrivers tonight to assemble dd's dollshouse for her birthday).

With the different wrapping paper - you need to make sure you have enough for all their presents! It does work!

swedishmum · 29/12/2008 00:55

Went away from 21 - 24 Dec and had most things ready in freezer - par boiled potatoes, parsnips, home made cranberry sauce, cauli cheese bladibladiblah. Mil collected turkey from butcher, put it in my fridge. I came home from 3 great nights away having not cooked,washed up etc and enjoyed cooking the last bit of Xmas lunch for 8. Also had to be organised re wrapping so presents for all our 4 were wrapped before school broke up. Also dcs were tired from trip so didn't wake up till 7.30am on Christmas Day!

aGalChangedHerName · 29/12/2008 06:52

justneedsomesleep sounds fab!!

We forgot to take stuff to keep girls amused (the ds's are 17 and 13) but we will take colouring books and crayons etc next year.

We know our local indian very well and they didn't charge us anything for ds2 or the dd's so cost us hardly anything!!

MrsBish · 29/12/2008 15:56

We (me, DH, DS 2 1/2 & DD 3months) stayed at home this year and didn't see anyone else which was fab.
Had a lovely relaxing day. I cooked my first Christmas dinner. We got to do what we wanted when we wanted, and watch what we wanted. No one else to worry about. My best Christmas ever!

higgle · 29/12/2008 16:12

What worked - getting children to do mince pies (17 & 14); Waitrose nibbles with champagne instead of starter; Delia's mincemeat last minute cakes; playing board games.
What didn't work - leaving writing cards too late, trekking round shops for perfect presents that never got found,buying too much food and being given too much chocolate. I should have learned after all these years, but I do have to write a note to myself in special book each year to try not to make the same mistakes again.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 29/12/2008 16:12

What worked-

  • having beef wellington instead of turkey- had it all prepepared, and it only took 30 mins in the oven on the day, and everyone loved it
  • telling MIL to come or not, no pressure. She didn't come ( not that I didn't want her to, but it was a lot easier without a house guest!)
  • the plastic trumpet from the £1 shop- all 3 were fighting over it!
  • delaying pudding until we were all ready to eat again!

What didn't work:
-the digital art studio we bought dd1- she loved it, but it was faulty and had to go back

  • Tickle-me elmo, after about half an hour!
  • trying to be organised and pre-preparing my dauphinoise potatoes- they ended up discolouring
  • buying dd1 lots of art kits that she wanted to do all at once, and which required me to help. Every second.
  • dd2s marble run, which took 2 hours to assemble and only 5 seconds for ds to demolish!
  • trying to surprise DH with a great gift that I knew he wanted, only for him to go out and buy it for himself 3 days before Christmas
OrmIrian · 29/12/2008 16:14

We always open presents after lunch. Seems normal now.

My Christmas cake worked! Complete success. To the extent that DH did a double-take when he tasted it as he didn't think it would be that good. Bastard