Other people just make Christmas stressful!

[wewishyouamerryKITTYmas]

Just popped out down the local high street and Asda for some milk and it's manic.

Why do people go mad at Christmas and get all stressed about getting and cooking a turkey or whether Tescos have ran out of brussel sprouts?

I used to work for Sainsburys and had to do a few days helping out in store every Christmas and it was mind blowing the shops are shut for 2 days but people would be buying 10 loaves and I would see families with 3 trollies piled high and groceries coming to over £400.

Are we conned into thinking we must go mad at Christmas? You see everyone else panicking about when to get their carrots etc and you get caught up in it!

I agree. It is a form of mass hysteria. Shops are only shut for one day (and it's easy to find shops and petrol stations open on Christmas Day itself, in London at least!). Crazy!

My mother panics and stresses about creating a Waltons family Christmas that it actually becomes hell and as far removed from the Waltons as it could possibly be. I dread Christmas because of this. I would love to do Christmas with just dh and dd but my life wouldnt be worth living, sad really!

I worked in HMV Oxford St one christmas. I can vividly remember standing around at 9pm, when the shop had shut, whilst the security guards tried to get a woman to leave. She kept saying 'But i MUST get my husband something, you don't UNDERSTAND'. There were still 3 days to go! And she was keeping us all from going home. I made a vow at that point to never get stressed about Christmas shopping. I think we are totally conned into thinking that we need to go mad.

OK - this is the place for trotting out my "mad people at Christmas" story...

Some years ago, I went from work on Xmas eve into the huge Tescos (no - there's another thread for tesco hating people - this is just about hating people IN tesco) to get my fruit and veg. I am by myself, pre-children and want to get outta there asap, to get home and start enjoying myself. So, I am in total bewilderment as to why it seems that some people go en-masse to do this final shop, as if there are not enough people as it is.

Then I turned an aisle, and bumped into a HUGE family that consisted of mum, dad, autie, grandad, three children and GRANNY IN HER WHEELCHAIR, COMPLETE WITH DRIP ON A PUSH ALONG HANGING THINGY... The three children were pusing her along, two managing the wheelchair, and one pushing the drip.

I was agog. They filled the aisle.

lol - yes I agree, i'm afraid i'm the scrooge who only buys v few extras. we'll be doing late night shopping at 11pm on friday in tescos.

I get such bad shoppers rage/trolly rage, and DH - well in his view super markets are not 'bloody social clubs!' lol.

i've often wondered why ppl go so mad. - perhaps they have a lot of visitors? mum used to go mad till she realised half it of it didn't get eaten. this year we're not even having a tin of chocs/boiled sweets/nuts. it will be mince pies only for extra this year althou i'll do a month's shop on fri as it's when we'd shop for the month normally.

Totally bonkers! Maybe it was their idea of a special outing for her. Musn't miss the last minute pre christmas over the top shopping frenzy!

and why is it there's never any fresh bread/milk when u go, but everyone else has like 4 6pt bottles in their trolly - I mean u're not gonna use 24 pt's of milk in 2 days now are u??? lol.

I went to Waitrose yesterday - normally a quiet and serene place especially after a visit to Tesco's and it was like a mad house. Even the lady on the till said to me "welcome to the chaos".

Totally agree - and is it me or does it get worse every year???

I've just given up going anywhere really! All presents bought on the internet, we have hardly any food in the flat and I don't care, and we're not here for christmas thank goodness so no need to do a big shop (and if I did it would be an internet grocery shop and we'd have cheese on toast or something for the meal as we don't like turkey etc. anyway!). But I'm sure it does get a little bit worst every year.

I've just given up going anywhere really! All presents bought on the internet, we have hardly any food in the flat and I don't care, and we're not here for christmas thank goodness so no need to do a big shop (and if I did it would be an internet grocery shop and we'd have cheese on toast or something for the meal as we don't like turkey etc. anyway!). But I'm sure it does get a little bit worse every year.

The thing is you can't get your normal shop because of all these mad Christmas people clogging up the aisles.

No doubt Tesco will miss something off the online shop and I will have to brave Asda later in the week, oh and I'm 3 weeks away from giving birth and have to drag a 17 mo around with me (bad bad planning!)

yes, it's always when you really need the online shop they stuff something up - did it to me the day before my due date with DD. It just ruins any christmas spirit you do have

Always something crucial like cat litter and they don't substitute, heavy things like that are the reason we shop online.

kitty- why do u think i'm doing late ngiht shopping at 11pm - i'll be like a zombie but online shopping will basically be crap I think, and I don't want to get poor quiality stuff veggies etc/half my order missing so i'd sooner go out - DH is comin, as apparenlty I can't go shopping on my own at 7 months PG! lol. (probably right cos mixed with PG hormone's i'd be liekly to lamp someone! lol)

munz - I'm getting the big non perishables online but your right I won't trust them with the meat or veg which I will have to go and get myself.

I could go late at night I suppose but am usually shattered by 10pm and would have to leave DP to look after DD.

lol - that's the prob isn't it, could u have a friend sit with her for half an hour so you could both rush up there? - failing that mum recons 7am it's dead quite. but my DH isn't a morning person!

thursday we are going to m&s for it opening at 8am should get everything we need there, DP entertain DD and leave me to it and if anyone dares annoy a heavily pregnant lady..............

I'm about to go into my local Waitrose to get my normal weeekly bits and now i'm dreading it after reading this thread.
And of course our schools have broken up already so I'll be taking 4 year old DS as well as 9 month old DD - should be fun!

I get our meat from the butchers, fruit and veg from the greengrocers and tin goods as well as mince pies and choc biscuits from Aldi. Even when it is busy, Aldi is still half empty compared to the other supermarkets(and imo, their stuff is just as good, if not better in some instances) but much cheaper!
I have avoided the crowds and refuse to be swept up in this unnecessary festive mania. Besides, the thought of tackling shopping aisles with a side by side double buggy fills me with dread. I refuse to do it

I'm hoping all my stuff will arrive from the online on wednesday

Our Asda is shut for 5 days

Nice for the staff though.

Have just done most of it in sainsburys this morning- but I noticed they are open until midnight on Christmas Eve! Poor staff!

I was chatting to the cashier and she reckoned Wednesday would be the worst day as turkeys and meats come in then. I said I was pretty much sorted and if I had forgot anything then at least I had bought 2 tins of beans!

My friend once had bread snatched out of his hand after he had picked the last one from the shelf by a crazed woman!

I'm going to Gibraltar tomorrow with all the other Brits from the surrounding 100 miles. I will be fighting for parsnips, sprouts, bread and cranberry sauce, xmas pudding, mince pies etc Just to have an English Christmas. Oh and chipolatatas and streaky bacon!

well I recon if i do forget anything it's tough, i'll have to make do without it - as long as it's not the turkey! or bread/milk we'll cope for a few days!