Talk to Homebase about your Christmas hosting top tips and/or nightmares and you could win a £300 Homebase voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

As Christmas approaches and planning for Christmas events begins, Homebase is keen to hear about Mumsnetters' best and worst experiences of Christmas hosting - whether it's Christmas parties, having relatives to stay or even hosting the big day itself.

Homebase says: "Christmas is all about getting together with the most important people in our lives. It's a great feeling when loved ones come round to enjoy the fun and festivities- but it can be hard work sometimes too. Preparing food, getting your home looking fabulous, making sure everyone's having a good time ... the festive season comes with its own challenges and things don't always go to plan. We'd love to hear your stories of 'hosting heaven' and 'hosting hell'. Tell us about your Christmas disasters and triumphs, share your tips, fill us in on the fun times and let us know what you're planning this year."

Do you have any top tips to make Christmas hosting go as smoothly as possible? Maybe you create a time plan to make sure everything's done on schedule? Or have you had a nightmare that's put you off Christmas hosting for life?

Share your stories - good and bad - on this thread and we'll enter you into a prize draw where one MNer will win a Homebase voucher worth 300 pounds.

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

Take it easy, have lots of little things to nibble on, lots to drink, good music and let the day just roll by.

Make a To Do List & check it off so things are not forgotten! My friend was entertaining for Christmas & forgot to get the turkey out of the freezer to defrost prior to cooking. It was Christmas morning when she realised, & was getting it out of the freezer in a panic, then dropped the frozen turkey on her foot. She did not have to cook Christmas dinner because she spent hours in A & E having her BROKEN foot attended to. The guests were cancelled!

Best Christmas for me is with my mum and dad and husband and daughter and perhaps my brother and sil too, playing silly games , having posh breakfast all together and eating lots all day. Watching a film together.

I don't have a bad Christmas experience really although it was a bit more stressful last year when I had to host! I did do everything in advance like peeling potatos the night before but it still seemed hard work!

I have a pinterest board, 3 lists and start buying in august (we have a big family!)

Not so much a disaster but my mum loves to regale everyone with the year I thought I was a dog and would only eat my dinner underneath the table, off the floor

In my defence I was only 5

Occasionally, I'll buy food that comes in a foil tray - eg assorted veg for roasting. I save the trays and use them to cook my Christmas veg then stick them in the recycling to save on the washing up!

My first Christmas with my husband we had turkey nuggets and a pack of revels each, so anything is an improvement from that time! I enjoy cooking for lots of people but believe in shortcuts to save sanity. Ready made mash potato and stuffing save on time and washing up for example, and M&S do so many amazing side dishes you might as well get one or two and concentrate your cooking on the things you really enjoy.

Lists are your friend - present lists, lists for who to send cards to, lists of food and drink to buy and lists of cooking timings!

Prep as much in advance as is possible and don't worry about asking for help on the day. My children really enjoy helping to lay the table and collecting up rubbish.

Don't stress and try to enjoy it as much as you can.

Christmas lunch is just a big family roast with a few extra trimmings. Get the timings right for the key bits and just do as many fancy bits as fit in. Something will no doubt be forgotten but if the key bits are there no one will know.

Everyone is together because its Christmas not to analyse your cooking. Hopefully it'll be appreciated but its unlikely to be criticised.

One of my best Christmas disasters also brought home the togetherness off Christmas to me. We were staying as a large family group (approx 20 people in several house) three generations no young next generation DC yet, near Betws y Coed. There was a gale that resulted in loss of power on Christmas eve afternoon.

Lots of wood chopping went on, piles where brought to the main house and cottages and all the fires were well stocked. Alcohol flowed. The fancy meals prepared couldn't be cooked and no TV or heat elsewhere ment everyone congregated in the big house lounge and talked. We cooked jacket potatoes in the ash and sausages and bacon in a frying pan on a barbeque rack over the fire. About 10pm the power returned, it was a relief but also ended a wonderful unplanned evening.

Well, my Christmas nightmare is also a hosting tip.

I have managed to set fire to things every year without fail.

One year it was a table. (Flammable table decoration.)

Another year it was a styrofoam Reindeer. (Mounted too near a candle.)

Another year it was breadsticks.

So, hostess tip, make sure the smoke alarm works and try not to set fire to anything.

We have been very lucky but it definitely makes our Christmas parties memorable (for the wrong reasons......).

I prepare as much as I can in advance and freeze it.

Get all your guests to bring one item, takes the burden off you both financially and stress wise, we always get everyone together before and each write down one thing we'd like these go in a hat and everyone picks one out, that way everyone gets a choice of something they'd like and everyone feels a bigger part of the day :)

My tip is to make sure you don't leave buying the turkey until christams eve, otherwise you end up with chicken

Prepare in advance, I have learned there is nothing worse than being stuck in the kitchen while everyone else has fun!

Alcohol

Pre prepped veg

Classic xmas films

Board games in a quiet room

Paracetamol/Ibruprofen

Lots of snacks and nibbles in case of food delays

My top tip is, don't invite anyone round - then you won't have to worry about hosting! ;)
We don't have the room to entertain even if we wanted to - no spare bedrooms and very small kitchen & living room - so it's just us!

chirstmas is always last minute in our household no matter how much i plan ahead!!!! everything from presents to decor... never learn from my mistakes.
Doh!
but hey i think thats the fun of it. its the christmas spirit...

start preparing early

My top tip is to get as much help as possible, We get each guest to bring something like veg, or pudding and then it takes the load off the cook. It is great fun and we all help at the end washing up. Team work makes everything alot easier and alot less stressful x

We had a great house party for Christmas one year, adults only. What made it great was that everybody mucked in. Everyone contributed to the food and drink although we did the actual shopping. This resulted in a much more organised approach to the catering instead of duplicates or missing things! It was absolutely fantastic and even when we suffered a power cut when just about to start cooking an evening meal we were able to just light candles everywhere and swap the planned meal for a buffet instead! The timing was perfect! Probably my best Christmas!

Have as much of the Christmas dinner prepared beforehand as you don't want to be spending the whole day in the kitchen.

Last year was a bit of a disaster as we went to family, there were too many people and the oven was too small so the food didn't come together so we had roasties and boiled veg, then we had stuffing, pigs in blankets and then the turkey! It was a bit disjointed and I was too stuffed to eat turkey, but it was lovely the next day!

This year we are going to stay at home as we have 2 ovens and 8 hobs so we can cope a bit better. We will need family to bring chairs though as we only have 4!

honestly just relax and enjoy yourself its your xmas too

The simpler your plans the better it will be. Do not choose Christmas Day to go all Nigella. Also try and reduce the amount of filler snacks and food like bread, if you are going to all that effort to cook the perfect turkey you don't want everyone full by the time it is carved. A lovely winter soup (without bread), followed by a turkey with all the trimmings and a simple desert is a delight and a lot less stress for everyone. Keep the sides simply too, potatoes, carrots, sprouts or fine beans is more than enough. You can also pre-cook your roasties the night before to about 3/4 done then pop them in the hot oven for the last part once the turkey is out - nice and crispy!
As for the presents buy gift bags in loads of different sizes, handy for last minute gifts and quick wrapping.

As for bad Christmases most of our challenges have come from the meat. Never ever rely on the auto function on your oven to switch on whilst you are not there. Especially if you are going to the pub. The key is to remember to also set the temperature as well as the on/off time. Turkey does not cook at zero degrees. Just veg that year for our family
Also if the following year you choose goose, remember that it produces much more fat that Turkey and that not only will you need a deep roasting dish but it is quite likely to slop over the edges pouring boiling hot fat onto your hands and subsequently onto the floor, where you could possibly (again post pub visit) slip on it, throwing the goose across the room whilst flailing around on the floor. Second year of just veg for our family.

IT'S JUST A BIG SUNDAY ROAST!!!

Repeat as necessary...