Already started thinking of the festive season?! Want to? Share your top tips to beat Christmas stress with Lidl: chances to win vouchers NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

We KNOW it's early but lots of you (and Lidl) are already thinking ahead to December and we're sure MNers have a whole wealth of fab Christmassy tips to share. As great as Christmas is, we know it often comes with a world of stress, whether that's the pressure of entertaining, avoiding cooking disasters, or managing it all on a tight budget! So please share your top tips for beating these battles.

Tell us what do you do to ease the stress of Christmas? Is it the art of preparing early, finding those great value-wins or quick cheats like great tasting and great priced party food?

Add your tips to this thread and you will be entered into a prize draw where 5 MNers will each win a £50 Lidl voucher.

Thanks and Happy Christmas

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

I keep an eye on the Amazon daily deals and. Lightening deals. I have had some amazing bargains

Bury your head in the sand until 24th December.

I'm an Early Bird shopper - I get good christmas basic gifts in the previous christmas sale, so if I know someone particularly likes a certain fragrance, or body wash, Ill get it in the Christmas sales (BUT only via Quidco, or from stores where I can get loyalty points) , ready for the forthcoming christmas. I then buy the remainder of gifts throughout the year with loyalty points built up, in sales and again, only via Quidco, or from stores where I get rewarded.
Then for the essential gifts, I look out for deals in October. I wrap in November - cross checking with my list, so by December, I'm done!
And in December, I use the reward points, cash etc to buy the gorgeous yummy treats for us all

Buy wrapping paper and cards in January sales - as long as you don't mind storing it all year! Same goes for presents - I keep a list and buy what I can throughout the year from the sales.

I have always been a planner - it helps to keep me on track financially and keeps me reasonably stress free. I use a spreadsheet and have kept them going back years so I can see how much I've spent and also so I don't give similar gifts.

I save throughout the year, I couldn't afford to pay for Christmas any other way and I refuse to get into debt.

From November onwards I add bits and pieces into my weekly food shop and hide it from DH and generally I make my Christmas cake at the beginning of October.

My mum always did a spring clean in November and I've just copied her so the house gets blitzed before the decorations go up.

Cards are posted out in the first week of December and I try to give presents out in the second week, which means I can have a final tidy up and get the house looking fabulous again.

For me, planning in advance doesn't take away the magic, I can relax and enjoy the festivities knowing I'm all prepared.

I adore Christmas and most of my time is spend dodging the miserable people that load about the word being said out loud before November!

We have spent the last few years going away for Christmas avoid any family dramas or politics, this year we've been blessed by my eldest son receiving a 'Starlight Wish' to Florida for Christmas.

Going away means we can get away with buying each other less as we're having a lovely holiday as our main gift and we get some wonderful memories out of it.

I use a Christmas savings scheme so come October I'll receive £500 vouchers to either give directly as gifts to tricky receivers or to buy gifts with for other family members, it means o don't have to worry about it all come the end of the year.

I have a generic online wish list for each child that gets distributed to any family that ask for ideas and includes cheap and cheerful to more expensive things, I ask family to let me know if they get something off of it so I can delete it to avoid duplicates.,

When we get back from our Christmas holiday we invite family over and try and stagger them throughout the day. I stick a joint of gammon on the table, a slow cooked beef brisket and bread rolls, wedges and salad and a couple of shop puddings and the traditional mince pies, cheese biscuits etc for everyone to help themselves too.

I'm very proud of the fact that all my nieces and nephews ask to come to us for Christmas, it reminds me of the lovely big family christmas' we had when we were growing up.

I start to make and freeze things in around September that can be used over Xmas. Things like white or cheese sauce, bread sauce and even red cabbage can be cooked and frozen now. Bramble whiskey and damson gin can be made now too, ready for adding to your Xmas cocktails.
Also I start looking out for kids stocking fillers for the Xmas drawer now. It helps spread the cost a bit and often I can find fun things in the end of the sales much cheaper.

My Christmas advice is that it's your Christmas. You don't need to stick to the prescriptive rules regarding food .
For example this year I'm making a curry. I'm unsure whether it will be a turkey curry or not as yet but it seems rude not to.

Neither myself nor my partner or children are particularly fond of traditional Christmas/roast dinner so we're just not having one.
We'll still have Christmas pudding, prosecco and get the cheese board out with the port though.

As for gifts this year I'm having a baby on November 30th so I plan to have my shopping finished by then. In all likelihood I'll panic buy everything on Black Friday which is 25th November, my OH can then wrap all the presents whilst I'm recovering from the C section. Winning!

I'm decorating my house/putting my tree up on 29th November so a tad early this year but with four (soon to be five) DC I don't think that you can have your Christmas decs up too early.

So yeah, there's my plan in a nutshell;
Christmas decs in November
Panic buy on Black Friday
Completely swerve the wrapping of the gifts
Whizz up a curry on Christmas Day
Whip out the port and the prosecco

Jobs a gud'un

My children's birthdays are both in June, once they've gone I start thinking about Christmas. I will write a list in June and get bits each month so I don't get it all in one go, skirting myself out. I look around before I buy, finding the cheapest prices. I save my nectar points at sainsburys throughout the year, and use them either towards Christmas presents or the Christmas food shop.

Accept offers of help. If someone wants to bring the pudding, peel the vegetables or make cups of tea show them where things are and let them get on with it.

If you have people staying have a mental list of things that they might be able to help with so when someone genuinely asks 'Is there anything I can do?' you have a suggestion.

Far better to accept help than become the Christmas martyr that does everything and has a miserable time.

Buy early. I am already on the Christmas threads for stuff!

Keeping a list of what you have given and received to eat family member in the past to have a sense of what they may like, avoid repeat present...and perhaps regift without embarrassment!

We spend Christmas with my family as my inlaws don't celebrate, so my top tip to beat the stress is

I go to my mum and bring the dessert quite simple really, she doesn't mind and my girls love it,

start buying non-perishables like crisps as soon as the best before dates hit Jan, keep an eye open for presents too

Just a couple of things I do is collect stamps for morris ons so I don't have the food to think about. I check second hand stores over the year plus January sales. I get any clothing items from the next sale. I save all 2p and 1p and I wait for the two for three on toys in November for any big items. Also I check groupon wowcher and Lidl for any bargains and stocking fillers. All done

Draw up a list of cards, presents and food in early November and tackle a few items each week

Cooking Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve rather than lunch is much less stressful, and if you're in the UK then some of the shops are still open.

I have a list on the fridge throughout the year with present ideas for us all becasue as soon as anyone asks me my mind goes blank.

I pick up little stocking fillers here and there. Lidl is very good for this actually. Here we get junk mail weekly from all the supermarkets, so if there is a good offer on something I will make sure I go and buy it.

I really like lidl at Christmas actually, lovely toys for little ones, and liebkuchen or however you spell it, and stollen...

I just get really really pissed on Lidl cheap wine and then I don't care. Sorted.

I don't find xmas stressful at all. I buy presents as and when I see them from around August onwards and buy when things in sale or on offer then when it gets to December I feel like I have things pretty sorted. On the day I tend to buy pre prepared potatoes and veg as I don't see the fun in spending all day in the kitchen when I would rather be with the kids opening presents.

With 10 adults and 4 kids to cater for, we do secret Santa for the grown ups with a £50 limit, so we've just one present and the kids to buy for. All the grown ups are responsible for some aspect of the meal - someone provides the canapés, someone the starter, someone the puddings, vegetarian option, , cheese, etc so whoever hosts doesn't have to foot the whole bill. This makes it far less stressful and we always have an enjoyable day.

Start preparing and buying for the following Christmas in January! Draw up a plan containing a list of who to buy for, ideas of what to buy and a budget. Never miss an opportunity to check out sales ( online sales, clearance lines whilst out doing a grocery shop etc. ) aim to have everything bought, and preferably wrapped by the end of November.

With Festive food and drink, again, make a plan and add any non-perishables to your usual weekly grocery shop in the run up to Christmas. During Oct-November, if you add just a couple of bits to your normal shop, instead of buying all in one go, you won't feel as much of a strain on your bank balance.

Then, when everyone else seems to be running themselves ragged in the lead- up to Christmas, all you have to focus on is getting the fresh food in and enjoying yourself X

I start buying presents when I see something that catches my eye. This means I'm not spending out all in one go.
We'll be having Christmas at home for the first time this year so will do similar with food shopping.

Plan, prep and plan some more. Plus do almost all the cooking on Christmas Eve so the big day is free for fun.

I usually start buying the odd present around September time and buy a couple at a time so we don't have to fork out for everything in one go. We also do this with the non-perishable Xmas food. We have a cupboard that we set aside for festive goodies and we buy them and put them away.

I am definitely preparing early - I made a list of the people who I would like to get a gift and also things which they would love to receive. I plan to monitor the price of these things from October on and try to have them at a price which is lower than rrp. In addition, I am asking people about their plans for Christmas so I can plan the number of the people who will visit us during the holiday season.