Who wants a perfect Christmas? I don't

Could anyone live up to the 'good housekeeping' vision of a perfect Christmas? I miss but love to remember past Christmases when my children were little. Two of my children and their families won't be here. I've sort of got used to that. I'm grateful that my oldest son and family still want to come to us. There's 6 of them and us two. So it's managable. I'm being good this year and not getting into a state. No matter what it's always managed to come together on the day. Even if for the last two years I made the starter but forgotten to put it out on the table and we've had it for supper. I so want to enjoy it. I'm fed up of getting all anxious about what is essentially a roast dinner. I'm fed up trying to impress. At this age they can take me or leave me. I will raise a nice glass of wine to you all around 8 o'clock when the tribe have gone home and the chaos has been tidied away for another year. Merry Christmas one and all

The men in the family do the cooking and DH starts drinking from 12, so by the time it's all served up he is usually the worse for wear and then falls asleep soon after when we are playing games with the kids. I try to pace myself with just a glass of bubbly early on then non alcoholic stuff till later.

When married we had cooked the turkey, all the trimmings and were about to serve when we checked the turkey it had re-frozen in the fridge. So we had beefburgers - with the trimmings. One to remember.

This year I had it all sorted, was going shopping for some stocking fillers for my son on Tuesday as he's only got his main up to now. Then . . . my doggie started shaking her head on Monday night and scratching. On looking at her ears, one was red and one not, so no shopping for me then. Off to the vets instead. Given some drops and review on Friday. So no stocking fillers just yet for my son, poor lad.

He struggled too last weekend putting the carpet down in the bathroom for me. Never mind, he's a teen, not a teenie. I've bought turkey off the bone slices instead of a turkey. Not only do we not have an oven now but there is only two of us so a turkey would last for ages. We eat out for turkey dinner, let someone else cook and wash up and have turkey barm cakes at home which my son loves. It works well for the two of us.

I might end up shopping for son's presents on Christmas eve yet which I have never done so that could be different and exciting. Not too bad when I've only one person to buy for. And he has kept mine in the Amazon packaging, so I can get away without wrapping too, maybe? Just stick a bow on, it'll do, lol. Nice and relaxed hopefully, after a house move this year and not well for last two months. Merry Christmas all.

I'm slightly concerned about all this turkey defrosting with _ hot_ water !!

I never expect Christmas to be perfect and we usually have a lovely time!

We're having a strange Christmas this year. Daughter in NZ arranged a family Christmas day on the 30th November as we headed back to the UK on the 6th December. She does Christmas really well with carols, 'Christmas eve' tree dressing, good breakfast, etc. etc. In fact we feel we have already had Christmas.
All the presents for OZ and NZ were bought before we travelled so only a few last minute things to buy.
We're having a quiet Christmas day, just the two of us and were going to DD3 on Boxing Day - this has all changed! DD3's twins will be delivered on the 23th Dec. so I think we will be visiting them on Christmas day and taking something nice to eat.
I have done very little shopping yet, just some after eights, mince pies, pudding and some cheese. These are obviously the most important items. I remember over years the big panic to feel obliged to buy everything, just in case. However, the shops are only shut for one or two days maximum, unlike my childhood where they could be shut all weekend and into the following week.
So, I don't know when I'm going shopping but probably Monday to go to the Grainger market in Newcastle. I might take a trip to Aldi and see what can find as main dish (DH doesn't like poultry).
I think this must be the first year that other events have taken over so thoroughly.
Anyway happy Christmas to all, relax, enjoy and have a laugh. For me, give thanks in my heart for my joy and good fortune in having a wonderful loving family. What more could I wish for?

I had what I thought would be a lovely Christmas all lined up many years ago. My mum who had suffering from a terrible Dementia was in a Residential Home and settling in very well and it was my first Christmas not having to cope and knowing she was safe.

We had been invited to Christmas dinner at my son's house and the little girl (not real grand daughter but close enough) had a special party dress to wear.

Woke up on Christmas Day with a terrible cold, sore throat, headache etc., and decided I couldn't impose it on my son and family.

Had to go to the Residential Home in the afternoon or mum would have been very agitated so I spent the afternoon trying not to get too close and pretending I was fine.

Mum didn't catch the cold TG.

Since my DH passed I take Christmas as it comes.

I'm really looking forward to a quiet xmas this year. Just us and DS, who will be home this coming Monday.

Usually we either go up and spend it with The Outlaws, or DD and GCs come to spend it with us, we alternate. But if we go northwards to the outlaws (where we have to do much of the work) we still have DD the day after we return, so I only get less than a day to turn a chilly house into a warm welcoming one and have to do Xmas Day, Take Two. This year we aren't going Oop Narth as the Outlaws have moved and are still in the process of unpacking, so we can have a quiet time until the GCs descend on us. I'm really looking forward to a very leisurely day that I can take at my own pace. I'm starting to find having two xmasses very tiring.

About 15 years ago, on Christmas morning, we brought the turkey in from the garage, where it had been defrosting for a couple of days, (it was a large turkey and a cold garage), only to remove the wrapper and be greeted by a terrible PONG, the turkey was extremely OFF! Obviously we couldn`t take it back to the supermarket. so we had beefburgers for Christmas dinner, then rushed out on Boxing Day morning for something for that day`s dinner. We were told that we should have taken it back to Asda after Christmas, but we weren`t keeping it hanging about smelling like that!

Even been known to try and defrost turkey with a hairdryer kittylester [tchumm] in desperation, and cook it complete with plastic bag of giblets still inside (that one went in the bin, couldn't work out where smell of burning plastic was coming from)
Goodness knows we must have strong constitutions in my family! Not poisoned anyone (yet, everything firmly crossed)

This year I will be spending my Christmas in Poland at my son's. I have just realised that this will be the first time I have been the guest! They have often come to me for Christmas and I have had the food to worry about...but not this year, what joy. My son is a wonderful cook so will not need any help hopefully and my lovely daughter in law is so organized.......just me and grandson with the toys then yippee

Just put in my final draft of my Tesco home delivery for tomorrow, which is just as well as my doggie has had an emergency visit to the vet last Tuesday and today we are off to the PDSA for a check up so I will be shattered when I get back as it's two train rides and a bus/taxi on four hours sleep. This has set me back time wise and money too and my tidying now will be done by my lazy teen while I am out today (hooray!). (Oh, he's got himself a girlfriend so now his bedroom can be sorted of moving boxes!)

Still no lights yet on my tree as I put order in to Hong Kong? some weeks ago and still not received them. Hope they come today and then tomorrow the tree can be done properly, the budgies cleaned out and final preps on cleaning and tidying. We all know that the big man wont presents unless the house is scrupulously clean, lol. He'll have to get it as is this year.

Despite my dislike of the "perfect Christmas concept pursued by the media. I felt dragged into it on Saturday and Sunday when my DD SIL and the Boy came over.

I just got very stressed struggling to get a big dinner together cooked and organised and on the plates while still warm.
DD had to give me a "talking to" about "it does not matter if it's late" etc.

I think I am getting like my mother in my old age. It all worked out OK. I probably need to work about better timing to get food on than I did.
Too busy being distracted by my lovely DGS perhaps. Building lego tunnels is much more fun.

Our best Christmas disaster was when the flaming brandy from the pud spilled over and the blue flames licked across my best tablecloth.
DS recorded the drama on his mobile, complete with commentary, liberally smattered with inappropriate swear words.
Fortunately, as alcohol burns at a low temperature, my tablecloth survived intact.
But in the past we have had some sadnesses at Christmas too and I always have a slight feeling of dread, wondering if we will get through it without anything awful happening.

At the height of the menopause I couldn't be arsed with anything never mind hosting Christmas.

DH, DDs x 2 and their boyfriends were served sushi which I had bought the day before in M & S

DH and the girls knew this was completely out of character for me and knew why. They were very gracious, we ended up having a good day and eventually laughed at what we called our Japanese Christmas.

I suppose it all depends on what is meant by perfect. If a facsimile of a glossy magazine lifestyle is what is meant, then no. But Christmas will be perfect for me. This is my second one since moving to New Zealand and just being able to watch the grandchildren open their presents, rather than my posting them at great expense a month before Christmas, is still absolutely magical. Being able to hug everyone when we say "Happy Christmas" beats sending good wishes down the phone. Someone else doing all the cooking after all these years is pretty good too!

Having started this thread I was beginning to get really worried, Christmas preparations this year had run on oiled wheels by 9.30am on the 23rd everything was ready, preparations for the festive meal went well yesterday, and DD arrived without problem.

Thankfully this morning things began to go wrong. Our priest was taken ill halfway through the sermon. The curate took over and the priest was recovering by the end of the service but the service went on half an hour longer than planned. This wouldn't have mattered but I recently (2 weeks ago) got a new cooker with an unfamiliar fan-assisted oven. I put the turkey in the oven before going to church on what was clearly too high a temperature and was back half an hour late....... Well, I managed to snatch victory from the mouth of defeat and the Christmas meal was fine, even if the outside of the turkey was mahogany rather than golden brown

Another marvellous imperfect Christmas.

I agree with OP. People have such high expectations they are bound to be disappointed. I had a lovely day with family- I always do. There is no need to start planning it in August!

Well, I blew it by being all Pollyana. A lung infection, tummy bug and hugely swollen wrist and hand owing to a sand fly bite to which I am allergic, plus Mr absent being his usual surly self, rather put the kibosh on the whole affair. I did see the grandchildren opening their Christmas presents before embarking on a 12-km walk home. (Absentdaughter found me after the first hour's walking and gave me a lift home.) Next year…

Absent,

Thank you FlicketyB. What a mess

This too shall pass absent.

Sorry absent what a disappointment for you.

Not perfect by any means; SiL has 'man-flu' and was useless resulting in DD not talking to him as she had to cope with their increasingly badly behaved 3 year old all day; I have the mother and father of a chest infection and couldn't eat the hugely expensive beef - or anything else and worse still, the champagne; the children all had far too many presents and still wanted more; GS1 had a massive nose bleed which went on for hours; other GS spilt his drink all over the beautifully laid table saturating everything; GD spent most of the day tantruming because nothing was right and the smallest GS found the whole experience too much and sobbed his way through most of the day. Oh well, only another week to go before they go home and I get the decorators in to repair the damage!

I had a lovely Christmas. Six adults, four young GC, three dogs. No one fought or fell out or misbehaved.

But the house, which I'd spent the entire last week cleaning from too to bottom, is now a tip.

So much wine unopened, cake untouched, food uneaten.

But I don't care as we all had a lovely day and then they all went home

I do wish the women's mags would portray just what a family Christmas can really be like and then folk would not strive so hard ,and then feel guilty when it isn't all perfect. Families don't you just "luv em".