Christmas Prep - how's it going?

This is was my jobs list for the day:

Ironing
Make chutney
Marzipan cake
Wrap all pressies.

Done none of it.

Today it's not going too well. I have spent most of the morning looking for a pair of shorts pj's for DD2 with hedgehogs on them. Unsuccessfully.

Why do I get so hung up about these things? Once I get an idea I can't just leave it!

Not doing it. Not at all. Last week we were in Derbyshire because the husband of a friend of ours died very suddenly. We were there for her. Next week we're going to his cremation followed by wake. Not looking forward to it at all.

Year on year the whole razzmatazz increases and we get it pushed at us from all angles. Year on year I feel less and less like doing it. This year, not at all.

We've been to Advent services at church and will go on Christmas morning. That will be it, for us.

Cards written, presents wrapped, decs down from the loft, turkey, Christmas pud, sausages in bacon, enough fizz to float a battleship, bought. Why? Retired. Nothing better to do. Lovin' Christmas.

As a teacher I would be marking mocks scripts, calming excited children, finishing learning modules, in short, running down my energy until I limped to the end of term too exhausted to care or cope.

Retirement. The gift that goes on giving.

Finished making cards yesterday despite starting in January! None written. About 2/3of presents bought. Cake made. No wrapping paper bought. Decorating a tree for Church festival tomorrow - having made all the decoration by hand with my craft group & then was going to do ours over weekend but now DHC are coming to stay & NO they CANNOT help! They can help DH do outside lights though.
Every year I start well & then it all goes to pot. I think I must actually thrive on last minute panic or I'd be more organised.

I love it when it gets here though. Family coming to us on Boxing day this year so Christmas day will be lovely & peaceful & I can do all the preparation for the next day with a nice glass of bubbly or 3 before having a nice but not too huge dinner with DH. I don't mind which day they all come to us as long as they do! With 6 DGC plus parents it is a very hectic day when they all come together. Hooray!! Last year the 2 eldest boys got Nerff guns & all the children had running battles upstairs & had a great time. HAPPY DAYS.

This will be the quietest Christmas that I can remember. We are going to DS and family for Christmas Day and Boxing Day - staying over-night and other than that it's just the two of us. My DD and her family are going to Costa Rica for 2 weeks on 20 December so we are out for a meal (and presents) with them on 19th.

Now I've got used to the idea, I am looking forward to a less stressful time with MUCH less cooking!

I was doing really well until I came down with flu!

No food shopping done at all. We shall have 3 guests including dgs for five days also unexpectedly their two Labradors !!
All of us go to dil for dinner and I take a pot of soup and possibly the .trifle.
Dil will have 12 for dinner and others who will call after. It then becomes a party and eventually DH and myself will go home to peace and quiet, likely taking dgc with us who is only 11 months. Our house guests we can follow when they are partied out.
Nothing is arranged for Boxing Day. I'm cooking a stuffed farm fresh Turkey crown with salad and nice breads....possibly home made potato salad......a bit help yourself style for 4 of us adults + any drop ins. Will have mince pies and possibly a M & S cake and delish shortbread.

I'll order a shop home delivery for 22nd and pick up other bits and Bobs of the treat sort.

Lasagne in freezer together with a cottage pie should cover just about everything else. And there are always the loyal omelettes for backup.

All cards written and posted.
All presents wrapped.

Presents wrapped, cards written (other than the 3 DH is responsible for ). Minimal decorations installed. All very quiet now! Few food worries as the children are feeding us Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Just one pudding to produce. First time for many years without major cooking. It feels odd. Think I could get used to it

I`ve got a few food items in the fridge and freezer, most presents are bought or ordered, fingers crossed they all arrive in time. Most of the cards are written, nothing wrapped yet, starting at the weekend. The tree is planned to go up on Saturday, when daughter`s birthday cards come down, that`s the same every year.
I used to invite the family round over Christmas, did a buffet, but it got so we didn`t have room for everyone at once, and had to do it 3 times, I used to get terribly stressed about not being ready in time, not enough food, etc., so last year I didn`t do anything, and same again this year, and it`s such a relief not to be doing it!

I like your last para, MOnica and entirely agree with you. I always worry about tea on Christmas Day, buy in loads of stuff, make mince pies and cup cakes and so on, and then find no-one is very hungry. DH hates waste and complains bitterly if we are left with a lot of food when they've all gone home.

Love Christmas, always have, always will but I hate hassle and panic and avoid it at all costs.

As I have been organising Christmas for nearly 50 years I have a written plan which I flash up on the computer around the mid-October; check through and revise and then follow through; pudding. cake, mincemeat etc cooked at one a week from early November. Cards were ordered when I checked the list. We go to a farm shop to get the tree on Friday, followed by a special lunch at a very nice pub nearby. I will do the decorating gradually over the next week. Presents mainly sorted, so much easier now everything can be ordered online. Trudging round the shops buying presents was the one bit of Christmas I hated.

I decided many years ago to try not to over cater at Christmas. I cook one meal a day, have plenty of bread, cheese and salad goods in the fridge and freezer and for all other meals people fossick for themselves. I do not bother with nibbles, chocolates, nuts, dates etc. Meals are large and when the holiday ended I used to be stuck with nuts, dates, half eaten packets of crisps and boxes of chocolates, opened and sampled, but no more. Fine tuning the catering and reducing it to necessary minimum, has been a great hassle reducer, as has being able to cook a lot of meals in advance and shove them in the freezer.

I'm quite well ahead with cards, presents and wrapping but it's the catering I dread. I'm no Jamie or Nigella, and we have a few fussy (mostly for medical reasons) eaters in the family, so it is all very difficult. If it wasn't for the cooking I would be quite happy as I do love seeing the family and I don't mind the bed changing and the subsequent laundry. I just wish they'd all bring their own pic-nics!

Was about to start writing cards when I discovered posting them was going to cost £30. We've just moved house so that's my excuse. I shall make some little puddings and a cake though, and enjoy my granddaughter's visit, over from America for her 10th birthday.

Here it is!

Aha! Where did my photo go???? It was there in the preview!

Have written five cards and wrapped nothing, but it is all to hand now. Our decs will be going up this weekend when GS comes to stay and he is christmas tree decorating helper in chief, so can't do it without him! I am having a baking day tommorrow, so mince pies for the freezer, and gingerbread to construct a house from. I bought a kit last year and the gingerbread was horrible, but GS really enjoyed putting it together. I don't look as if i'm enjoying it much though! Talk about Mrs Grim!

I hope he knows just how well known he is and greatly admired. We all want a Gary.

The unreplaceable Gary

Presents sorted out weeks ago and given to darling daughter for dgds.
As the little darlings are coming this weekend I've got the incredible Gary ( what would I do without that boy?) to get out my old fibre optic tree. I'll sort it tomorrow.
He's also put the fairy lights around the grapevine pergola in my front courtyard. Looks very pretty.

Still got my son's to sort out. But I've only just dealt with his birthday!

Yippee - I've done it! - last Christmas present bought!!

I am steeling myself to write the cards.......hate that job.
Got most of presents and wrapped

Not sure what to get tomboy ten year old who has no interest in clothes or usual stereotype stuff. Wants Lego but we have so much. Any ideas?

( Garden showing my new saxifrage in full flower a bit confusing.)

All the presents are bought, none wrapped yet. Cards all sent, and I have started on the decorations. Christmas cruet set is being used! Here's an example.