Christmas stress

Sorry to be smug but no stress here, busy busy Xmas day at work, lovely lunch with my mum and other strays then another lovely lunch with my husband and son, good pressies and just a smiley day. Today work again but easy and at last sitting down with the cold stuff, wine and husband watching crap on tv, loving it.

Norah what are duxelles I m sure I should know but can’t think what duxelles on toast could be

Well, we've upset DD because we gave DGC a 'better' pressie than DD did. Now we're feeling miserable as DD is making it clear we've done wrong.

Just glad the so called 'festive season' is almost over.
I too am alone, by choice I might add.
DS and family all in New Zealand, so shared GS's excited present opening via Skype on Christmas Eve.
I've had my time of huge festivities, often as 'braai's' (BBQ) on the beach in hot, sunny South Africa, many good memories to be thankful for.
Quite like the quiet and peace, the aloneness is actually OK!

DH lost the duxelles, wrapped the crust round the beef, found the duxelles and decided we would eat laboriously made dux on toast bits. The wine gravy, which could have used dux, had A "chunk" discovered by usually grumpy dd3. The gc and ggc turned the conservatory into a hovel. The puddings were "too much". Apparently we should have starters of cucumber wedge, nuts, olives and no other course all day. There is always December 31.

For the first time in 35 years just me, DH and dogs. Went for lovely walk on the beach, drink in the pub then DH cooked dinner and it was fantastic! He wouldn’t let me in Kitchen to clear up either so fantastic day yesterday!

Thankyou to all of you who owned up to a less than perfect day - God bless you one and all (to misquote Tiny Tim!). Ours too was a bit stressful (thanks to ex-SiL) but today DS, DDiL and DGS arrive and I’m cooking another Christmas dinner! But actually I’m really enjoying it and can’t wait for them to arrive and cause the usual mayhem! I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer the run-up and the wind-down to the actual day itself. DH has gone off for a bike ride on this bright sunny day and I’m boring you lot - time for a small glass of something I think!

Christmas Eve mayhem with son, partner our two grandchildren and one step grandchild, roast beef lunch. Did find that slightly stressful but when they departed we sat down and watched carols from Kings peace was restored although the living room looked like a bomb site. Christmas day was just the two of us we went to mass which was lovely and then returned home for a smoked salmon, scrambled egg and Prosecco breakfast. Roast turkey and all the trimmings, followed by wall to wall Christmassy rubbish tv and too many Cadbury's Roses. Today our other son and girlfriend arrived with wine, presents and bits and pieces from a Fortnum and Mason's hamper (work related they didn't buy it) later we will have cold turkey, a glazed ham, salad other bits and pieces and a homemade vegetarian cannelloni for lovely step daughter who is also joining us. Homemade lemon drizzle cake and raspberries to follow. Son and girlfriend will stay the night. Haven't fallen out yet....and it's back to normal tomorrow.

wished I had taken a photo of my best SOLO prepared xmas dinner for 8. Top tips - a turkey crown cooked from frozen in a roaster bag, a ham joint to accompany , 2 amazing veggie options with mushroom , and tomato sauces.put all plates serving dishes through dishwasher - come out piping hot for serving, followed my timing instructions to the letter, told all when starters would be served - dinner 1 hour later, latecomers absorbed into finishing starters. Excuse unashamed boasting, Gransnet the only place I could happily do it!! Happy Boxing Day x

I had the best Christmas Day for years: only one visitor and DH sober and in his best mood. Food perfect with no hassle. Left to tackle washing up alone, but I am OK with that.

Just had a slightly hurt DD on phone, because I didn't answer yesterday when she phoned! I have still only two hands!

PS while at our DDs house for Christmas lunch, I watched the behaviour of our DDs inlaws, who were predictably clingy with the DGC, smug and sanctimonious about life.

The joy of their predictable behaviour is that it is predictable, and after ten years I’ve pretty well learned to ignore it - I (mostly) didn’t get wound up by them yesterday, despite being left out of group photos, ignored in games, etc, etc.

We didn’t stay over, left fairly early, using the traffic as an excuse to get home to peace and quiet and to quite a few Christmas puddings ready to be frozen!

Someone earlier in this post quoted Raymond Briggs, ‘Christmas has blown over’ and normal life resumed. Yes, I agree!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Boxing Day. ????

DD came for the day which was wonderful, Skyped loads with Grandson which was lovely, hubby cooked a delicious meal for DD DM myself and him. Presents given after lunch. Our daughter received a musical Christmas tie from my mother, (she’s 27) she’s extremely fun loving but even this threw her. It was swiftly explained by grandma (my mum) that it would make a lovely tie for her wedding because she is marrying her long time girlfriend in February. She then went to say that obviously one of them will need to be the man at the ceremony!!! But then made it worse by saying it’s only a pretend wedding anyway because it’s not right for 2 women to get married. So sadly that really put a downer on our day until Dm went home. We all had a good laugh about it then. But on the scale of things we had a wonderful day

It was ok . DGC get bombarded with presents from the other GM which swamp our pressies so next year we will give them to them on Christmas eve next year. We are the bread and butter, every day GPS and not the fun special event ones.
And my DDs oven decided not to work so they used the next door neighbours. Despite this the dinner was fantastic.

Had a lovely day at DD1’s and haven’t fallen out with anyone BUT my dogs disgraced themselves overnight in her kitchen and are banished outside. Feel very ashamed of them!

I was fairly surprised when my normally intelligent husband thought that the HUGE Christmas pudding he made and was cooking (far too late early on Christmas Day morning) wasnt cooked after 5 minutes in the microwave - the instructions had said steam/boil for 8 hours!

DH was quite unreasonable (ie totally unreasonable) when as requested, I made sensible suggestions! Anyway, have learned not to shout and after a suitable cooling off period (him not the pudding) I divided it into five smaller bowls and cooked one in time. The others then slow cooked in the oven for future use.

We then took the pudding to DD and family and had a lovely day. ?✅??

My lovely DiL cooked a lovely Christmas dinner. She worked really hard & made it a really lovely day. My wonderful GS & GD were over the moon with all the presents Santa left for them. All in all a very Happy Christmas for us all. From thinking I would spend Christmas at home with my cats to having a lovely time - brilliant! Hope my DiL has a rest today as she worked so hard.

Lovely day for us. All the family at DD3s. 85 years old down to nearly 2 years. Lots of laughter and silly games. Delious food, no falling out. I do appreciate how lucky we are.
Off to Dd2s for more of same this pm minus Dd3, SIL and DGS who are spending today with the other half of their family but plus a couple of friends.

12 of us ate at the pub - I ate my sorbet too quickly according to my DD's MIL! I knew I would have been very lucky to get away without any criticism from her whatsoever!!! Lols. Happy days x

No one to fall out with as only DH here. We had a late night so slept in until 11am. Checked my phone to see a text from No 1 son at 10.30 to say he had rung the house phone but no answer and would try to ring later if it wasnt too hectic. Sent a text back saying no enjoy the children today you can always ring tomorrow. Had calls from all my children except one. Even my DD who had advanced Huntingtons Disease managed it. The DD who couldn't be bothered is quite normal as she is only in touch when she wants money. Yesterday the only cooking I did was jacket potatoes to accompany the gammon and coleslaw prepared the day before. Today is full on cooking roast beef with all the trimmings for friends coming for lunch

Apparently most of the food I served up was cold. It must've got that way while I was trying to strain some lumpy gravy! Next year I shall wrap everything in foil within the serving dishes!

Having had my DS DDIL and 2 teenage DGD's for Christmas Eve until midday on Christmas Day my DH and I vowed never to do it again - every year we wait on them hand foot and finger with never an offer of help and certainly never an offer of having us to their mansion house! They then move onto DDIL's parents for them to do the same I imagine! We are definitely going away next Christmas - enough is enough! We did however have a lovely relaxing Christmas Day lunch with our DD and family and DS 2 so it did turn out well - in the end!

I put money wallets in with 2 DGS's gifts, but no money in them. They were very polite, and didn't mention it until I asked if they had found the envelopes with the money! Might even give them a little extra now!

I had a lovely Christmas. For the first time ever I wasn't so tired that I could have slept for 3 days, not fretting over turkeys, potatoes, presents, etc. It was a lovely day.
The only sad thing is that DS2's girlfriend left him "because she loved him too much for him to destroy himself like this", then last week told him she was bug...ing off with this new (mega-rich) bloke becasue "she was moving on"!
My poor darling spent his day in and out of tears. It broke my heart.

I came very close to having a go at my mother as she totally monopolised the TV from the minute she got to our house at midday until 11pm. She also insists on the volume being so high it's hard to ignore what she is watching. If we dare to retreat to another room she would accuse us of ignoring her!
I was expecting my mum to moan about dinner too as our expensive free range bronze turkey turned out to be off so we ended up with a very small chicken, but for once she didn't complain.
It was also the first year that my son didn't spend Christmas Day with me, he did pop in for a little while in the morning, but then went with his family to see daughter in law's sister, which I am totally okay with, but I did miss him being here all day.

I fell out with me for being such a grouch, missing my children (in laws and abroad) and just remembering past family christmases and regetting being alone with equally grouchy DH
Feel great today and glad that, as Raymond Briggs says, Christmas has blown over