Blimey I've just planned what seems a campaign!

Sorry to hear you've got the flu, Kitty. DH has had it since Wednesday, we've cancelled everything until Sunday.

I'm hoping I don't get it! Definitely have the jabs next year!
Rest up and get better soon to enjoy some of Christmas.

Up about 7am, breakfast of cereal and warm cinnamon whirls at about 8.15, get ready for about 10.30, pack overnight bag and set off to DD at about 11am, arrive about 11.45. Lunch at 1.30, staying overnight so can have a glass or 3 of wine. Returning home after breakfast on Boxing Day. Lovely relaxing time with grandkids who are all now adults and 2 great grandchildren. Happy Christmas to you all.

I am getting man flu..........

I keep a ring binder file of timings, shopping list and recipes for parties, buffets, barbecues, christmas lunch. I keep the best advice I find in magazines and so each year I can look at the plan for the relevant event, and up date it. I had a wonderful Christmas when two guests came with the goose as their contribution - first time I'd ever had one for Christmas. The husband looked at my shopping list, went round the store cupboard and fridge. Ticked off what I had. We agreed on the remainder - i.e. what we deeded and he went off to the shop to get it - I have the post codes for my nearest supermarkets so that guests can get there.

this file worked well for a summer charity lunch - Round Table come to see the garden. My SiL and husband went straight off to the super market with a list and came back saying how much cheaper Lidle was than Sainsbury!!

I am now starting a section of afternoon teas. Have some lovely pictures from magazines, a good recipe for finger Sandwiches and am planning to get the mini eclairs from Iceland which isnot normally on my list of shops.

The benefit of this file is that I get less stressed and can ask guests to help. When my sister came for 5 days I sat down with her to agree the menu from the section on House party, and then we went shopping and got what we needed. Trouble was we have some left over when she went, because she changed her mind about wanting to make Cornish pasties so I still have pastry in the freezer and I am trying not to become over weight.

This file does relieve me of quite a bit of stress.

Husband's nephew, a family of six,turned up 2 days ago on the way to Ireland. they gave me 1.5 hours notice for snacks not supper. I do not have a page for that!! However all went well - frozen sausage rolls left from previous party, crisps, tin of vine leaves, end of stollen, biscuits, off of fruit etc. They were very happy.

I don't need a plan (she says with tongue in cheek) DD will be cooking Christmas Dinner and my contribution will be, mince pies, strangled sausages, gammon, Christmas pud and brandy butter and lots of booze. We live at opposite ends of the garden so I'm going to take everything over, including the presents, in my garden trolley!!

I wonder how many trips up and down the garden path I'll have to make muttering, 'I should have made a plan'

I'd love to do xmas eve prep but don't have any room in my fridge! I don't have a shed or anywhere else to store anything cold ?
Be glad when it's over! ?

My heart goes out to you all. We are off to a hotel on Christmas Day there will be 10 of us . Then anyone who's around can come with us for a curry on Boxing Day. Job done no cooking no angst.
I used to do the cooking etc but now is time to put my feet up and enjoy life.

I have a stinking cold (commiserations to those who have flu - or something worse), so I've slept in this morning after a bad night. My eyes are swollen, my throat is sore and I'm feeling rough, but fortunately we're only small numbers this year; seven for dinner tonight and eight for the meal tomorrow. Also, my family are pretty good at rallying round and they all enjoy different aspects of the cooking/preparation; so last evening saw my two sons making what they call a £10 brownie. Basically this is a chocolate brownie tray bake made with the addition of about £10 worth of various chocolates and biscuits! Happily my daughter in law is a teacher and was given so many chocolate goodies that they didn't actually have to buy any.

Today I need to make the trifle, cook the meat (3 bird roast) and prep the veggies. The rest can wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow my son and his wife are making breakfast for everyone, so we won't have lunch until about three o'clock I think. And this year I have only one homeless man to feed I'm glad to say. My daughter in law's parents are cooking Christmas dinner at the homeless hostel in the city (as they do most years) then my son and his wife will go to them for a late dinner before coming back here to sleep - fortunately her parents only live about a minutes walk from my house.

'Yorkshire Puddings cooked the night before according to Mary Berry? And since when does Mary Berry - not a Yorkshirewoman - know anything at all about Yorkshire Puddings?

Every Sunday throughout my childhood in Yorkshire we'd have Yorkshire Puddings, cooked and served the traditional way - on their own, on a plate with gravy before the meat course. We NEVER had them as part of Christmas Dinner! And cooking them the night before - absolutely awful.

The whole point of Yorkshire Puddings - which are a batter pudding to fill you up so that the meat goes further (in days when meat was expensive) - is (1) they must be cooked fresh and served straight from the oven and (2) they don't compete with other 'trimmings' (perish the thought).

Whitewave, I couldn't possibly eat one fraction of all that you're cooking. Maybe if you invited a regiment of the army, especially if they've just come back from yomping over the Brecon Beacons, but far too much for most people. And what is the point of it anyway?

You all make me feel so tired just reading what you have to do Christmas is pretty low key out here in Cambodia, even with a large number of rex pats in town. Today, Christmas Eve I heard my first Christmas music, it was lovely and there is an air of excitment about town. We have been invited to a Christmas Eve do but have declined due to fact that it is nearly all 20 30 year old, but it was lovely to be asked. Tomorrow we are having the full Christmas lunch, we hope (power cuts are common out here) and then on to a social which is being called music by the pond and then a phone call to the children and gc to let them know Santa is on his way and thats it. Everything will return normal on the 26th. New Year is different, its a 5 day. Happy Christmas to you all and I hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year.

Blimey Emily - when do you find the time to create these files!!!??? I am blown away. I have trouble just creating files for things like bank statements! You are clearly much more organised than I! Respect!

Sorry you have a cold ga - hope it all goes well in spite of.

Just been playing with our Christmas present to us - a Samsung smartphone - and I have managed to find the camera pro mode - wow!!! - very impressed. My pine chest full of high end cameras may just have become redundant! I chatted online to a techy from Samsung and was delighted that he asked me to "bare with" him - bit much I thought for a Saturday morning!!

Good wishes to all for a merry time. I am looking forward to spending time with all the family and seeing the little ones enjoy their presents and surprises.

Do I have a Christmas plan? Yes. My DS and family are spending Christmas Day with his father so I will be on my own, able to eat what I want when I want it, watch anything I want on TV, sit around in my dressing gown all day if I feel like doing that, and totally unwind knowing I will not be called on for anything unexpected. However I know I will not really relax till I get a call to say they are safe home again

Boxing Day plan? Toddle down the road about mid-day with the family's presents to be fed and 'watered' by them

Today's plan? Hang the cards back up that DGS pulled down yesterday, clean the bathroom, wrap presents, hoover through again, etc etc etc

Happy Christmas everyone. To all those under the weather, get well soon (((hugs))) Good job they're virtual

My DH has also just come down with the flu. He is not usually the sort to give in but I'm getting worried about him today, he looks really poorly. On top of that in all the 47yrs we have been married I have NEVER cooked Xmas dinner. Tbf don't cook much at all, he is the chef in our house. Tomorrow should be fun!

Here's our 'plan'. DH is housebound at present, left leg in a splint with no knee-joint and awaiting reconstruction of leg at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford, probably Feb/March. So we can't do much or go very far, although I hope to get to church 10.30 on Christmas Day.

We'll have our traditional Christmas Day breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. Well, DH has been advised to have protein for tissue repair - he's getting protein. Lunch will be Hunter's Pie (venison) courtesy of Oakhouse Foods, followed by individual Christmas Puddings and brandy butter. Merlot to drink. Tea: iced Christmas cake from Oakhouse Foods, with Wensleydale cheese. Fruit cake was always eaten with cheese in my Yorkshire childhood.

I think this giant mega food fest is very much over-rated. Apart from needing protein for tissue repair, DH has also been advised to try to lose some weight pre-surgery. As he can't really leap around very much, he doesn't need a lot of energy-giving foods.

Everything we need has already been delivered either by our local milkman, by Ocado or by Oakhouse Foods. Merry Christmas, everyone! When did Christmas ever become 'stuff yourself silly' time?

One year among my lunch party I had a vegetarian, a diabetic, one dairy intolerant and one teetotaller! All different people so quite a challenge!!

DH is Type 2 diabetic from way back, been an insulin-user for 20 years. He doesn't eat anything different from anyone else.

Never mind all your lists, timings, files, et al, when the DS2 rings up and we say, put the kettle on. NO! they have just left and will be here in 2 hours, traffic permitting. Oh well, have a boozy coffee and mince pie to tide us over, sit down, relax and pop onto Gransnet. All will be well, and all will be well.

We are going to DDs for the day tommorrow. I have just been reading her ever growing "can I borrow your..." list. So far, we have champagne flutes, napkin rings, large meat plate, small glass sauce boat and stand, gravy boat stand, butter curler; plus the ham I have cooked for them, some potato salad, a chocolate log, several bottles of wine, their presents and possibly SiL's elderly aunt!! Time to ring Pickford, I think! Do you think anyone would notice if I were to sneak off with a packet of sandwiches and a hip flask of malt and spend the day sitting on a rock in the Peak District??

Oh, I forgot - ??and a partridge in the pear treeee???

It's just a Roast! If I say it often enough I may believe it..

Put the kettle on, Auntieflo?

My lot usually walk in and ask, 'Is the bar open?'

OMG Whitewave... well done to you!

We are only 6 this year, and in recent years we have started eating at 4pm, so it keeps me from having to get up at dawn thank goodness!

We do a beef roast not turkey, so have they marinated and pan-loaded and get up at 8 to remove from fridge into back room (cool area). Then back to bed for me!!! All veg done the night before. It's just the timing of present opening and finishing off and serving that goes wonky.

Happy Christmas, and happy eating all!

The Twelve Days of Christmas ( Or the Everlasting Turkey)

On the first day of Christmas my true love said to me:
I`ve bought a big, fresh turkey and a proper Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas much laughter could be heard
as we tucked into our turkey- a most delicious bird.

On the third day of Christmas came the people from next door.
The turkey tasted just as good as it had the day before.

On the fourth day of Christmas came relations, young and old.
We finished up the Christmas pud and had the turkey cold.

On the fifth day of Christmas, outside the snowflakes scurried
But we were nice and warm inside – we had the turkey curried.

On the sixth day of Christmas, the Christmas spirit died
as the children fought and bickered – we had turkey rissoles fried.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love he did wince
When he sat down at the table and was offered turkey mince.

On the eighth day of Christmas the dog had run for shelter
He`d seen our turkey pancakes and the glass of Alka Seltzer.

On the ninth day of Christmas by lunchtime Dad was blotto
He knew that bird was back again, this time as a risotto.

On the tenth day of Christmas we were drinking home-made brew
As if that wasn`t bad enough, we were eating turkey stew.

On the eleventh day of Christmas the Christmas tree was moulting.
With chilli, soy and oyster sauce the turkey was revolting.

On the twelfth day of Christmas we had smiles upon our lips.
The guests had gone, the turkey too – we dined on fish chips.

]

Was that yours Swanny? It's brilliant !

swanny

All done trifle nearly made. Casserole for tonight in the oven. Had a major panic earlier on. During the morning I cleared the kitchen working surfaces for tomorrow and shoved the toaster into a cupboard. Lunch time found the hob wasn't working. Panicked for half an hour then got our young electrician in from next door. I then looked totally pathetic as he found I'd switched the isolator switch off with the toaster. He went home with a bottle of prossecco gratefully given.

Only the Yorkshire to make a la Mary Berry and then done, so it must be time to have a little tipple I think.

In case I don't get time to post tomorrow.

I wish all and every single one of you a Very Happy Christmas. Love and peace to your families. May all your glasses be full and all your tummies pleasantly full.?????????????????