Are you nearly there yet?

Sorted in my own way. Working right up till Friday 23rd needed to get organised. So let it all happen now. Packed wrapped done!

I have wrapped presents, bought vouchers, sent cards and emails. I have one delivery to make as it is grandson’s birthday on 23rd.
Carol concert last night, carol service in church tonight, hoping the roads will not be too icy. Then no more choir practices for a while.
As for food, I have a turkey crown in the freezer, bought tiny Christmas puds in the cupboard, apart from that, nothing special in the way of food. There are many things DH can’t eat and many more we shouldn’t, so no mince pies. Plenty of veg though.
I do like to keep things simple but I would love to share my son’s Christmas Day which they always spend with his wife’s family.
No visitors, no invitations until after Christmas/ New Year.

I'm having furniture built, and there have been delays, so I am loving in a tip just now, until I can get everything put away. I plan to just cram things into cupboards and shut the doors if it ever gets finished, and sort things out at leisure when Christmas is all over. So no, I'm nowhere near 'there'.

I have, however, bought all the presents, and ordered the food, which is a start. I bought wrapping bags (reusable foil ones) last year, and am duly reusing them this time, so the 'wrapping' is done too. I recommend the bags - it takes no time to 'wrap' the presents, and they should last for years.

I do need to sort bedrooms for when the ACs come to stay - they become dumping grounds between Christmases.

Done the presents. I bought Christmas bags for most of them and then sticky tape across the tops. I had to wrap up about 6 because they were too big. I cut down the number of cards by half this time though I hand delivered some.

The few cards I post went off today, the Christmas e-mails were sent yesterday. The baking is finished and most of the cleaning.

Christmas parcel despatched and received by daughter. DH's present to be wrapped and cats' new toy finished.

Haven¨t been able to buy the tree yet as the snow was banked so high at the sides of the main road I have to cross that there was no way I could get my bike over and the snow was frozen too hard to shovel.

It's supposed to thaw tomorrow, if it doesn't I shall still try to fetch the tree - the obstructive snow has been trodden a great deal flatter, so think my cargo bike can now pass.

Sago I need to Your husband needs to shop, cook, bake, clean, make beds.

He invites = he does the work .

When MrOops invited his mate and his wife for Boxing Day one year I was ok, until they said that his brothers and their families were staying for Christmas but they would all love to come, it was the day before Christmas Eve.
I wasn’t a happy bunny. But as he was the one who had to go to the shops on Christmas Eve morning to buy extra food it’s made him think twice about doing it again.
Having said that, I would have expected his mate to have declined the invitation, but they will go anywhere for a free meal.
Make your DH do most of the preparation.

Presents not wrapped, so going to make a start this afternoon with the obligatory glass of sherry and mince pie 😊
to those without your other halves.

I’ve wrapped and sent or given presents out, including flowers to an ageing aunt and a first cousin and family. Got a supermarket order coming on 24th.

Tree not up as I have two new kittens, so it might be outside lights only this year.

I am so sorry for all of you struggling this Christmas. I have just had a message from a good friend to say her DH died in his sleep last night.
My thoughts are with all of you and hope you can glean some happiness this Christmas.

Sago I do not envy you but I am sure when it all happens you will be pleased you made the effort. Surely Christmas with good friends is better than Christmas alone?

Galaxy

For Iam64 . I am glad you enjoyed the nativities, I am on the 'other side' of nativities, spent yesterday herding 3 year olds and wiping tears, for one of the children I work with it was the most monumental achievement to do what she did! I was so proud. Its lovely to hear how much it means to families. I did have a glass of wine last night to recover.
I have wrapped nothing .

Thank you for being 'the other side'. We've loved 4 productions this year.

I'd be furious of my DH invited anyone to stay! Don't try and do it all, don't bake, buy. And they can make their own beds. You're not a hotel.

Where is your husbands tasks in all of this? He needs to do all of those things as its him who has arranged it without getting the ok from you. In fact in your telling I'm seeing your view disregarded completely. What is he doing? Have you sat down and discussed how you feel?

Last time DH invited friends round we had a Chinese takeaway...easy all round.

Sago

I posted weeks ago (smug) that I had bought and wrapped all my Christmas presents.
I was doing so well.
Work then got in the way.
Then my husband opened his big mouth and invited some friends to stay, it was supposed to be our first ever Christmas alone and I was looking forward to that!

We go to London for a jolly today until Monday, the tree is up but not decorated the mince pies are not made, I have a dinner party on the 22nd and 3 people arriving to stay on the 24th.
We are also working until the 23rd.
I need to shop, cook, bake, clean, make beds.
I don’t know how I’m going to manage everything.

By telling your husband "YOU invited them, YOU get to work on everything. I'll have a glass/bottle of insert favourite drink & watch you!!"

Sago - mine was exactly the same! It was infuriating, but he’d worked hard, mostly away from home to provide a good living for us and when he came home, he genuinely believed it was ‘his’ down time and we hardly saw him as he pursued his hobbies. I was a SAHM for many reasons and didn’t begrudge him retiring at 55, but the non-involvement continued, despite promises to tackle various routine tasks. On a more serious note - I think it was only during his final couple of years that he realized how much I did/had done/was doing and expressed his gratitude, saying he could never have achieved what he had without me behind him and holding it all together back at home. He even put it in a magazine article for me to read.
He died last year and said he’d had a wonderful life and thanks to me, he’d done everything he wanted.
I hope your DH is as appreciative. Best wishes.

Sago

I posted weeks ago (smug) that I had bought and wrapped all my Christmas presents.
I was doing so well.
Work then got in the way.
Then my husband opened his big mouth and invited some friends to stay, it was supposed to be our first ever Christmas alone and I was looking forward to that!

We go to London for a jolly today until Monday, the tree is up but not decorated the mince pies are not made, I have a dinner party on the 22nd and 3 people arriving to stay on the 24th.
We are also working until the 23rd.
I need to shop, cook, bake, clean, make beds.
I don’t know how I’m going to manage everything.

Get your husband and his big mouth to do it!! I would murder him if he was mine!!

Been there done that….(working full time and hosting Christmas for god knows how many….very stressful and never again!

I posted the few cards I needed to send. I have cards to hand to people I will be seeing. Mr. B has filled the freezer and pantry. I have bought gift cards for all the youngest generation. I have bought some silly and fun stuff for Mr. B. Anything not done won’t be done, I just don’t have the strength for it and it’s not worth running yourself into the ground.

Georgesgran

Iam64 💐. My second Christmas without DH - there are (too) many of us on Gransnet.

Having read your post several times Sago, everything is ‘I’.
As your DH has dropped it all on you, perhaps he can be asked, bullied or bribed into helping?
See what his reaction is if you tell him you’ll have to do a pie and pea supper for ‘his’ dinner party! 😵‍💫. Best wishes.

My husband never cooks, irons, washes or shops!
He’s very good at reading the newspapers online, filling the dishwasher and clearing leaves though.

For Iam64 . I am glad you enjoyed the nativities, I am on the 'other side' of nativities, spent yesterday herding 3 year olds and wiping tears, for one of the children I work with it was the most monumental achievement to do what she did! I was so proud. Its lovely to hear how much it means to families. I did have a glass of wine last night to recover.
I have wrapped nothing .

Apart from cooking a big meal (early Christmas gathering) I've managed to delegate almost everything that I'm still doing - not much these days. My daughter put up the tree and decorated the house, visitors made their own beds (I have back problems). I'm not doing cards - and there's nothing to wrap when you send vouchers. So, I'm all done and relaxing now!

Iam64 💐. My second Christmas without DH - there are (too) many of us on Gransnet.

Having read your post several times Sago, everything is ‘I’.
As your DH has dropped it all on you, perhaps he can be asked, bullied or bribed into helping?
See what his reaction is if you tell him you’ll have to do a pie and pea supper for ‘his’ dinner party! 😵‍💫. Best wishes.

My house is looking reasonably festive. Both trees up (erected by grandsons), and decorated. All gifts bought but need wrapping. A small silly thing for my husband should arrive today.
I still have baking to do, but next week is fine for that.
I'm taking it easy, but DH is stressing!

Pittcity That was my plan too until my lovely husband opened his mouth😉

💐 for Iam.