Christmas Preparation and Plans

I hope everyone managed to enjoy their day in their own ways. A nasty sinus cold has hit me so I am rather glad that waited till afterwards as it has knocked me sideways. I won't even consider taking the decorations down yet. All that planning and so soon over and done!

For the first time ever I reached Christmas Eve with all presents wrapped, all cards written and delivered and all food shopping done! DS and I do the cooking between us. the turkey and ham were cooked on Christmas Eve and the veg were prepared for the next morning. The whole day went amazingly smoothly.

Sounds fabulous mabon. Good for you. I was stressing over a cook in the bag chicken and a roulade from Waitrose.

I am an 83 year old widow. This year I have found cooking for five rather stressful, two meats plus all the trimmings and two puddings. I don't think my sons realise that I am an old lady and it is getting a bit too much for me. I spent all day Tuesday preparing and Christmas day cooking. I was whacked when they left at 8.00p.m. I had a good lie in Boxing Day until 11.45. Not doing that again next year.

It's just the 2 of us over the Christmas period, had visits and gift exchanging a few days before. This is how we like it now we are older. Eat when and what we want. Peace and blessings to you all.

Twopence

For the first time in 57 years, except for a few when parents and in laws were alive, I'm not preparing Christmas lunch and it feels very strange. Have been wondering what to do with myself all day. DH died in February and we've always done a lot of the preparations together on Christmas Eve. I'm invited to spend Christmas Day with friends, for which I am very grateful, but my offer to "bring something" was declined.

Hope the day passes by alright for you. We don't all have huge happy families and the wherewithal to host them.

Perhaps take a small token contribution?

I have done what I can, the rest will wait till tomorrow, we do not eat until 6pm so no rush.

DD and her boys here until they decide to go home (all of five minutes down the same road as us 😂) probably 27 or 28th.

Two sons and their families along with my darling sister and her family here for Boxing Day, beds all ready with Christmas bedding and rooms decorated 🎄

I wish you peace and joy whatever you are doing 😘

Just finished wrapping DHs pressie.
To all who are going through a very bad time in whatever circumstances I wish you, if not a joyful Christmas a point through the day where you can smile .

For the first time in 57 years, except for a few when parents and in laws were alive, I'm not preparing Christmas lunch and it feels very strange. Have been wondering what to do with myself all day. DH died in February and we've always done a lot of the preparations together on Christmas Eve. I'm invited to spend Christmas Day with friends, for which I am very grateful, but my offer to "bring something" was declined.

Merry Christmas to all Gransnetters and I hope your preparations are going well! It's all a bit strange here, to be honest, as for the first time in more than 40 years, I'm not cooking the xmas dinner - we're going to my son's instead. So instead of being up to my arms in meal preparation, I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs. I have, however, made mini gingerbread men, chocolate fudge and xmas orange and cranberry cookies to give to friends and neighbours.

Yes, all ready for the big day. Just back from the Crib service at our church, where I was a welcomer. 98 adults and 59 children!
Having tea now and am seriously considereing wearing my onesie when I go back as a welcomer for Midnight Mass, as it is the coldest church I know and you have to stand just inside the door to welcome - blast after blast of icy air every time the door opens!

It will be just the two of us tomorrow but I spent the whole morning making my elaborate vegetarian dish. We'll speak to all our girls and Facetime with the one in Mexico, with our son-in-law and three grandchildren. And there seem to be quite a lot of presents to open ...

Three people coming for lunch on Boxing Day, then big family occasions on 28th (for which I am again making the vegan/vegetarian dish) and 30th (taking a home-made Christmas pudding and vegan rum butter).

It's a perfect amount of enough cooking and preparation to feel part of the Christmas spirit but not too much, as in doing the big family meal for 44 years, once cooking for twelve people over three days.

I hope all the preparation s and celebrations go well for everyone but if there are small disasters, don't let it spoil things.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas, I do hope those who are poorly can enjoy some of the festive season.
Fortunately we live very near out DSs and their families, so no packing up and travelling for any of us. We have a small family so it’s all quite easy. We see each DS and family at their homes in the morning and then DH and I enjoy our Christmas lunch together. That gives the other GPs a chance to see the GCs in the afternoon.
Then everyone comes here on Boxing Day. When it’s lovely chaos.
I hope those having a Twixmas break enjoy being looked after by others. 🎄

Merry Christmas! We will be home with our lovely dog for Christmas Day having steak pie with trimmings. I will be making paté for Boxing Day where we will meet up with our kids and our grandchildren - just for a meal and then home as feeling like PaddyAnn, done in!

We have a family member who is very poorly, sadly.

Merry Christmas Luminance. We no longer celebrate Christmas. We will have our usual morning and afternoon walks. Dinner is anything we fancy from our homemade freezer meals. Saved a fortune by not falling into the trap of buying all the fancy foods on sale in the supermarkets. Instead, we are planning a trip to visit places we have always wanted to go to but never had the time to before.

Happy Christmas all! May you have a happy and peaceful day tomorrow. Let's hope 2025 is a more peaceful year for our troubled world.
I have prepped most of the food for tomorrow and am going to the cinema this afternoon ( by myself!) to see the ballet The Nutcracker. One of our sons arrives this evening. Midnight mass later.

Since I’ve been in my daughter’s granny annexe, life is bliss. It’s role reversal time ! She does all the Xmas shopping, prep etc and I just run along behind her doing as I’m told 🤣 peeling veg etc with a glass of wine in my hand ! Am also packing my case as am off to Switzerland for the New Year, but I will help her clear up before I go 🧹🤣

It sounds as if you are all ahead and organised ready for tomorrow. I think that choosing the way you spend the day to suit yourself and your needs is vital, particularly if the year has been full of difficulties of one sort or another.

We will do this year as we always do, visit family in the morning after church and then come home early afternoon to begin our meal. It’s all mostly prepped now, things either par-cooked or defrosting, so that all that remains to do will be the things that can’t be done early.

I wish you all a very happy, peaceful Christmas 🎄🎄.

Spending the whole Christmas period with just my lovely dog and, if the come in from the sunshine, my 3 rescued cats! Have prepped my veg and got the salmon ready for my Christmas Day breakfast, which I have with scrambled egg. It is so sunny and warm, it is hard to realise it is mid December!! Merry Christmas to all GNs.🌲☃️🥂

Touch wood - it's going ok and no "major" disasters yet - fingers crossed nobody gets sick.

Mine is easy this year. Going out for Christmas lunch on Christmas Day, only boxing day to cook for and then going away for 4 nights :-) My last supermarket delivery was on Sunday - no shopping to do. The only "minor" disaster was OH putting some party food in the fridge instead of the freezer. Posted about that elsewhere.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone on Gransnet, I don’t post often but do come in from time to time and enjoy the differing points of view.

South Island NZ it’s a summer Christmas. We are going to our daughters tomorrow there will be 8 of us and back to ours on Boxing Day. I’ve never had a winter Christmas it must be very different in some respects to a summer one. But in every way that matters I’m sure it is the same - family, sharing food, and being together whilst remembering the real reason for Christmas.
I’m also aware that many will be alone this Christmas, my thoughts are very much with them. I hope the day passes, well just passes as many alone want it to do in a way of their choice.

All good wishes from our place to yours with the fervent hope 2025 brings health, peace and happiness.

Well done you, for getting the needs done and pacing yourself for the rest. I hope the holiday is relaxing and enjoyable for you

This autumn has been beset by medical problems and we were both out of action from October until the second week in December. DH has been exceptionally ill and still isn't back to normal.

Althought, I got presents ordered, home preps for Christmas were way behind, but I have managed to catch up and everything is almost done. Only 3 of us on Christmas day, it was decorating, and housework were dragging, but by judiciously deciding not to do somethings and delaying others, we will get there in good order and not tired and harrassed.

Oh how wonderful!