Me too, Grannybags. I used to rejoice on January 1st with Christmas and New Year entertaining behind us for another year.
Life is more relaxing these days, no more nightmares ?
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Christmas
Nightmares about Christmas
(90 Posts)I mean the sort where you wake up and think, thank goodness it was only a dream….
I regularly have one where it’s 4 pm on Christmas Eve and I’ve forgotten to buy a tree, any presents, or anything.
I’m sure it dates back to one year when we were working abroad and because I worked at the airport, we had cheap standby tickets for the 8 hour flight home on the 23rd. So didn’t know until the last minute whether we’d get on the flight.
I was also 6 months pregnant, and had just the 24th to buy - and wrap - presents for everybody. Luckily his 4 boy family hardly bothered with presents, but I had to get something for poor MiL, who had no idea we were coming until the taxi turned up - but my family, 3 girls, one boy, plus little N & N, was another matter.
I think that quite a few mums have left the baby outside a shop. I did too. Luckily only a few minutes from home, and no harm done.
As for Christmas, I can't work up much enthusiasm for it, these days. I don't have many gifts to buy. Half the family lives in Australia and parcel post costs a fortune. We don't bother with adult gifts, and I send some cash to buy gifts for the two GC. They get what they want that way.
DD and 2 adult GC, and DS, who all live near me get a token gift and some cash, which is how they like it.
Since DH died I usually go to DD for Christmas dinner. Last year, to celebrate our freedom to meet again, she invited a group of friends too. I knew that they would party until late, so planned to make an early exit. In the event someone had brought their elderly father, and the pair of us ended up sitting in the quietest room we could find. He had forgotten his hearing aid, and I felt too mean to leave him there alone, so it was after midnight before I escaped. I'm not fond of parties, and prefer a quiet Christmas, so I will plan more time at home this year. I would love to love Christmas, and all the hoo-ha about it, but I much prefer a peaceful day at home.
I dreamt I rushed into M&S in a panic on Christmas Day! Strangely it was open, although no other customers so the staff were pleased to see me ?
Sandynan
My Christmas nightmare is what presents to buy for grown up children and partners. They never say or give me ideas. I only have a small budget too so extra stressful.
Would they agree to a Secret Santa? Only one present to buy, everyone gets something to open and cost for everyone is kept limited
My nightmare is that I just can't afford it and wish it wasn't coming. There'll be no money for presents under the tree, let alone finding money for the dinner !
My Christmas nightmare is what presents to buy for grown up children and partners. They never say or give me ideas. I only have a small budget too so extra stressful.
I always had the "Christmas Eve and I haven't got anything" nightmare. Not any longer, as I am now widowed with no children or grandchildren to buy for!
I was once the baby left behind! My mother had taken me with her when shopping, left me in the pushchair outside a shop, finished her shopping, got the bus home and as she walked in the door Dad asked her "where's ****"! Rushed back to the shops to find I had been taken in by the ladies in the bakers and was happily munching on a doughnut!
Nightmares? No, not even thought of it yet.
cc
Callistemon21
The only year I've been really organised was the year I was expecting DC1 at Christmas.
Cards written, presents bought and wrapped by the end of October, food planned and Mum and Dad on standby to cook it all ?I had a Christmas baby too, 13th December, it was lovely to have all the cards out of the way before December. The post is so appalling this year that I think I may have to do this again. We seem to get post in batches every three days or so.
Snap cc one of ours was December 13th on a Friday
Had a fabulous lazy Christmas Day, (the only person to get dressed was DH).
Then we flew to Spain on Boxing Day to my Mum’s home where I didn’t have to do a thing, bliss.
Oh, a Christmas baby, how wonderful.I would like one even now.
MayBee70
Not Christmas. But I do have a reoccurring nightmare that I’m going on holiday and I haven’t arranged for anyone to look after the Guinea pigs. I haven’t had Guinea pigs for years. I’m sure that, if I hosted Christmas I’d have a similar nightmare about that.
The same for me, not Christmas but many years ago I used to dream that we returned from a holiday, or somewhere, to find the large tank of goldfish we had in the pantry had not been fed for weeks.We did not possess any goldfish or a tank, nor indeed a pantry.Our minds are peculiar things.
Callistemon21
The only year I've been really organised was the year I was expecting DC1 at Christmas.
Cards written, presents bought and wrapped by the end of October, food planned and Mum and Dad on standby to cook it all ?
I had a Christmas baby too, 13th December, it was lovely to have all the cards out of the way before December. The post is so appalling this year that I think I may have to do this again. We seem to get post in batches every three days or so.
Youcantchoosethem; One Christmas, we had snow, and Sainsburys rang to say the delivery vans couldn't get into/out of the warehouse. Luckily there was still 2 or 3 days to go, so I managed to do a shop in person. Now I make sure I've got all the essentials in plenty of time.
I also had a holiday nightmare once; it was back when you could still get 1 year visitor's passports. I dreamed I got to Gatwick and my passport had expired, so I had to get a taxi to the nearest post office and get a 1 year one!
For years now just the two of us. Good meal bit of TV and a good book. Let the rest do their own thing. Do what you want to do.
(sorry, obviously mean "turkey" not tunkey....)
I'm very happy to cook, it's not that different to doing a roast really, just extra side dishes. My son, daughter and two of my grandchildren live close by and we do the present opening at her home so I'm spared the wrapping mess and very early start, she is spared the cooking.
We actually have a cockerel which is great because it isn't so huge, it's more moist and personally I think it tastes nicer. I do a small turkey crown for my husband who has a strange liking for tunkey breast.
I read the headline and thought the posts were going to be about the many people who will have a real nightmare about Christmas this year involving no food, no heating, no presents.
As I am having a hip replacement in November, 4 of us have booked Christmas Dinner out at a nice local restaurant. Feeling smug, but it didn’t go down well with my daughter who doesn’t live local!
Some great ones here - love the forgotten baby one @witzend - makes us all feel more human about our own ones! I have forgotten to collect a child before and lost one temporarily in a shop but not left one in there!
One nightmare we had was I did a sainsburys order for all the Christmas food. Was working and it was arriving late evening on the 23rd and had loads coming. The driver unloaded everything and I was happily taking things in and then he said right that’s the lot - and I said but what about the meat? He hadn’t brought any of the meat. No Turkey, no ham, no bacon, no sausages, no pigs in blankets, no stuffing meat. Nothing.
Had to scoot around on Christmas Eve trying to find a Turkey, which was in very short supply that year, and ended up with a frozen one from the coop! Just a basic apology from sainsburys - not even a voucher or organising an emergency supply. Swapped after that!
We have six for Christmas Day this year and ten for Boxing Day - no idea what to feed them all yet - is two days on the trot of Christmas Day dinner feasible? the Boxing Day lot will be a proper dinner rather than just a a leftovers buffet so any suggestions welcome!
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas and I do question is it right to be broaching the subject of Christmas day meal so soon when I have all the time in the world to plan, organise, shop blah blah blah and my DD and partner both work and have busy lives.
The word nightmare doesn't fit anywhere in my sentences about Christmas. ?
?? ? ?? ?? ? ??
M0nica
I have never had nightmares about Christmas, but when I was pregnant with my first child, I kept having nightmares that we had gone on holiday, usually abroad, forgotten about the baby and left it behind.
I did once leave my baby behind - dd1, only about 10 days old - I left her in Boots, having completely forgotten that I had her. Luckily I was meeting my mother soon afterwards - her horrified, ‘Where’s the baby?!’ sent me scooting back in a panic!
No harm done, thank goodness. Funny that I’ve never had a a nightmare about it, though.
Dd1 thinks it’s hilarious! Another sign that Mum is bonkers…
December is a nightmare, generally. We travel as much as we possibly can in November, December, and January
Good idea! I used to travel to get away from the horrendous family christmas. Then I just TOLD my family I was travelling to get away from the entire shit show. Just left the phone on voicemail for two weeks.
I have never had nightmares about Christmas, but when I was pregnant with my first child, I kept having nightmares that we had gone on holiday, usually abroad, forgotten about the baby and left it behind.
The only year I've been really organised was the year I was expecting DC1 at Christmas.
Cards written, presents bought and wrapped by the end of October, food planned and Mum and Dad on standby to cook it all ?
Not Christmas. But I do have a reoccurring nightmare that I’m going on holiday and I haven’t arranged for anyone to look after the Guinea pigs. I haven’t had Guinea pigs for years. I’m sure that, if I hosted Christmas I’d have a similar nightmare about that.
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