Nightmares about Christmas

It's way too early, for us to think about the nightmare that is December, apart from buying tickets away, avoiding most of it.

We hosted everyone here last Christmas.
This year the family group will stay in their home town.
The others are key workers: one pair are working all over the break and one will be busy working either side of it.

We are treating ourselves to a lovely holiday in the sun, flying out on Christmas morning and flying back after New Year.

We've said we'll have a family get-together either earlier in December or in January, whatever works best for everyone.
I like to ring the changes where Christmas is concerned ?

I suppose I will one day have to give up catering for Christmas, but the later it comes the better. One Christmas in two there are only three of us at the table on Christmas. On the other Christas there are seven as DD is joined by DS and family.

This year's catastrophe is that DS and family after Christmas visit will be without DDiL. She has had to go back to work full time to keep up with inflation and has no leave left for anything other than the bare minimum at Christmas.

Thank you Boris Johnson, Liz Truss et al. (sarcasm, not how I feel). I love my very DDil and we will really miss her.

I told my children that last christmas that was it I was hanging up my pinny and retiring due to health problems could I continue. My best Christmas was 2020 quiet and peaceful no visitors and myself and hubby ate what we wanted bliss. Now while I wouldn't want it evey year I think it's time they took over the cooking and entertainment and it's also expensive.

Meta

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.

My thoughts too

correction.."bring things up".

Feelings about Christmas aren't just based in practicalities. some love it and are happy with it all Serendipity22 as you are..some of us have complex and sometimes unhappy memories and some funny ones..

so of course its OK to being things up now about Christmas!

What a sad Christmas Day Happysexagenarian and your poor children!
Even though they expected to come to you, they should bring presents for the children, and something nice for you for always hosting them.
What a miserable man your FIL was. It is the sort of Christmas
Day that is hard to forget.

We've decided to have a very pared back Christmas. No gifts made of (new) plastic... things form charity shops will be welcomed alongside one 'good ' present.

Lunch will be hassle free... usually a large organic chicken. We actually like the trimmings more than the actual bird and not turkey fans...so masses of trimmings and roast potatoes and lots of gravy. Always make a trifle ... no one likes Christmas pud.
We prep all the veg the night before and have a fun time maybe making some mince pies.

Sorted and easy. And I will be very mindful of donating things to the food bank, this year more than ever.

Ours is in the freezer, a gift from a butcher friend two weeks ago, provenance assured.

As for a turkey shortage as mentioned above, I still have the bird from the Cancelled Christmas in the freezer, and intend to use His Majesty this year.

The Covid ‘Christmas is Cancelled’ year was my nightmare but, as it was, the DD and her husband came as usual for the outdoor walk and we did presents on Zoom.

The worst part was afterwards, when I learned that all the Covid virtue signallers had had massive family get togethers.

Never again. I shall quietly ignore all Puritanical suggestions and put the family first.

Did it a month ago. I buy direct from a farm, where, unless bird flu means they have to be housed, I can, if I drive round , see them out in the field every day.

Order your turkeys now. Avian flu is causing shortages

Reading of other people's disasters reminds me of our hear disaster, how could I forget it.

I bought a frozen turkey some weeks before Christmas and put it in the freezer, when i defrosted it on Christmas Eve I thought is felt slimy and smelled. DH touched and said it seemed all right to him, and he couldn't smell anything, so I prepared it and stuffed it anwrapped it and put it in the garden shed, it was cold and I couldn't get it in the fridge.

My PiL arrived and MiL sad could she see the turkey, so we went out to the shed, the smell was awfula nd there were blow flies!. It was 2.30 in the afternoon. DH and I wrapped the turkey and put it in the boot of the car and rushed back to the dairy, where we bought it. MiL had dashed down to the butcher and managed to obtain a brace of pheasants.

When we walked into the shop, the owner groaned and said ours was the fourth turkey brought back. It had come from his usual cash and carry, but not the brand he usually bought. He gave us our money back and said, if we waited he had one turkey not collected and ten minutes to go, if it wasn't collected by 3.00pm when he closed we could have it (iT was a different brand).

It wasn't, so we had a turkey but then had to defrost it, involving buckets, warm water and a late night. We ate the pheasants on Boxing day.

The strangest Christmas we ever had was when our children were young and there was a sudden powercut, and the turkey was only half cooked! After half an hour we still had no idea when the power would come back on, so I phoned MIL who said bring it over here. They were supposed to be coming to us. The kids had opened their presents so we let them take one present each with them to show their GPs.

When we arrived at MIL's the oven was hot and ready for the turkey and vegetables. We had also taken the pudding, mince pies and trifle with us in case they didn't have enough. To my surprise, and disappointment, their house was totally un-Christmassy - no decorations, no tree, no lights, no cards, no Christmas foods - and no presents, not even for the kids! DH had often said they didn't 'make a big fuss about Christmas, for them it was all about the food' but this was unbelievable! I could only assume they hadn't bought any Christmas food because they were coming to us!

Our children asked where was the tree and crackers and their presents which FIL got very grumpy about and MIL was embarrassed. Eldest son (just turned 4) had made a card for his grandparents and handed it over excitedly. FIL looked at it, said Thank You, and shoved it in a drawer, I'll never forget the look on son's face.

The meal itself was very nice apart from FIL grumbling about the kids not eating everything on their plates. Afterwards we all crowded round the TV in the draughty freezing cold living room where we were offered one drink each, but no soft drinks or snacks for the kids who kept asking when we were going home! Our eldest son still remembers that Christmas at Nanny and Grandads, with humour now. Boxing Day at our home the next day was so different!

The following year I insisted they came to us as they did every year after that. MIL enjoyed our very festive style of Christmas but FIL was always a bit grumpy and insisted on going home as soon as he could after dinner. As far as he was concerned once Christmas dinner was finished that was the end of Christmas till the next year.

My DD has taken on the task of hosting the Xmas Dinner, bless her. I make the Xmas cake and Xmas pudding, but she does the rest. Otherwise I would be having stupid nightmares!

Callistemon21

^Yes, the dog has a present too although last year he was in disgrace for stealing sausage rolls from the table when nobody was looking^
Last year (not Christmas Day itself but near) the dog snaffled DGD's starter from the table. Smoked salmon and cream cheese, we kept ? he wasn't sick!

I once made a salmon mousse for a dinner party, beautifully decorated with slices of lemon and cucumber, put it on the table and called guests to come and eat.

But while they were finishing their G&Ts, going for a wee, etc., our dog (long gone now) managed to get up and slurp a good tongueful out of one side.

Luckily all guests were dog loving, very non-fussy types - they found it very funny, so I just sliced that bit off (with a safe margin) and we had it anyway.

Yes, the dog has a present too although last year he was in disgrace for stealing sausage rolls from the table when nobody was looking
Last year (not Christmas Day itself but near) the dog snaffled DGD's starter from the table. Smoked salmon and cream cheese, we kept ? he wasn't sick!

My recurring nightmare has always been that I'd forget to turn the oven on, or there'd be a powercut, they happen here every winter. Since moving from London I've often catered for 20-24 people and it's been fun as everyone mucks in to help, but it's still exhausting.

This year we've told all the family we're spending Christmas here, just the two of us. They can visit us before or after Christmas if they want to, but they can then enjoy their own family celebrations in a more relaxed way however they wish. Everyone seems to be happy with that. We'll probably get a turkey crown which will last us a couple of days but won't hang around for the rest of the week. I'm quite looking forward to it.

Witzend oh yes she has her santa sack too. Only interested though in anything food related in it ?

Christmas is cancelled here. I’m having a hip replacement op, mid December. So it’s an M&S Christmas dinner a deux in this house.

I thought the same Meta

DeeDe

I’m still wondering who the heck Santa Claus is ?
Seems to have taken over and control of what Christmas was meant for!
Roll on spring !

St Nicholas!

I adore organising things so have never in my life had a nightmare about Christmas or any other event.

We are now so placed that there is no large family to invite or large circle of friends left either and I catch myself dreaming that all our loved ones are coming and wake up nearly crying when I remember they are all dead and gone.

I do know that at 70 I probably don't have the stamina to cope with large dos and that it is natural that the older generation are dead, but it would be nice if my dead sister's children hadn't decided to drop us completely following her funeral. Can't mend any fences there, as we don't know what we did wrong and my nieces and nephew won't discuss it.