PREPARING FOR CHRISTMAS!! 10 THINGS TO DO IN OCTOBER & NOVEMBER FOR A STRESS-FREE CHRISTMAS 2020!

id love a gift guide video

Video starts at 2:13 Jesus Christ!

You always give such great advice, thank you for your great tips, this was so helpful. 😊🎄

I shopped early during lockdown via Next clearence on line. So all presents bought for between £8 and £40 per person but the actual value is around tripple what I paid.
Feel a huge relief that I have no shopping to do now. Plus we have all agreed as a family to exchange gifts to close family only and respect each others budget during these difficult times. Talking honestly to each other to manage expectations was the best way forward for us. Hope this inspires others to do same. 😊

Great tips! Reminds me to get started on the advent calendar… I’m done with the shopping otherwise, so that’s something at least. I can’t trust that shops will be open at Christmas or that the post will be on time, so I got started early.

Great tips Lara! 😊 I love Christmas! 🎅 Look forward to move to come! 😊

Please do a gift guide. I have no ideas for anyone this year 😂

I start getting some of my stuff on boxing day January sales, plus when they are other sales on. I just got a few more presents to get then it wrapping the presents which I don't enjoy doing. Great ideas thanks.

My husband has just got out his lego for our 5 year old!

What do you get your child if they don't want anything other than a hat? I've tried the catalogue thing and all he keeps saying is he has everything he wants, he does have Asperger's Syndrome and that also adds to it with the whole logic of not needing something but I just feel guilt and it's stressing me out. Xx

Ooh Lara do you have a different camera/setting? Looks amazing quality (not that it doesn’t always!), what do you use? Xx

Please could you do a low budget Christmas sort of video. Hubby lost his job due to covid, so with 4 children money is going to be tight

Love your videoed, hope you are keeping well. I am super organised this year all presents bought and wrapped, just cards to write and send. Looking forward to your food tasting x🙂

I Am Getting Seussical: The Musical CD, Dance Dance Revolution DVD Game, A Baby Alive Face Paint Fairy Doll, And Some Other Things For Christmas 2020, Lara.

Yessss I'm almost embarrassed about how ready I am for the Christmassy bits 😊

I would love to see what you got your kids for Christmas and Christmas Eve boxes. They are so much fun. I love gifts guides too.

Hi Lara loved this video I love Christmas would love to see your gift guides and plenty more Christmas content 😍 take care xxx

Lara great tips!… I always get Christmas prep out the way early to!.. Basically using a lot of the tips you mentioned!

I just buy stuff when I see it.. Generally when it starts appearing in the shops… So September every year! (even without a pandemic! ). Basically I start early because I hate shops and shopping, and I always have a really busy stressful work schedule from mid October up until Christmas! And my kids are often sick a lot… So i do not need the extra Christmas stress! ….. I want to enjoy the Advent time with my kids when we can!

So I already have everything for my boys homemade Advent Callenders, German St Nikolaus, British Santa Sacks, and some gifts. Sweets and nuts for Christmas treats, Christmas baking stuff for Christmas biscuit baking, mince pies, chocolate log cake Etc…

I just need to talk with my son's about what their Christmas dinner wishes are over the Christmas period and write a shopping list. Then I can buy all non-perishable items over the next couple of weeks so only the perishable ones are left to buy near to Christmas.

I have also bought small gifts and Christmas cards to send this year to my closest family and friends because they are all in the UK and we are stuck in Germany this year due to Covid19… Normally we adults only do gifts when we see each other (which should have been this Christmas)…

For all our kids we have always set a budget from everyone (25 GBP per family to each kid as a gift) … So if the kids want something more expensive eg a bigger Lego set,… They have to put all the money from everyone together and then they just get 1 bigger/more expensive present.

We adults buy a present for ourselves.. No more that 20 GBP… And then wrap it.. And the others have to guess what it is by feeling it, asking clue questions etc… It's really fun! (this year because we are not together.. We can't feel the gifts but we can do the clue questions via video chat).

Next week (during half term holidays) I will wrap all the gifts and presents I have bought so far… Including finishing all the cards and parcels to post.. Then I will send the cards and parcels the first week in November..

Then no stress… I will just need a few more Christmas things.. 1) Fresh pine branches for our German advent wreath when they appear in the shops, 2) new tree candles (my old ones broke last year).. And 3) we have to decide if we want a real tree this year as we are stuck here in Germany and not away over Christmas!

We are intending on all having Christmas dinner together via a live video conference chat.

The only thing "unsure of" is, if the German Christmas markets will be open this year… If they aren't… Or we feel unsafe going.. . I will plan something at home as an alternative treat.

My one other thing I need to organize is British Christmas crackers.. But I want to make them this year.. Because the bought ones are not recyclable nd neither are the plastic toys inside.. So the crackers are bad for the environment!..I will see what I come up with!.. There are enough ideas on you tubes!

It is the same here in Germany .. With a possible second lockdown… Due to rising numbers after everyone traveled around and spread covid over the school summer holidays and since going back to school and work since the summer 🙁

Yes! Love this ❤ I feel exactly the same way. In fact, yesterday I rearranged my living room for my Christmas tree. It is going up on November 1st. We deserve 2 months of Christmas! Going for new lights tomorrow. Putting lights everywhere. Turkey ordered. I'm starting to cook and bake next month. Going to vaccuum seal and freeze par boiled veg etc for the day. That way can enjoy the day more. They roast up brilliant from frozen. Do all the videos and all the things, I'll watch and like. This has cheered my day up. Thank you 😁

I have no choice but to shop early. We have 21 grandchildren to shop for. I start the day after Christmas LOL

Thanks Lara! I'm a singleton with no family so Christmas for one is a common occurrence although some years I go visit my best friend and her dad for a few days. Probably not going to do so this year though. I've been out of work since April and struggling with depression as a result, and I always suffer from seasonal depression too so I know this year is going to be tough even if I am on medication to help cope. I love Christmas and I just decided that this year I'm going to make it all about other people. I dug out boxes of cards and I will be writing personal notes to all the people I appreciate, even people I've never met in real life (like people I interact with on social media). Hopefully it will brighten their Christmas and I think it will make me feel better knowing that I have some pretty amazing people in my life, even if many of them are halfway across the world! I'm on a tight budget but surely I can afford the stamps!
I also plan to really decorate the house, with stuff I already have. Twinkling lights always make me feel better 😊

I'm so looking forward to a "lazy" xmas day this year….. no running around visiting people, just LOTS of food and family time. 🎄😁

I love Christmas. I will however be on my own for all of it, like I have been since March! Bit sick of the sight of my flat to be honest. If you do a gift guide could you cover presents that are easy to post …! And also the really hard categories, like people in care homes …?