comfort of your own home. Arrange delivery to your workplace to avoid those last-minute dashes to the post office to collect undelivered parcels.
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the tree without any tags. Then if unexpected guests appear with gifts, you look organised!
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of room in your fridge, freezer and cupboards for all your festive foodie treats. There’s nothing worse than coming back from a mammoth pre-Christmas shopping trip and realising you can’t find homes for everything you’ve just bought!
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Have a clear out – make sure you’ve got plenty
Wrap a few extra pressies – chocolates and bottles of wine – and put under
PRIORITISE! If you don’t like cooking then don’t do it! Focus on what you’re good at – if you make the best cocktails
then do that and ask others to do a starter, cook the main or bring the pud – it’ll help cut the cost of the big day too.
Write a few cards each evening when you’re sitting in front of the TV
– by the end of the week you should have them all done.
SHOP ONLINE You can buy presents over a few evenings from the
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If money is tighter this year, think about buying token gifts for friends or suggest doing a secret Santa with a set budget. You can get the kids involved by asking them to help you choose fun presents rather than just looking at the value of items.
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supermarket shopping slot for Christmas week now. Times get booked up quickly and before you know it the whole week before Christmas will be full. You should only need to spend £50 to secure the slot, then you can add other items at a later date.
gently shake your chosen tree to check it hasn’t been hanging around for too long – if the needles drop, move on and choose another one.
STOCK UP ON THE BORING STUFF! With a house full of guests remember to buy plenty of provisions to last the festive period – loo roll, kitchen roll (for unwanted
spills), tin foil (for lining tins to cut down on the washing up) and cling film (to cover leftovers). It’s surprising how much you’ll get through!
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Book yourself a hair appointment, get your nails done or have a spa
afternoon at home. Treating yourself for an hour or two is a necessity if you want to breeze through the festive season. Besides, you deserve a little treat.
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Give the kids a useful job. They can make the
place settings, crackers, sort the decorations – it’s a great way to keep them occupied while you get on with all the other pre-Christmas jobs!
DON’T BUY YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE BEFORE 1 DECEMBER as a freshly cut tree will keep its needles for longer. Before buying,