Christmas Day - to cook, or not to cook, that is the question..

Yes - the age old question as originally posed by the Bard himself!

In my last post, the 13th Comment was from Christina, asking us all for our opinions on where she and the family should go for their Christmas Lunch dining out experience this year.

I suppose, like the rest of us, Christina has slaved away over the stove, year after year, on Xmas Day in an effort to achieve the almost impossible - make everyone happy!

As it is the first of August today, I find the contemplation of Xmas Day planning to be highly recommended.

It is my view that as of today, the countdown is now on for Christmas. If you are related to me, please don't hit me with that pathetic excuse the week before Xmas that you can't afford a present and can you give me an IOU.

Bloody Christmas Day is on everyones calendars, in plain black and white, right there on December 25th for all to see and plan for. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone not being in a position to enjoy a perfectly planned and executed Christmas.

So - it's about now that all us perfectionists start with the Xmas nagging, buying up at Sales and investigating ways we can produce yet another meal on that day of days which might possibly have a slightly different slant to the previous ones. We think to ourselves "Maybe we could try a cold one this year and do the Seafood Spectacular? Then I wouldn't have to cook most of the day!" Maybe it's your turn to go to Grannys or Mum-in-laws this year?

Whatever! Usually there is one year when you (as Mum) put your foot down & swear that this year you're going to ease up, give someone else the responsibility for the food buying, the prep, the meal and the cleaning up.

That's all well and good until you do your sums. As Christina has pointed out, it'll be around $300 for her immediate family of 5. You think of all the things you could have bought for your Xmas dinner for $300 worth of value at home! You think of how you have to wait for the waiter to take your order on that hot and sticky Xmas Day at the restaurant. How you'll have to wait ages for that much needed drink! How the kids start fighting at the table and embarrassing you in public!
How the meal is never what you had pictured in your head! How you're NEVER going to do this again, and waste all that hard-earned money!

And that's when you revert to Plan A. You cooking the Xmas Dinner! You just KNOW no one can do it better than you.

But - Christina - you must experience it for yourself. Life is for these very occasions! In 20 years time when the kids have all left home, they'll tell and re-tell the story of the year you all went out for Xmas Dinner and the waiter forgot Mums order.

Whichever restaurant you decide to go to, have a great time. Spend up big and try not to worry about it. Enjoy the feeling of not having to do it all; of handing the responsibility over to others. It's part of your own growing up process.

The anticipation of the upcoming Xmas starts now. I love Christmas, and planning for it. Ask my ex-husband. I called him this morning to ask him what we were doing for Xmas! Luckily he knows me well by now, and he just laughs at me. I'm glad you and I are on the same wavelength Christina!

Happy Xmas planning!