What on earth did I do with my time before I had kids ?

You know all that planning and prep you do for Christmas - the tree, the presents, the food and even getting the house ready for potential guests ? I've always found it a bit much, but now I have kids I wonder why I ever found it all so overwhelming before.

Before we had kids:

• I'd put up and decorate the tree and select beautiful decorations made of glass to sparkle in the light.

• We would have baubles and lights and window decals and all sorts of festive fun. 

• There would be drinks with friends, work and various Christmas parties and meals to attend. I'd have a dress for each event and decide what to wear weeks before going. 

• Food shopping would commence at least a month before and I'd have a plan of what to do and where to be for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and all of the New Year bit. 

• Presents would be indulgent and fun and as impractical as you like. I'd take plenty of time to enjoy them and read the books and listen to the CDs or wear the perfume I was given. 

• By the end of it all I was exhausted and would plan to go away the following year to keep things simple 

Now we have kids:

• The tree has a few incarnations - the first is the one where the kids throw everything at it and then I redo it with fewer decorations and no lights at all. Glass ornaments ? Don't make me laugh. 

• A week after putting the tree up I have to take all the chocolate decorations off as I keep finding the empty wrappers under Big Boy's pillow. 

• I forget to even take the baubles and decals out of the box until after Christmas.

• There is no work party and there are no after work drinks - when the mums from school go out for a 'do' I put on whatever is clean and nearest the bed when I'm leaving the house. 

• Food is bought in stages with plenty of options to allow for the carnivore Baby Boy and the suddenly fussy eater Big Boy - he eats a Christmas dinner at school, but refuses everything on his plate at home and wants the same 'baby plate' that his brother has. 

• I barely notice my own presents as I try to keep track of who gave what to the kids. The ensuing wrapping paper mountain reveals they have far too much. At least a week later I haven't opened most of mine. A year later I find the voucher for a meal for two that my sister got for us - it expired 6 months previously. 

This is a silly amount of presents 

I haven't even mentioned that Baby Boy vomited on me 3 times when we went to visit my parents or that I was up all night when Big Boy had a suspected ear infection while we were staying with the in-laws.

I've already suggested a few options to Hubbie for next year - just to give me hope:

1. We go away somewhere hot and forget Christmas completely. We enjoy a lovely holiday instead - the kids have enough of everything already.

2. I take Big Boy with me to volunteer on Christmas Day and we ask everyone to limit the presents to one each for all of us.

3. We leave Big Boy with my parents, Baby Boy with Hubbie's parents and we go to the Caribbean for a grown up holiday.

I'm not even kidding.

Debbie says no to Christmas