Christmas sent us crackers
A nightmare before Christmas! December is always an extremely busy month and, although we try to be as organised as possible, sometimes the festive season can get to the best of us…
Helen Hart, 51, is a job coach from Dorchester, Dorset
For as long as I can remember, me and my husband, Graham, have alternated celebrating Christmas between our families and, in 2016, we were due to spend the day with his relatives at a holiday home in Dorset. Graham’s loved ones were coming from far and wide, so we offered to help organise the food. His mum, Pauline, was queen of desserts, so we agreed to bring the turkey. I ordered two huge birds from M&S and collected them on 23 December, safely storing them in our fridge.
But we still didn’t avoid a last-minute rush. Christmas Eve morning saw us frantically packing two cars with gifts, wine, games, clothes, our two dogs and our daughters – Charlotte, now 23, Gemma, 21, and Olivia, 18.
Gemma and I cranked up Michael Bublé’s Christmas album as we started the 180-mile journey. We were so excited to see everybody! Only, 100 miles in, I had a sudden thought and screamed.
‘I’ve forgotten the turkeys!’ I yelled, feeling sick. Not only had I spent £80 on them, but everyone was counting on us to provide the meat…
I had visions of them all at the dinner table, upset and hungry. Then I remembered there was a tiny supermarket near the junction where we’d come off the motorway.
Thankfully, they still had turkey crowns, so I grabbed as many as I could, then ran to the till. ‘Everything OK?’ the cashier asked. I explained what had happened and she gave me a discount voucher. I could have kissed her!
Having spent £150 in all on turkeys, I was never more glad of a Christmas glass of wine in my life. What a festive fail!