{"id":85018,"date":"2023-12-17T07:32:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-17T07:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/?p=85018"},"modified":"2023-12-17T07:32:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T07:32:31","slug":"im-a-mum-of-12-i-spend-200-each-on-christmas-presents-and-prep-for-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happylifestyleinc.com\/lifestyle\/im-a-mum-of-12-i-spend-200-each-on-christmas-presents-and-prep-for-months\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I’m a mum of 12 – I spend \u00a3200 each on Christmas presents and prep for months’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The countdown to Christmas is on\u2026 and if you\u2019re starting to panic about a to-do list as long as your arm, then spare a thought for Zoe Sullivan. With 12 children to buy for and a family of 14 to feed, Christmas is little short of a military operation. <\/p>\n

Think 12 stockings, mountains of wrapping paper and enough food to feed a small army! \u201cEvery year, I say I\u2019ll start planning earlier, and I never do,\u201d says Zoe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are days when I get stressed, and days when I reckon I\u2019ve got everything under control. But I always manage to bring it together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like most mums, it isn\u2019t the lure of shiny-wrapped trinkets under the tree that makes Christmas so special for the family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it might sound cheesy,\u201d says Zoe, \u201cChristmas really is the most special time for us. It\u2019s a chance to shut the door on everything and everyone and spend it in our own little bubble, without all the pressures of everyday life. I love it. We all do.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Zoe, 45, and husband Ben, 48, a former RAF serviceman who now works in the aviation industry, didn\u2019t plan to have lots of children. \u201cIt\u2019s not something we ever discussed, it just happened,\u201d says Zoe, shaking her head and smiling at the chaos of family life.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we really love children. We had our two eldest within 18 months of each other and then there were the twins; and once you\u2019ve got four children, it gets easier from then on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sullivan siblings are Elisabeth, 18, Olivia, 17, Charlotte and Isabelle, 15, Noah, 13, Eva, 12, Toby, 10, Leah and Erin, seven, Agnes, six, Joseph, five, and Florence, who\u2019s the baby at 19 months.<\/p>\n

Having such a large family means Zoe is always kept on her toes, but thanks to the help of her eldest daughters, she has a bit of back-up. \u201cThe older children really help out with the little ones now,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think you get better skilled with each one. The children keep us young.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Keeping such a busy household on an even keel takes careful planning year-round, but at Christmas, the preparation shifts up a gear and Zoe has a strict schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cI start planning for Christmas as soon as the kids go back to school in August,\u201d she says from the family home in Burghead, Scotland. \u201cHalf the presents are bought, but I\u2019m panicking because I haven\u2019t got the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the kids get older, their wish lists get much more expensive, something Zoe has to manage carefully. \u201cThe kids did lists this year,\u201d she says, \u201cBut Leah wrote a Nintendo Switch, a PS4, an iPad and AirPods \u2013 which I had to explain was about \u00a33,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey all get the same amount of money and we\u2019ve set a limit of \u00a3200 for each of them this year. It stretches further with the little ones, but that\u2019s the only way to keep it fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Space is also an issue, both before and after 12 sets of presents are opened. \u201cWe have to be mindful about what we buy and make sure it\u2019s not stuff that won\u2019t get used,\u201d says Zoe. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got six bedrooms but the living spaces are quite small, so there\u2019s not much room for extra stuff!\u201d With space at a premium, the Christmas tree is tall but slim and covered in decorations the children have made or collected over the years.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Sullivans have so many decorations that instead of being stored in a loft or garage, they\u2019re kept in a storage depot and are packed away in January until they\u2019re needed again.<\/p>\n

Putting up the decorations has turned into a bit of a Sullivan tradition. \u201cWe put the tree up while watching National Lampoon\u2019s Christmas Vacation,\u201d says Zoe, and that isn\u2019t the only tradition the family have created.<\/p>\n

Instead of 12 small advent calendars, they have their own big one, a brightly numbered board where they hang bags of sweets and chocolate coins for each date in December.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest expenses for any household is the food shop, and with 14 people, it\u2019s not unusual for Zoe to spend around \u00a3400 a week feeding her family.<\/p>\n

While some people get stressed over the thought of cooking a Christmas dinner, Zoe thinks the big festive trip is easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do the Christmas food shop in one go about two days before Christmas,\u201d she says. \u201cWe get up at about 6am and head to the supermarket before it gets busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Preparation is key in getting dinner ready for the big day, with Zoe reducing the stress by getting ahead on Christmas Eve. \u201cI don\u2019t get an actual turkey,\u201d she admits, \u201cbecause I don\u2019t like cooking it \u2013 and I\u2019d never get one big enough \u2013 so I buy four turkey breasts in tins, which I then cook the day before.\u201d<\/p>\n

To go with those, she buys 3kg carrots, 5kg potatoes, 1.5kg parsnips, 2 x neeps (turnips), 1kg frozen peas, 1kg frozen cauliflower cheese, 1kg frozen broccoli, 1kg frozen Brussels sprouts, 36 pigs in blankets and 30 stuffing balls.<\/p>\n

After that mammoth dinner, the family always save room for something sweet. \u201cI get one Christmas pudding and two large chocolate fudge cakes for dessert,\u201d says Zoe. <\/p>\n

Only Ben likes a traditional mince pie, so there\u2019s one box of them on the shopping list, and daughter Isabelle, the family\u2019s resident baker, makes him a mini Christmas cake too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try not to go overboard because I hate waste,\u201d says Zoe. \u201cLast year, everyone had their own tub of chocolates, but I also buy cheese and crackers for the older ones, picky bits because we always have a buffet and games night on Boxing Day, and popcorn for the Christmas film.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christmas is a time of celebration for the family, and Zoe admits that it sounds like a lot of food, explaining, \u201cThere are lots of treats we wouldn\u2019t have for the rest of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A typical Christmas Day for the Sullivan family starts early, usually at around 5.30-6am \u2013 or as late as Zoe and Ben can make the little ones wait!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be a little bit mental to be honest,\u201d says Zoe, smiling. \u201cBut it\u2019s brilliant and fun, and it\u2019s all gone in a flash because there\u2019s so much going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go downstairs and open the presents, which takes about two hours, and there\u2019s at least one sack of presents for each of the children so the lounge is full. After that, we\u2019ll take the children upstairs and get dressed \u2013 we always wear something nice for Christmas Day and have a bit of a tidy.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ben helps get everything out of the packaging and puts all the batteries in, Zoe makes a start on dinner. \u201cWe aim to eat around 2-3pm, because the kids\u2019ll probably have eaten an entire selection box by 9am,\u201d says Zoe, \u201cand we normally sit around the table together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christmas Day is always a magical blur, but for the Sullivans, the real magic is just spending time together. \u201cWe\u2019ll go for a walk after dinner, and when the younger ones have gone to bed the rest of us will relax and watch a film,\u201d says Zoe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about spending time together, and we\u2019re lucky because that\u2019s what we all want to do. I love having everyone around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Write lists for everything. <\/p>\n

Give each child gifts of the same value to make sure everything is fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did that one year and we\u2019d eaten it all before Christmas came!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not always easy, but try not to stress. Relax \u2013 any mess can wait until later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren grow up so fast, and having lots of them makes you realise how quickly time goes. Take time out and enjoy what you have when you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

AND REMEMBER… <\/b><\/p>\n

Always put family first!<\/p>\n

Follow the Sullivans on their YouTube channel, on Instagram@our_sullivan_family_life and on Facebook: facebook. com\/BenZoeSullivanFamily<\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n