5 Common Christmas Mistakes to Avoid

Watch the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation trailer and you will witness family-man, Clark Griswold, who is determined to create a magical Christmas with the family, experience quite the opposite when he encounters a series of mishaps!

5 Common Christmas Mistakes to Avoid

Now we don’t expect, or we certainly hope, that you won’t find a squirrel in your Christmas tree, cause a power surge across your entire city with your fairy lights, or have your Christmas Eve interrupted by a SWAT team surrounding your house, like poor Clark Griswold aka Chevy Chase!

But to help you avoid common Christmas pitfalls, we’re giving you the heads up with our curated list below.

The Holly and the Ivy collection by Portmeirion

The Table

In the scene where Aunt Bethany, rather unexpectedly, recites the national anthem at Christmas Eve dinner, the Griswold’s table is furnished with beautiful crockery and there are ample plates for all their guests. Make sure you have enough plates with The Holly and the Ivy Dinner range , which is as timeless as the Christmas classic film.

The Tree

Unlike Clark’s tree, which was way too big for his living room, make sure you measure the height of your room and buy one that is six inches lower than the ceiling. And to avoid branches breaking, make sure you don’t hang big baubles, too high up the tree. If you’re looking to bring a touch of sophistication to your tree this year, the new Sophie's Sara Miller London Portmeirion ceramic Christmas decorations are well worth a view. Just make sure you hang them on lower branches!

sara miller london portmeirion decoration

The Turkey

One of the most memorable scenes from the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation film, is when Clark delivers the line, “Catherine, if this turkey tastes half as good as it looks, we’re all in for a very big treat,” before carving into a turkey that is dried to the bone and Catherine ending up in tears as she says, “sorry…I told you I put it in too early!” To avoid a similar scene in your house this Christmas, check out these perfect recipes and most importantly, timings!

The Drinks

Keeping your guest’s glasses topped up is one thing, but ensuring they remember which one is theirs when it’s placed amongst a sea of others, is quite another! Add coloured ribbons to each glass, with your guests assigned a hue. Simple!

The Gifts

We’ve all been there. Either we’ve missed the final post, or with the rise in on-line shopping, ordered a gift too late that it hasn’t arrived in time for Christmas. The final postal dates for this Christmas are as follows:

• Wednesday 18 December for second class mail
• Friday 20 December for first class mail
• Monday 23 December for special deliveries

And to make sure this Christmas is all wrapped up, check out the Portmeirion Christmas Shop, with a wide range of gift ideas and festive dining collections.

Finally, we all make mistakes. 365 days a year. And on the 30th anniversary since the release of the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, it’s well worth remembering the film’s message and why it continues to charm – it’s togetherness that hapless Clark must learn (albeit the hard way) is the true meaning of Christmas. So, embrace your blunders and more importantly, your family and friends this Christmas.

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