I'm trolled for having Christmas done in July with the food shop & gifts wrapped – but us single mums must be organised

The Sun

4 days ago

DESPITE December 25th being five months away, a single mother has revealed that she has already bought and wrapped her children's gifts.
Not only this, but Char Chandler has also done her food shopping and stocked up on drinks and snacks for the festive season.
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But this mum-of-three, who 'loves Christmas' and can't get enough of shopping, has been trolled for being so prepared.
Posting on social media, the brunette beauty proudly showed off her epic 'Christmas cupboard,' which despite it being only July, is already full with wrapped gifts and sweet treats.
The short clip left many totally stunned, so much so that shortly after, Char uploaded a follow-up video in response to a rude remark from a troll.
The comment read: 'F**k. Right. Off. It's. Only. F*****g. July' and to this, Char clapped back and said: 'I really don't get it, why can't you just be happy for someone, show it love, or scroll past?
'I'm happy, I'm organised and I don't have that Christmas rush and the hassle.'
Char then urged people to 'be nice' and confirmed that "you never know what people are going through.'
Not only has she purchased a variety of gifts for her little darlings, but she's also stocked up on Pringles, Mini Cheddars, Twiglets, nuts, tins of biscuits and a variety of crackers.
As well as this, she's also purchased three bottles of fizzy drinks and dessert sauces, as well as popcorn, pretzels and marshmallows.
Char later confirmed: 'My kids are 14, 13 and 6 - my eldest two know [the gifts] are there. It's just the youngest we hide them from and he doesn't know the cupboard exists.'
Not only this, but Char confirmed that she likes to be organised and ' spread the cost.'
I feel like a failure for only getting my 9-year-old cheap bits off TikTok for Christmas, but trolls slam my 'sob story'
As well as having Christmas gifts to buy, she also has the cost of the summer holidays, her eldest son's birthday and two holidays coming up.
So when asked 'why so early?', Char set the record straight and explained: 'Because I am a single parent and I want the best for my children so I spread the cost to make it the best I can.'
The bargain hunter later revealed that she got her wrapping paper from Amazon and acknowledged that she wraps each of her children's presents in different wrapping paper, rather than using gift tags.
And for those wondering if Char's food shopping would go out of date before the special day, the savvy mum clarified that she checked the dates on her items and apart from a bottle of Coca-Cola, which goes out of date on 31st December 2025, everything else expires 2026 and onwards.
Despite having a hefty stash already, the content creator later shared: 'I will stock up more as the months go on.'
Why do shops start selling Christmas stock so early?
Charlotte Harrington, the manager at Summerhill's garden centre in Basildon, Essex, explained: 'For many, many years now, we've opened our Christmas department on the August bank holiday.
"The stock comes in early and we gradually start putting it out on the shop floor. This is just a small fraction of what we have.
'But our Christmas displays are so spectacular it takes time to get everything set up, so we have to start early.
'It may seem a little odd putting them out now — especially with the hot weather.
'But we have to plan so far in advance.'
Social media users react
The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ char.chandler, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 239,900 views.
Not only this, but it's also amassed 10,800 likes, 2,298 comments and 900 shares.
But social media users were left totally divided by Char's organisation - whilst some thought it was 'a great idea', others weren't as complimentary.
One person said: 'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! This is organisation at its finest.'
Another added: 'That's why there's so many kids go without because parents don't do this! Why not buy all year so you know your children have the best Christmas!!'
A third commented: 'That's actually a great idea. Don't have to spend a mint all at once and save money by getting stuff each week.'
Meanwhile, someone else beamed: 'You are an amazing mum and very organised. I hope you have a magical Christmas 2025.'
But at the same time, one user questioned: 'How do you know what to get them? By the time Christmas comes, they might not like it. That'll be my worry.'
And another wrote: 'I would just forget what I had brought.'