Sadly, festivities may not be back to normal this year with signs pointing to a second disrupted Christmas.
Driver shortages across the UK and pandemic-related issues mean merrymakers will have to plan accordingly for a Christmas as close to normal as possible.
Christmas must-haves — generally anything that depends on transport or supply chains — are facing logistical challenges.
The rippling effect of shortages, staffing issues and, simply, increased demand will have ramifications on the holiday season.
All that said, a merry Christmas can still be had through tempered expectations and well-laid plans.
Here are five things that could be missing from Christmas day this year:
1. Toys
If the toy of the moment is at the top of your child’s wish list, a last minute dash to the shops would not be advised this year.
The task of getting toys into the hands of little ones on Christmas morning is thanks to the undertaking of a far-reaching global supply chain process.
For Christmas toys, the process starts in China where an estimated 75% of toys in the world are made. The toys are then loaded onto shipping containers, which are in short supply.
John Lewis has gone so far as to charter its own fleet of ships to ensure the season runs smoothly.
2. Trees
Mark Rofe, owner of christmastrees.co.uk, said in a statement that post-Brexit labour shortages and increased haulage issues are plaguing UK Christmas tree growers.
Between eight to 10million real Christmas trees are sold in the UK, according to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA), with one to three million trees imported from Europe each year.
A BCTGA spokeswoman said: "This means that real, British Christmas trees are in great demand and we would encourage customers to continue to buy local and support our growers."
3. Christmas turkeys
The centrepiece of the Christmas table could be in scarce supply as the meat industry faces major challenges to reach consumers.
A shortage of CO2, which is used during slaughter and to extend product shelf life, could result in fewer turkeys this Christmas, according to Ranjit Singh Boparan, owner of the UK’s biggest poultry supplier 2 Sisters Food Group.
The British Poultry Council said it expected to cut Christmas turkey production by 20 percent.
Families are already stockpiling ahead of the holiday season. Customers are reportedly buying 1,500 frozen crowns a day at Aldi.
Iceland reported sales of frozen turkeys have surged 409 percent from last year.
4. Pigs in blankets
One of Christmas’ best side dishes is not being spared either.
As of this week, farms have been forced to start culling pigs due to a staffing crisis at abattoirs.
According to Zoe Davies, the chief executive of the National Pigs Association, farms have started slaughtering a backlog of 120,000 pigs.
The continuing labour shortage could have a knock-on effect come Christmastime.
5. Books
Book lovers should expect delays. Given the shortage of lorry drivers, a longer wait time for Christmas reads and gifts could be an issue.
Waterstones has increased its stock of books by a quarter and ordered its Christmas stocks earlier this year to help bypass the delivery crisis.
The owner of Foyles and Daunt Books, James Daunt, foresees a potential hitch for books printed internationally.
He said: "My concern is that at the beginning of December if we need 50,000 copies of whatever unforeseen literary hit and it’s not there."
