Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, isn’t that right ladies? The Irish mammies leave NOTHING to chance. Come November there's no more messing around – the Christmas prep begins in earnest and God help anyone who gets in their way.

Have a look at our favourite memories when we were growing up.

1. The epic stockpile of selection boxes begins.

2. The even more epic stockpile of USA biscuits, Roses and Celebrations begins. God forbid you sit there on St. Stephen’s Day in front of the telly without a 5kg box each.

3. Four turkeys each the size of a twelve year old child are ordered ‘just in case’.

4. A large ham is ordered, but not before she enters the local butcher’s Christmas raffle to win six more large hams.

5. Emergency presents are ordered in case unexpected guests pop round – think cheap cosmetic sets in mad colours no one would wear, bath salts and a few board games from the pound shop like Ludo and Backgammon. Oh, there will be no catching her out!

6. The Christmas saving plan money is collected with glee. The town better brace itself because the Irish mammy let loose with her Christmas money is a terrifying thing. If you get an elbow out of the way when you’re reaching for the last toy on the shelf, you’ll know who it was.

7. All those things she put a deposit on during the year are finally getting paid off and collected.

8. The whole house is turned upside down for at least a week to get it ‘ready for the Christmas’. The guest rooms will be given special attention – beds will be covered with new sheets and quilts and the heating will be turned on each night to ‘take the damp out of the air’.

9. The baking begins – a few Christmas puddings, the all-important Christmas cake that no one except your great-uncle Pajo ever eats, and of course a stockpile of homemade mincemeat.

10. She will tell you that when she was younger she only got an orange and a few nuts for Christmas at least 3467 times, because you never heard that one before, right?

We LOVE these memories of growing up in Ireland in the lead-up to Christmas. Serious case of the warm and fuzzies when we think about them! Do you remember any of these gems?