My house needs to be all Christmassy by Sunday...

[springboksaplenty]

Ok so a bunch of friends are coming over on Sunday for our annual Christmas dinner. My wonderful dh is cooking up a storm and I am in charge of sorting the house out (with 11 mo old ds in tow).

My house is a tip. Am planning on whiz zing round cleaning just so they don't realise I let my son crawl in muck to a high standard but I need it to be Christmassy. I'm planning on dragging the Christmas tree down but a lot of our decs got ruined last year (don't ask). What else can I get/do to make the house seem more festive? I can pop to the shops if needs be - is anywhere doing I don't know box sets of decs?

Dammit this year I was Going to be all organised and have a beautiful house with pretty decorations. Any help would be much appreciated :)

[PomBearAtTheGatesOfDoom]

Try the pound shop or poundstretcher type places. They have lots of sparkly tat decorations in, you could plaster the entire house with them.

[southeastastra]

but it's november

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

Candles, fairy lights, xmas crackers to pull, vase of baubles, holly on the doors, baubles and decorations hanging from anything and everything,tinsel up the bannister and any place it will go!

God, if I could get away with putting my stuff up this weekend I would. LOVE Christmas.

Depends on your budget, Wilinsons and Asda do cheap packs of decs, Debenhams is quite nice but bit more expensive.

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

Wilkinsons even

[cjbartlett]

Xmas dinner on November 27?! No no ! Do a nice lamb shank instead , dint get the decorations up yet

[Backinthebox]

It's November. What are you thinking of?

[Backinthebox]

The more I think of it, the more I would actually run screaming if I was invited to a Christmas dinner in November, with decorations and everything.

[ChunkyMonkeyMother]

Do it do it do it!

There are loads of places with big boxes of shiny tatt decs; Tesco, Asda, Wilkos, local Markets, Matalan etc

[lollipoppet]

Shush you "it's November" folk, tis the season to be jolly you know!

Op, you must get a Wreth for the door, as many twinkley lights as you can and lots of candles (out of reach of your ds of course!

What sort of look/colour scheme are you going for?

It would be nice to decorate the table with special napkins and candles too if you have them/ can afford it.

Oh and pray for snow.

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

It's the end of November!

Decorations etc are fine now! It's the only thing to look forward to and the house is lovely when it's all up. All glowy and full of anticipation! Drag it out as long as possible I say.

Have you decided what you're doing OP? Crap day to go shopping though tomorrow. Good Luck

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

Yay! More happy Christmas lovers

[Carrotsandcelery]

I would say the Christmas smell is really important to create the atmosphere. Our garden centre sell huge nets of pine cones that stink smell of cinnamon etc and would make a great start to building the atmosphere.

Can you shove all the Christmas lights into a bowl in the middle of the table somehow? (and dim the lighting everywhere else) That might create a good atmosphere without going ott too early in the season and the dim lighting will mask the speed cleaning.

YY to crackers, nice table settings etc.

I feel sorry for my dmil now as she has to achieve this in a couple of weeks time when we come to "have Christmas" with them.

I hope you have a great time with your friends.

[bonkersLFDT20]

Scents are the most evocative, so fill your house with pine stuff (either real or candles), get some scented things (candles, oil burners) with frankinsense type stuff, make sure there are mince pies baking in the oven, boil some sprouts to death.

Then put on the Boney M Christmas album, open some Babycham and you'll be set.

Or do you actually like your guests?!

[bonkersLFDT20]

...and to all you "it's November" lot, Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent so it is officially the Christmas season. Jesus would think it was OK.

[JennyPiccolo]

i mis-read that as 'frankinnonsense'. ust fill up your house with frankinnonsense, you'll be fine.

[springboksaplenty]

Oh shush you Christmas nay Sayers. We have to arrange ten people together every year so end of November it is. and I love it.

I very much like the idea of Christmas smell, might see once ds is in bed to start up the fire. Am weighing up investing in proper decorations that'll last vs my very short time frame. Ooh twinkly lights... Might have to grab loads of that.

Am I missing something? Why is tmrw crap to go shopping?

[lollipoppet]

Ah, yes. You must get everybody a festive woolly jumper and insist they wear it and go carol singing.

[Carrotsandcelery]

If the budget can take it then go to somewhere nice and get all the proper stuff and start over. Be warned though. It can add up alarmingly fast.

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

Shopping tomorrow is horrid because:

It's Saturday

It's pay weekend for most

As it's the end of Nov people will start xmas shopping

You're in a mini rush, so you might not probably not be able to find what you're after - just because you are in a mini rush

It's black friday today

So tomorrow will be sooooooooooooo busy! And I HATE shopping!

But LOVE Christmas. Forgot about Christmas music! Hope you have a fab time Sunday

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

It is November - having Christmas lights etc is bonkers. All they will be interested in is the food and the drink. Get that right and everything else really won't matter.

[Kellywestie]

Christmas scented candles and lots of fairy lights would be a quick way to make it smell and look festive. Table nicely decorated with Christmas napkins, pine cones, Christmas confetti but if they are real friends they wont care what your home looks like, just be delighted to see you and enjoy yours and your husbands hospitality.

Enjoy your evening.