Tacky tinsil and shop bought chutney, we love Christmas too thread.

[VoldemortsNipple]

For those like me who love Christmas and are slighty envious of the homemade Christmas threads, here's one for us.

A place to share the best bargains the internet has to offer. Confess our sins of being onto the third copy of Boots gift guide. Shout how much we love Aldi three bird roast with paxo stuffing. You get the idea.

Now this is the christmas thread for me

Marks place for December

Confession... I've never actually had Aldi three bird roast, and if money streches, I quite enjoy driving out to a farm shop for a fresh bird :)

Welcome usualsuspect I've only bought one present up to now but getting ready for payday.

Good idea number 1: get your family to make wishlists on Amazon :)

Oh can I join you?

I started plans to make all sorts of homemade stuff for a hamper for the inlaws then I remembered I can't cook, have no patience and have only just managed one handed scrambled egg with ds in the other arm, so one handed Christmas cake when I've never made it before might be a bit of a problem.

Instead I have decided on this sweet hamper. If my budget allows I might get the whopping one but I haven't had a chance to look for discount codes etc yet.

As there are 9 of them even at that price it's a bargain considering I'd usually spend about £20 on each of them. Plus they're between the ages of 40ish to 7 so I need something they'll all like.

DH and I are vegetarian so we have a Quorn Family Roast (not the Linda Mc one with the stuffing, it's vile.Middle is soggy,overflavoured and the edge is dry)

And Aunt Bessie Yorkie ouds -the ones you cook in the little foil tray.

I do loads of veg and in days gone by, before DC ,I spent hours cooking.But now I've got better things to do on Christmas Day.

Welcome magneto and lordoftheflies

magneto do you happen to have any sweet factories by where you live? We have a Tangerine factory (used to be taverners) and they have a factory shop. We can buy big 1.5 kg bags of sweets for 3 pounds. It would be worth having a scout round, you could make that hamper up for half the price.

Do the Yorkies in the foil trays taste nicer lordoftheflies I usually just get the ready cooked frozen ones.

Aaahhh I'm home [hsmile]

Still using my 99p store decs after three years [hwink]
Beat that!

We certainly do tacky here. My tree always looks like we're expecting Liberace, not Father Christmas, and every year the topper is something ridiculously non Christmassy. Last year it was plush Cthulhu wearing pink fairy wings.
We're also a Paxo and bought puds household, though I do make a lot of flavoured spirits (best part of the day!)

VoldermortsNipple Aunt Bessie Y.Puds: the ready cooked tend to be drier, the tin foil ones have a little bit of oil in the bottom which makes them a bit more authentic IMHO.
I used to make my own (Delia recipe with a spoonful of vinegar -Brian Turners' mothers secret addition [hgrin] ) but recently they haven't worked so I've gone back to Aunt B.
The foiled ones take up less freezer room too.

It's about the only time of year I buy food from Marks'.

Ah I think I am probably going to get better results joining this thread instead of reading the other one that makes me feel inadequate and depressed

I'm very rubbish at hiding presents and DD3 now has a roxy doll and new pram set because she found them in the boot of my car.

I'm looking for tips on decent cheat shortcuts in the kitchen this year but I will have to make my own puds as the children would diss own me if I gave them aubt bessies on cheristmas day, can I still join?

I like to use paxo sage and onion stuffing with sausage meat and my secret ingrediant, roasted chestnuts. My family think I'm so clever. BIL works in a care home Christmas day and has his dinner there but always asks for us to save him some stuffing.

Crazynanna do you buy your whole christmas dinner from Marks? I thought about doing that this year but I was worried it would taste awfull!

I'm sneaking in from my visits to poncetastic just to say I love tinsel. And in different colours.

Ahhh, liberating.

peeriebear I am jealous of your tree topper. I have a crappy star. I think we may need to be a bit more imaginative this year.

This is the thread for me
I'm trying to get mega-organised this year. Today I bought the first present. Bakugans for ds1.
I found a small play oven and hob thing on my local fb for sale page, so grabbed that for ds2, collecting it tomorrow.
Sometime this week I am going to write lists of who I'm buying for and what I'm getting, then set a week tgo get it (I get paid weekly)
Also going to do a list for food, what I need to buy etc and tick it off as I get it.
Also need to get into the loft and have a look at the decs. I alternate colour scheme. One year we do red and gold and the following year we do purples and silver.
Can't remember what we did last year, will have to find a photo......

Bohica No,just the yummy trimmings,however,one year,it was just dd and I,andI bought a turkey crown with chestnut stuffing...and it was lovely! [hsmile]

Their roasties in goose fat are to die for,though [hwink]

Ah yes the Christmas decs, currently pink and blue but I want something more christmassy, our living room is mainly brown and green. Does anyone have any suggestions of what will look good?

And I'm looking into the local sweet factory thing

Lighting kindly supplied by Wilkinsons and Poundstretcher for a small fee.

Tree sponsored by Sainsburys Finest Plastic Arboreal Suppliers.

I have a master Christmas List that I have used for 25 years now [gulp] it is in my Christmas Notebook it has food/TV or radio times/wrap etc etc etc.

Is it safe for me to come here and talk "Singing Santas" (I have quite a few )... or is that just toooooo tacky?

I loved the quality street colour theme last year. I've had duck egg blue and silver for the past few years because it matches the decor :)

Last year we went to an olde worlde type Christmas shop and I topped up my decorations. I got some lovely sparkly butterflies and then the catalogue had a sale and managed to get some very posh looking birds. I was sooo impressed, I had a picture on my phone to show my work mates :)

I take it back, I've just spent 30 minutes on the M&S website and I am sooo tempted to order a festive feast for £100.

Free range turkey crown with pork, sage & onion stuffing - serves 6-10 (x 1)
British premium garnish collection pack (x 1)
Turkey gravy (x 1)
Cranberry sauce (x 1)
Bread Sauce (x 1)
Connoisseur vegetable selection pack (x 1)
Raspberry and prosecco panna cotta terrine (x 1)
British cheese selection (x 1)

It's only a £20 deposit and I could easily save £80 in 2 months and still spend on treats and nibbles, It's so naughty though!

Gwan Bohica be a rebel [hgrin]
The crown is soooo tasty and moist!
And do try the roasties if you can [hsmile]