To tell you that it is only

[RabidEchidna]

307 days till Christmas

Do I have the record for the first Christmas thread of 2012?

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I have just bought Nigella's Christmas book! I have been eyeing it up for weeks, I will be a domestic goddess this year!

Rabid this thread is great, always cheers me up!

I love Nigella's Christmas shows, makes my want to lick the TV

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I saw selection boxes and chocolate santas earlier in my local torsos, Christmas season is here! I can't wait to hear a bit of slade in the shops soon!

local torsos

yeah Gods - what kind of shops are near you?

and FYI- (just to set the record straight) -
Christmas Officially starts once "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues (not Ronan Keating version) has fanfared across the supermarket radiowaves.

Ronan Keating did a version?

Loving Christmas entering the national Zeitgeist (yes, pseud!), with festive stuff slowly seeping into the high street and the national mindset. Currently planning which city's Christmas markets to hit when - tricky as there are so few weekends!

But really craving come stollen, and I haven't found a place which is selling that this year yet. I need cake that's been soaked in brandy and melted butter!

Well the kids are back in school and I have spent the morning from 8am cutting back the garden and taking the stuff to the tip, (spider season is here and I will not be doing it again till they all die in the frost).

I will be doing the mother of all clear outs (getting space to put all the new crap lovely things the kids get)

Shopping and wrapping will then start, I have a massive loft that is floored so I put the Christmas sacks there and just wrap things and put them in bags as I go. My sister is expecting her first baby at the start of December so can get lovely baby bits (although not getting them till baby is here as this is her 12th pregnancy)

I have all my Christmas cards and gift wrap so am poised and ready to go

I'm really looking forward to Costco getting their Panettone in.

I'm going to start wrapping DD's presents next week while she's at nursery. I also want to get her wooden advent calendar filled next week too. I've got all the bits for it now I think.

This year I WILL get either a stollen or pannetone for myself (I got a small stollen after Christmas last year, but that wasn't the same).

I DID get a bag of ammaretti biscuits last Christmas, which I thoroughly enjoyed to myself!! (DH and DD don't like almonds). I even bought a bottle of ammaretti too, and there is a lot left in that to savour.

Actually, I need to get a second large kilner jar, as I need to make mincemeat again this year (last year I had enough leftovers to cover me), and I need to start another batch of rhubarb vodka (what should I call the finished product - is it a schnapps? or a liqueur?). Actually, I did want to start some limoncello too but that will wait another little while whereas the rhubarb needs doing now.

Rabid how is your sister getting on?
The MN sticky vibes helped?

I find the stollen loaves dryer than the stollen slices/bites you can get. Strange, but true. But apparently homemade stollen is a completely different beast to shop-bought stollen, so I may actually make my own this year.

Oooooh Christmas thread. Squeeeeeeeeeee. I love Christmas. I'm only ten weeks pregnant but already told DH next year we have to save in works sharesave for five years so we can take LO to Lapland when six yo. :)

Ive started buying small bits but after payday the big stuff will commence. Yey

Homemade Stollen is lush . I don't like butter or rum and most of the shop ones contain both.
Very theraputic to beat the blazes out of gently knead an enriched dough. Then a cylinder of homemade marzipan, almonds,walnuts, cherries.

Know any good stollen recipes? I can always soak the end result :)

I'm planning a trip to Costco next week (I'll have a childfree day -took a day off work).
I can waft round the shops for a while till it opens then grab my trolley and buy Christmas Decorations essentials like binbags and Hallowe'en Decorations if they have any dishwasher tablets.

Costco does 2 litre bottles of Kirkland Vodka (their own brand).
That would be a good ,cheap base for all the flavoured vodkas.

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Harry is still sticking

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:)

I've got a few more bits (mostly dr who) in the boots clearance sale and we are about to make our decision on playmobil as their main present (DH is veering towards pirate stuff but I reckon a castle!)

Trying to clear a bit of clutter but it feels like a never ending battle. I want the DCs to have space for their stuff because it just gets lost otherwise.

DH has his operation in 2 weeks eeeeeeek! But hopefully that means he will be all better by Xmas! We are also hoping to go away for a cheap night in a hotel in mid December to celebrate 10 years since our first date. So December is looking good now :)

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well I've decided not to apply for any leave over xmas :(

because of DH's operation this month I am taking 3 weeks annual leave which means I'll only have about a week left until April (they have said I can take unpaid leave after that but obviously I'd rather not have to!). I also have a 3 day weekend over my birthday in early December so will try to just make the most of that.

So, even more excuse reason to be prepared! :o