I have started Christmas Shopping and I am happy and excited.

[SecretPlansAndCleverTricks]

Got a little stash of books and stocking fillers hidden away upstairs

hugs self with excitement

thumbs nose at Christmas-In-June-Refuseniks

hi can i join ,i started last month and have so far got ds who wll b 2 completely finshed.Try the argos website and go nto clearance toys yo get really good bargains .I got him a battery powered quad reduced from £60 till £20 :).I also have £60 n tesco stamps so far for my xmas shop. I also bought the savngs tins for ds age 13 and ds age 12 to save their xmas money.Im so excited this year as iv have lots in already and its the first year of me doing the tesco stamps.

Hi mumcha, that's pretty impressive you have all your shopping for ds finished. I'll have to have a look on the argos clearance bit too :)

I usually keep my Tesco vouchers for christmas too, it's great you can double them up. This year though I've used some for going to Alton Towers next week but I should still have at least £50 by christmas. Oh, and I've been saving my boots points too. Thinking about it, I'll probably be able to get all the kids in my family presents using the points between the two

Oooh forgot about Advantage points...will use them up once their chriatmas shop is in.
Boots always do a weekky offer (at christmas time) of a set/gift at £50ish down to half that and still included in the three for two.

Ilk have a look at Argos clearance too. I like they do click and collect so no waiting in for delivery. Had a text off Early Learning Centre to say dds first.christmas present is being couriered today am very excited and will have to stash it so I dont open it early.

I love when they do that gnocchi, I always make sure dp knows when it is so he can get me the big soap and glory set :)

Oh I hope I get my ELC delivery too, want to have a little peak at it. I'm gonna have to clear out a cupboard to hide all these bargains I've been getting!

Parcel is here and looks so much fun though dh wouldnt let me open it infront of dd incase she `seen it'....shes 6mo

Had a bug sort out today and found about twenty stamps (anyone know if we can still use the old price ones?), about 50 party invitations (will do every birthday party for dd til shes about 12!!) and about 15 wedding cards (they are blank unside and we inteded to use them as wedding invites but couldnt get enough) so anyone I know who gets married in the next five years is getting that same card!

My ELC parcel is here too !

Aaaah love soap and glory, not so nice now that DH doesn't work for boots anymore so no discount! We used to have double discount day where we would stock up on 3for2 toys.

I got DS a birthday present today, there's a sale on in Disney store! Got a special set of toy story figures based on one of the shorts (Hawaiian vacation) they are so awesome :o

They also had character undies on sale which I thought might be good for stockings but they didn't have her size - a shame as she has just got into 101 Dalmatians which I found on video recently. I'm wondering about getting some boys pants for DS, he's 2.10 and he is supposed to be potty trained for nursery in sept but I'm not holding my breath!

Oh and I mentioned the adult stocking idea to DH (that sounds dodgy if you don't know it's Xmas stockings!) and he's well up for it :o :o

I got another couple of gifts for DD today, so now feel I'm on the way! Just got to find somewhere to hide them, as previously she was too young to go exploring, but now she'll find them unless they are really well hidden.

I bought DS a really nice pair of leggings from eBay recently, they have lots of different designs including a Jumping Reindeer design. Here's the link. They're only £2.49 and there's no delivery charge. They only go up to 3 years though.

DS wears his as pyjama bottoms, but I've just ordered some more as emergency trousers for at the CM's.

I got my ELC delivery today too :)

I'm feeling stressed because ds is turning 6 at Christmas and I don't see how I can buy his main things until very shortly before then as he's more of his own mind now iyswim.

Must remind myself there's almost 6 months to go!!

Ps love the leggings - dd got given some as a gift when she was little and I could never work out where they'd bought them - never thought of ebay! Thanks!

I think they're lovely too, so different to most other things. DS looks great in 'em .

Gnocci, there is a thread in classics about a little boys stamp collection,

link to it and you could Xmas gift them to him?:o
Love the leggings, so cute. I have bought nothing more, but found Xmas cards I had stashed so I can mark that off the list :o

Bought our panto tickets last night! I am so excited, because this will be DD's first trip to the panto and I haven't been since I was a child.

Currently trying to persuade DH to consider ELC tower of doom as the DCs' joint present :o he would play with it more than them really like it but it's a question of space (and money, I'd only consider it on special offer). We did some decluttering yesterday so I feel a bit more positive.

I might have to go back to Disney store as they had some nice magic flannels and other bits and bobs.

this is what we got for DS' birthday BTW!

Oh wow, that looks good, but it is huge! And v expensive. Mind you, ELC tend to put everything on sale at some point, so I am sure you'll be able to get it reduced before Christmas.

I only have one more thing to buy the kids and most of the other stuff was free, as I did a few things for sky and they sent me a bunch of amazon vouchers!....have stocking things to get, but that's easy. Christmas eve hamper is also not expensive and courtesy of elf on the shelf. Nieces and nephews bought for, that just leaves the parents(including outlaws) and grandparents.

I'm now wondering if a Playmobil castle might be better as they seem a bit smaller and a bit less, um, doomy. Still mighty expensive though!

I'm also very happy as DH agreed we need even more Really Useful Boxes! I've said we are going to use a big one to keep presents in - that should keep them safe and all in one place.

I remembered last night that I have an old trunk in the garage, which is in good condition, is fairly big and most importantly, is lockable (when I remember where I put the key!). I am going to put that in the study and that is going to be my hiding place for the present stash. Things are really coming together now!

:o three 48 litre boxes ordered!

Love those Toy Story figures fuzzpig, I'm going in town this week so will pop in to the Disney store for a nosy. As for the ELC Tower of Doom, I'm pretty sure that before christmas last year it went to half price so will hopefully be the same this year.

I still don't have my ELC delivery, hopefully tomorrow (not that I'm in any great rush for it, I just want to see it).

I love those leggings and have ordered a few pairs for my 9 month old. Got the 6-12 and 12-24 so will see what the sizes are like and then get some of the reindeer ones :)

Ds got the tower of doom when he was 3, he has barely played with it tbh. A wooden smaller castle would be better imo.

Tesco here had toy story figured for £2 - got dd Jessie - not tiny ones - about maybe 6-8inches.

Those leggings are adorable!

I am very relieved to find out that DSD's friend is going to US and promised to buy her a proper Harry Potter replica wand. We knew she wanted one and were worrying about finding an affordable one and saw lots of fake ones online. So we avoid that minefield :o

Now have no clue what to get DSCs (two 14yo DSDs, 1 20yo DSS and his 18yo GF) but they are very easygoing TBH and will tell us nearer the time. I am going to get DSDs some cinema vouchers though I think as they don't get to go much (DSS and GF have those monthly passes, I don't think we could stretch to that though)