Loving the Christmas threads... Getting so excited! Anyone want to join me?

[iloveholidays]

As the title says really... I'm getting organised early this year as DD3 due in November and getting very excited. DD1 is 3.5 and DD2 18 months so keen to properly start th Christmas traditions this year.

Going to start a Christmas hamper on Christmas eve and want to plan some christmas activities for December although might be being a bit adventurous with a newborn!! :)

Thank you! Now I get it! Not heard of the hamper before but love the idea of both to get Christmas started on the first. Christmas pj's etc normally go in the stocking but much more use being earlier. Ooooh even more excited now!

I love the idea of the elf, although think I might leave that one for next year. Not sure I'll have the imagination to be thinking of things each day when chances are I'll be up 4 times a night with a newborn!!!

This looks like a good deal for December...

www.amazon.co.uk/Christmas-Activity-Books-6-Pack/dp/B005O8NIY8/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1347739737&sr=8-17

iloveholidays - you'd be in an ideal position WRT Elf on a Shelf.
Loads of times I forget to hide the Elf so I have to send the DC up to get socks or hairbrushes to get rid of them long enough to hide it .

You can have a good look round (in the dark) while you are feeding your snuggly baby .

The <strong>proper</strong> EonS is a bit creepy looking IMO. I use an Action Man type doll and make a outfit from red and green felt (I cut it out and sew it onto his body) then glue anything that has to stay put. Add bells and lipstick rosy cheeks -voila!

This year, instead of giving him a bag for the sweets I'm going to put the sweets in a Christmas box. I get sneakier with hiding him as December goes by, when the DC are on holidays we <span class="italic">really</span> hide him.

cook, I love your gambling style! Hope it's a good one! :) Let us know!

Bounces in excitedly, can I join pleaseeeeeeeeee??? I have 1 14 yo DSS who knows I love Xmas but now purely rolls his eyes and laughs at me I am however three months pregnant tomorrow so have endless possibilities in future. :)

I've bought the proper EonS - 70 is right - it looks really creepy

Morning everyone!

I am really glad I am not the only one ridiculously excited about Christmas this year. My family generally just roll their eyes and change the subject when I start wittering on about it. My birthday is just before Christmas so it has always been a magical time for me and I love the fact I can now share it with the DC's.

Re Eons - we never bought the official one. this is our elf - we got him on ebay and DH wrote an introduction letter for him. Last year he arrived with the advent calanders, this year it will be with the hamper. DH was a bit sceptical last year but really got in to it. Our elf got up to loads of mischief, DS loved getting up in the morning to see what he had been up to. Daft things like throwing all of DS's underpants on the Chrismas tree or being found hanging out of the cereal box. He also hid a lot of things.

Re the hamper, thanks for the extra ideas, I'll be adding bubble bath and some Christmassy activity or sticker books.

Also, I watched Stricty last night - always marks the countdown to Christmas for me

Morning

I think I'm going to explain the elf thing to my DP and decide whether to go for it this year. I'm just nervous about taking on too much when a newborn.

Off into town to get last few bits for impending babys arrival but will be back on later.

Hoping I'll be able to get DP excited soon!!

Right I've just checked our box of Christmas books in the cellar- despite DS only being 2 we already have enough to do a book advent calendar (charity shop habit).
This will be great as DS can open a present every day which will hopefully stop some new baby jealousy.
Think we'll do choc calendar, book calendar and I've just cone across this Santa's beard calendar which looks nice and easy too:-
crafts.kaboose.com/santas-beard-advent-calendar.html

Hi can I join too please. I am getting ridiculously excited and DH is despairing of me already. I have a wooden advent calendar which gets a small chocolate snowball in per child and an Xmas activity. Depending on of it is a work day depends on how much effort it takes. I have ordered a few more Xmas books and need to go in the loft but hoping I have enough for advent ie 24! Shall I wrap them up or make a Christmas hamper with 24, plus xmas pjs and bubble bath then they can choose one a night?

Pinterest is my new Christmas obsession though- have you been on?

Ooh nice to see other people getting excited about Christmas already too :o

I love the 'hamper' type idea and might add that to my Christmas countdown activities

I'm addicted to Pinterest too - there are some great Christmas boards on there, and I've already started making some new Christmas tree decorations inspired by some pins :o

Love those activities Flubba will try and remember for next year when I'll have a 1 and nearly 4 year old.
On the Tazaandhusband blog they do 'the 12 dates of Christmas which is a similar idea but for the 2 of them. The 'dates' are also often simple things taza-and-husband.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/twelve-dates-of-christmas-on-our-first.html?m=1
Sharon I've not been on Pinterest but really must- technophobe.... Must try twitter too!

Flubba I love the wigwam and jewellery rolls for cars and crayons on your blog. Do you make/sell them?

Also you might like these cushions- same blog
taza-and-husband.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/rockstar-giveaway_25.html?m=1

Thanks cashmere :) Yes I make pretty much everything you see on my blog - I've recently started selling some of the items on my website including the car rolls. There should be a link to it on my blog (don't think I'm allowed to link to it directly here). My DCs absolutely loved the advent calendar idea last year and this year they'll be nearly 2, 4 and 5.5 so it's going to be even more exciting for me them :o

Christmas really starts for us after ds's birthday at end of Sept except for dh who refuses to discuss anything until dec 1 hoping to order some stuff with Baker Ross by getting together with other mums at playgroup and doing a big order otherwise I would have to spend 50 quid for free postage.

My dd (nearly 8 and 6) are too old to introduce EoS. We are already skating on thin ice with them and new aspects to Christmas magic will be screaming out for analysis.

We will get out our wooden advent calendar, I don't think Lakeland do them anymore but it is a magnetic nativity scene and each of the 24 boxes around the outside have a different magnetic nativity character, plus space for three little chocolates. I originally sold it to dh as a money saving device, but they squable over door opening (thank goodness 24 devides by 3!), now we have 3 chocolate ones too. Oh when you put chocolate in an advent calendar, only put it in the night before in case people decide to look ahead!

We always go each year and each child chooses a new tree decoration. When they leave home they will take with them a box of their decorations for their new home. (keep a list with descriptions to avoid arguements).

We also make a tree decoration for each of their teachers and some chocolate truffles.

(mustn't get too excited until ds has had his 3rd birthday)

Hi all

Loving the Santa advent calendar idea, my DD would love that.

Flubba - love your list, think I'll need to do something similar. Did you decide in advance which you would do on each day or decide on the day? With a newborn baby I think I'd need to be flexible!! :)

Can someone explain pinterest for me please?

iloveholidays, you can make very good paper chains from strips of foil type wrapping paper, and sticking the loops with sticky tape. It doesn't need to be expensive paper, the cheaper thinner stuff is fine. Cut up the strips in advance, and it helps a lot if you have a tape dispenser, or cut up a few bits of tape for the eldest and stick the ends along the table edge so that she can just put them on easily. The chain grows quickly then and holds their interest for longer. They don't come apart like the gummed paper strips either! You can stick them to the ceiling with blutack.

When my DS was young, we used to use the holographic gift wrap which was very sparkly.

Just went into sainsburys today - they had little red and white (and other colours) tea light lanterns reduced from £3.50 each to £1.05 (although the label said £1.75). I got 5 as I thought I could put a couple up on the fireplace to make it look festive and a couple on the dining table for christmas lunch. Oh, and I thought it might be nice if when our EonS arrived at the front door for DD it was dark and he was sitting next to one with the candle on to help him find his way to DD . They also had nice star shaped christmas esque fairy lights 1/3 off - I got a pack to put around the fire place.

pinterest is basically an online 'mood board' type thing. You create boards (mine, for example are called things like 'homemaking', 'Christmas ideas' etc), and whenever you're browsing t'internet and see something you like the look/idea of, you click on your 'pin it' button (which you install when you join) and add it to your board. Lots of people just use what's on pinterest already to create their own boards - you can do searches to find what you're looking for. It's quicker than bookmarking everything you've thought of doing.
You can also follow people with similar interests. PM me your email address if you want me to send you an invitation to join (apparently it's a lot quicker than waiting for an invite otherwise)

As for our activities last year, we planned when we would do them all in advance so that things that took longer or more planning would fall on a day where we had more time to do it, or if it was something like decorate the Christmas tree, that had to be nearer to Christmas etc - also I wrote ours all out on cards and each one was put into the pockets of my fabric advent calendar. Absolutely no reason why you couldn't mix it up if that suits you better :)

reastie you're going to have to change your name to roastie (chestnuts/ potatoes etc) as you're soo festive (and it's 19 degrees outside today! :o)

Thanks Flubba - I've PMed you.

I've just been looking at the woolgar toys website... Some great stocking filler ideas. Think I might have to do an order, just hard to narrow down!!! :)

I'm on Pinterest - my board with the most pins is my Christmas board - by a long way! And I have a separate board for Christmas food! :)

P.S. flubba, it was your invitation to me back in October last year that got me started on Pinterest! :) (I was NoHunIntended on this thread: craft blog! Hello again! :)