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!! :)

Can you pm your username please

I am addicted to looking at Christmas boards

Done! :)

Hello again Hun :)

Hi, flubba! :)

Hi, my names Onadietcokebreak, and I'm a Christmasaholic, I may have to refrain from the Mumsnet Christmas board and Pintrest, as I fear there making my addiction worse!
I have had to make a seperate Christmas food board too

If anyone's thinking of mugs in there Xmas eve hampers, I used the sharpie and bake instructions off pintrest to make each DC a personalised christmassy mug and got some bargin mugs from sainsburys, lovely big latte ones, great quallity for £1.20 each.

Had another look at my EoaS, he is well shifty looking, I'm not sure the DC will let him live in there room! Cant have him in the living room, he clashes with my silver and black theme this year

wowee dietcola you already have a colour theme for your living room for this years christmas .

Ooh it's been a bit like Christmas here today - I got deliveries of the ELC toys (bargainous), the Horrible Histories set (bargainous), the Roald Dahl set (bargainous) and the East necklaces (super bargainous). Quite tempted to leave the original price label on the necklaces 'by mistake' so my sisters think I love them to the tune of £18 :o

Lol, flubba my east necklaces arrived today too and I thought the very same thing

Haha! Glad it's not just me :)

I've also decided to keep one for myself

I've had lots delivered this week... now struggling to find anywhere to store it!! :(

Ooh I wanna join in! I love Christmas - a little obsessed actually!

I've booked us a trip to Lapland this year and so have been counting down the days for over 7 months! It's been a huge sacrifice funding it so it's been on our mind for ages.

Done a little shopping but waiting for pay day to get stuck in! Have written cards though!

I've sorted panto tickets too this year as I'm normally too skint to sort come December!

We did elf on the shelf last year and my dds loved it - although the Christmas hamper went down best, my dd6 cried with joy when she found it Christmas eve!

Love that I have someone to offload all my festive obsessions

snap! Which one did you keep for yourself? >>disclaimer I had thought one would be perfect for my mum, but it looks a bit cheaper than the kind she would normally wear, so that's the one I'm keeping for me :o

Hi Sunnyday

Wow - sounds like you've got loads planned!! :) I'm still debating whether to do elf on the shelf, think I need more ideas on what to do which don't involve too much (DD3 due Nov).

I'm keen to start writing cards, but can't really do that until DD3 arrives.

That's lovely she cried with joy... I'm not expecting that reaction from DD1 but think she'll love it, although I've decided to give them a christmas DVD and christmas book on 1st with her advent calendar to get a bit more use out of them. Potentially the PJs depending on whether they're festive or not! Then need to work out what to put in the hamper - don't want it being too similar to a stocking.

I am planning 24 activities after seeing it as an idea on here to do each day. A lot we'd do anyway and thinking of buying a fabric advent calendar to put them in - will decide the evening before I want to do though :)

I bought The Polar Express today to join my blossoming festive DVD library, thanks to MN recommendation
My gamble-advent calendar still hasn't arrived from the eBay seller.... I hope it comes sooooon. My DP has tried to console me by reminding me that there is still a fair few months until I'll need it. But damnit I want to see if it's as lovely as I hoped!!

iloveholidays

My hampers and stockings are very different. The hamper is a family hamper so inc treats for us all!

Chocs for us all
Novelty bubble bath for kids
Hot choc for kids
Wine for us!
DVD
Xmas book
Kids pjs
Bubble bath
Popcorn

(stuff I buy anyway really)

That's it's whereas I put the following in stockings or similar
Toothbrush (electric barbie or similar)
Choc coins
Orange
Kids tattoos
Kids stickers
Kids magazine
Hair clips
Novelty socks!

Elf on the shelf is fab but sometimes after a few wines I did forget and have to run down in middle of the night to set up a scene for the elves!

Thanks for the pinterest links- feeding my Christmas obsession nicely.
I am going to start my Christmas booze off this weekend I think. Trip to Aldi for cheap vodka and whiskey should do the trick.
I have had lots of mysterious boxes being delivered but it's hard with prying eyes everywhere.

For those that have wooden advent calendars where you do activities I recommend printing them all off in advance and work out which days you need longer for

I have a box of Christmas stories that I get out for DS at the start of December. We read 2 or 3 a day, and we both get deliriously excited by mid December!

Just arrived at the PIL's (we don't live in the UK at the moment) and have several boxes of Christmas goodies, mostly books, that I had sent here, to take back with us. Feeling so festive now, though do want to focus really on our October-born son's birthday first. But need to get organised while we are here in the UK for a few days, as buying options aren't as varied where we live, especially books in English, obviously! It will be our first Christmas in Germany, I know it is a very Christmasy country, looking forward to it. Hoping for lots of lovely snow!

sunny, that is soooo cute that your DD cried with joy at the Eve hamper. How adorable! :)

Hello again, ELC and Debenhams deliveries arrived yesterday so I am now squirreling away Christmas presents all around the house.

ilove - you can keep the elf really simple. On some days when we forgot were short on time we did something very basic, and these are the ones DS remembers the most. Some of the things we did were turning all the pictures frames upside down in the living room, throwing a handful of DS's underpants on the Christmas tree (anything involving his underpants he thought was hilarious) put a trail of cereal along the kitchen counter and the elf haning upside down out of the box, balanced him on top of the curtain rail holding DS's book bag, dangled him from the light in DS's bedroom by some tinsel. Only took a few minutes. At the weekend we might do something a bit more, one night DH set up the scabble board and put the elf and 3 more of his toys around it as if they were having a game. Roll on December!

i love all the eons ideas
roll on december indeed!

can i ask a cheeky question please, how much are you all intending to spend per DC?

i have now spent my initial budget on mine (£150 each) but there xmas doesnt look like much they probably only have about 6 presents each including clothes.

Can I join too?
Have been secretly buying and hoarding christmas stuff for the last month, am positively excited we have been living overseas and moved back this summer, and am way over excited already.

hi shinybaubles [waves] love the name

i'm really overexcited and am currently trying to compile a list of activites for december and possibly november
think i'll definitely do panto this year with kids not sure if DD will be too young though? 1.2yo? my company do discounted tickets to panto for employees so we get tickets for £8 per adult and £4 per child, so not too expensive if they dont enjoy it.