so its only....

[RabidCarrot]

364 days till Christmas

218

Morning all, been MIA recently as real life interfered. Boo hiss.

70s, love the snowman!!

Buzzgirly, we are going to Disney in the US in the summer, and I am planning on getting a new decoration there (I try to get one on each of our "BIG" travels) and hopefully I can find something Spacey at Cape Canaveral too. DD is 7 so should really enjoy Disney, I hope!

Fuzzy, if you have the money at the mo, and it is a good saving, I'd get it and put it away safe (we can always remind you!! ) - I always love having less to do and worry about as the year rolls on. It really does lower stress levels.

I haven't done ANY shopping yet this year. I haven't even really thought about the list much either (but I have rolled over the excel spreadsheet for it and updated the budget etc). I had already bought my DBro's for this year, whether I get him in the draw or not - I am getting him and his new wife (wedding 3 weeks ago) a "Bride's Box" (12 ornaments, each with a meaning, for the 1st Christmas tree of a new bride) and shipping it to them for early December. I'll probably try to get all the stocking fillers for the adults (my 5 siblings and 4 significant others) in Disney if I can - we do a KK draw for the sibs so everyone gets 1 big gift, and a stocking of little things from everyone else (?5 limit on stocking items).

And I haven't a clue what to get DD. Or DH. Or ask for myself!!

DD and I were talking in the car on Sunday though, about booking tickets for the Santa Train this year. As I was too late to book last year (I have tried to do it every 2nd year and really missed it last year, whereas the year before I "didn't manage" to book on time on purpose). We still enjoyed the "Green Santa" event last year (planted her own Christmas Tree in Narnia), but we're aiming for the train this year.

And I am determined that, as we will be down "home" for the week, I will have a fab new outfit (2 sizes smaller than now) to fit into and wear on the day!! It is slowly starting to work but I need to keep going.

The sibling stockings sound lovely buzz. Do you mean each person gets one stocking but with a present from each person inside?

Last year Disney store had a lovely box of baubles with vintage designs of characters from the earliest movies (Alice in Wonderland is my favourite) but they were about £25. I wish I'd found some reduced as they were really lovely although I don't know if I'd want all of them on the tree at once as they were quite big.

Fuzz, yes. I made 9 stockings about 4 years ago (which my DM has lost the past 2 years!!) and need to make another this year for another significant other. (I think though that, while the others are nice and I DO still have the template I made for size/shape, I should make 10 that are a bit bigger and more practical rather than pretty, but pretty too, and think about whether to make them all the same). The other 9 are the same shape and size, but made from different colours and types of fabric, and different decoration on them.

But I have hardly taken the cover off my sewing machine in 2 years (apart from a Harry Potter Quidditch robes for World Book Day at school!) so getting too creative may not be a good idea....

Oh sorry I meant biddy not buzz! That sounds like a lovely tradition. I always feel a bit sad around Xmas that my family is so tiny not to mention dysfunctional but I have 2 DCs and 3 DSCs so hopefully they will enjoy the lifelong sibling bond that I never had, and still want to spend Xmas around each other :)

217

I booked tickets for my DD and I to see "The Nutcracker" .

I say (whistfully) "Oh DD , that could've been You , Pet"

DD enjoys watching ballet, she's got no desire to try her hand at ballet (and is probably too old now) but she used to look judgily at me and say "Mother, I'm a Gymnast "

Bless her.

Sounds lovely 70s. I hope dd will want to do stuff like that when she's older.

216

Just checking in 216 days seems like forever!

The time is going so fast kiss it's a bit scary. Another couple of weeks we'll be into the hundred and something's and into June and we'll be halfway there before we know it.

This half of the year seems to fly in! Once we hit October it will seem to drag, hopefully we will get some sunshine before then

215

Hi Countdowners-

I'm away for a while and I might not be able to get to a computer (not Savvy enough to do this Tap the App nonsense either )

Can the First One On The Thread do the update?

gilly today

Popping in, to say hello. Keep looking at Lapland dd is three months old nearly, far too young, but I'm saving already. :)

What the jeff is tap the app?

Hope you have a nice time away. We are staying in my mum's new flat next week as my friend is getting married, I'm a bridesmaid :o so probably won't be around either.

Just ordered the playmobil pyramid. DH was surprisingly keen, he usually rolls his eyes when I start getting excited about Xmas presents :o but when I said it was a pyramid he was rather pleased...

Not sure if it'll be from FC (depends if DCs ask for something particular, they've never done lists before but I think DD might want to) or from us or it might be from one of my parents (they never choose gifts themselves and are happy for us to do so).

Do any of you get your DCs to write Xmas lists? It's all new to me...

I'm around (I'm always booming around!)

We get DD to write to Santa - lack of organisation (aka chaos in the house and life generally) meant we never forced her to do it - so she decided herself the letter HAD to be written on Christmas Eve (after shops closed) and added something to it (can't remember what now, but hadn't been mentioned up til then, I suspect we were being tested!!). We'd talked often though about it, and she had TOLD Santa in Mullingar what she wanted. So it was ok (and she didn't take anything away, just asked for an extra thing).

Glad you got the pyramid Fuzz, you'll be happy now that it's sorted!!

Enjoy the break 70s!! Mad jealous about the ballet (must start looking to see if there's anything here this year - no Snowman performance though yet - that used to be lovely with the symphony orchestra doing the live music!!).

50shades - I'm just a big kid and can't wait!! need the time though to save,find some bargains - already have a top shelve! dedicated to my xmas bargains (sad person that I am but it makes me happy!) 215 days and counting!

214

kissi have a Christmas cupboard in the kitchen! The only things in it at the mo are some christmas cards, a christmas pudding, santa's plate and some little christmas candles. Every now and then I give one a sniff coz it reminds me of christmas dh thinks I'm odd but I don't care!

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Keep sneaking in here, getting a Christmas thrill and sneaking off again

210 Yeah made it at last! I'm never here first.