How do you get that Christmas buzz (without silly spending)

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You know what I mean, people keep telling me how excited they are - but I cant say I am and I dont get into the spirit until a week before (max) more Christmas Eve. What gives you that buzz of excitement - is it the actual day, the parties, the decos, the endless spending, time off work or what?

I dont drink and there are no parties. I intend to take the children out for one or two outings but that is it we dont have endless cash.

Do you have to work at getting that excitement I mean put in loads of effort? At the moment I still have loads to prepare, still working out what to get for the difficult members of the family and decs go up next weekend.

I feel churned up already with stress for no reason!

Lade-that sounds totally fab. Will he jotting down my family's sayings for the next year!

Pedant-great, I can do the orange clove thing tomorrow-hD forgot about that :)

You know what I really need? Traditional Christmas carols sung by a really good choir! Any recommendations for a good recording on cd?

I'm not feeling very festive yet, just stressed.

Get on Spotify and listen to Kings College Choir :) My favourite thing is listening to carols while warming mulled wine (one of my favourite smells) and mince pies.

Also love dancing about to Slade, Wizzard etc with the kids.

Putting up the tree and sitting with just the fairy lights lit watching the snowman.

Watching the village carol singers in our front garden, from above through the darkened upstairs window and then going out into the cold to listen to them. I actually get quite choked up hearing them sing.

Hearing any small children sing Away in a Manger always gets me.

We usually get invited to help a couple we know with their tree. They never fail to put me in a good mood as they are so lovely.

The live nativity service is a favourite and Christingle usually makes me feel a bit Christmassy but it didn't this year.

Putting stockings up and mince pie out for Santa and carrots and magic oats fir the reindeers is one of the best bits I think. Better even than opening pressies and Chrimbo dinner.

Scuse typos. Stupid autocorrect...

Cringe... So many grammatical mistakes above for which I hang my head in shame.

lade

Love your family bingo game.

Just listened to Tim Minchin's 'White Wine in the Sun', so that's me starting to feel all festively sentimental

www.timminchin.com/2010/12/02/white-wine-in-the-sun-proceeds-for-the-national-autistic-society-again-this-year/

So this means my work colleagues will be getting my Christmas Song Quiz tomorrow... : )

Part 1 tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/christmas-song-quiz-pt-1.html

Part 2 tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/christmas-song-quiz-pt-2.html

Watched Patrick Stewart's Christmas Carol earlier today. Does it for me every time - its the definitive version (don't even get me started about the historical inaccuracies in most other versions). But what really does it for me is the "Silent Night" montage. When that Welsh tenor hits those notes, I blub like a little bitch. Never fails.