Right. I want to be all done by December 1st....

[admiralclingus]

I work in retail. The last 2 years have involved mad dashes round town after working all day with some horrible people taking out their Christmas woes on you and spending 73 billion hours waiting in queues and trying to avoid the crowds!

So I want to be organised by the first, nothing left to buy and only wrapping and decorating to worry about.

Anyone else up for the challenge?

I'm nearly there - know what the last few bits are, just waiting for payday on Friday to buy them!

Only thing is I am totally stumped for my sister-in-law I've just no idea what to get her and she can't think of anything she wants. We're doing a trip to Harry Potter World for her birthday so I want to give her an actual present for Christmas but I just don't know what!

Wow biddy you have been busy!

Right I'm all bought except
->something for bils gf.... So gutted I missed that Ted baker set from work!
-> some trainers for him and maybe some t-shirts
-> the stocking treats (chocs etc) which I will get from work next week when I get paid next week
->the no7 box

Everything is wrapped except DDS stuff cuz I just never seem to get time away from her to do it!

New tree is bought ready for the 1st... Need to get cracking with printing the tasks for the elf

I also need to borrow some glass pens from my friend to write on the baubles for my friends kids

I need to get the decorations out of the loft to sort what is there (nothing should need replacing as we've only had most of it 2 years)

And finally!!!! I need to pull the sofa out and clean behind it in order for the tree to actually have a place!

Then we're all set

i would also love to be organised by 1st December, i don't usually START until then! I'm not sure its going to be any different this year. I've arranged to get together with friends in the daytime on about 6 days over the next 10 but I have promised myself not to make any more arrangements after that. And DD finishes school on the 11th, argh!

I'm on schedule here (apart from the food of course)

This weekend I'm braving the shops with DD and her mate.
The next weekend I'm going to drag my 15yo DS out ( if I was a drinker, I'd have . 15yo DS + Shops = )

Working through my lists.

am Athens for work and trying to see if I can get an hour to shop tomorrow before the flight. Not looking good, but an hour would let me get necessary chocs for office, presents for 2 couples under the tree and possibly something for DDs stocking. I can see an early start to get finished early...

Hope you got a chance to get those bits biddy.

Twitching wildly here, doubting all the toys I've bought the boys

Well, I got About an hour and managed to get 2 bottles of olive oil, some olives, 3 tree decorations, a lovely cosmetics set for DSis, and the chocs for Dd, Dnieces/nephews, office, and a lovely set of rally fab Christmas chocs for home too. I had to check my bag in the end cos of the oil, but I filled it's!

Read most of Prima on the flight, and have good housekeeping for the next one , about to board

On track here too! Bought my twitch presents today! Off to Chatsworth House on Sunday :)

Almost there..........all that's left are the 4 nieces and nephews, oh and the Auntie.........and the LOs Christmas Hamper PJs..........

...........hmm maybe not quite "almost" after all

Payday yesterday, so ordered my last few presents! Hurrah! Still got some Christmas crafting to do, but present shopping is DONE. I feel very smug and accomplished! This thread was a great idea, thank you admiral!

How's everyone else getting on?

Ok, officially one week left of November.

I'm going to go out on Wednesday with DH (after work) to get the Costco shopping.

Then I'm taking DS out next week.

The shops after that will be grim , so any trips will be mid week and early.

Lots of tidy up and declutter to do before we get the decorations out (which won't b until the 10th or there about),

So, now admiral the thread about the horrible customers............ (you can make up a false place of work to protect your identity )

im all done (well as much as i can be). all presents for the kids and every one else are bought and wrapped, card all wrote, meat ordered, booze all bought. just need to put tree up next wkend then i can relax and enjoy all the christmas fun with family and friends :)

1 month to Christmas Eve!!

I am off out to get another few things on my list at lunch. Have a few yet to get, but making progress. Did the sewing yesterday on DD's fleece blanket, so she is starting using it from today (1 month to go, I reckon that's ok). And made 3 of the 7 tote bags DD is giving to cousins - she is making personalized pockets for the front of each using fabric markers and has 4 of those done. Need to rethink construction of those though, as sewing pocket on afterwards is a dangerous task (of getting fabric stuck and needing to unpick!!) - and I am getting ok on making up so it should be safe enough to do it opposite ways.

Dinner has been decided - DD was asking DH about turkey at the farmer's market over the weekend (she wanted to order it there!!), I suggested goose again and was rejected so turkey it is! Next year.....

House is not completely clean like I'd hoped, but the clutter is not nearly as bad as it was. I can make it nice for Christmas and visitors in a matter of hours now, rather than days of panic and stress. (And I have a spare room to throw things into, with the au pair gone!!).

3 more bought yesterday. DH is working on his parents present. And he will get the last couple of bits for DD on Friday (other than her fruit and sweets).

Advent calendar comes out on Sunday evening, and I have chocolate for everyday, and 6 small things for treat days, but I do still need to print off a bunch of colouring sheets and Christmas quizzes for non-treat days.

I won't be completely done by the 1st, but I will be almost there. I have to get the last couple of presents for both our immediate families within the next 10 days and have them wrapped to either bring "down home" when we go for the weekend or post overseas. Then I'll have a breathing space until around New Year for my aunts and uncles (big family dinner) - I could leave them on Christmas Day when we visit one aunt (where they will gather later that evening for dinner and presents), but it's nice to see them being opened (when my parents and siblings are up for the wider family dinner).

The diary is starting to fill up as well.

Another present obtained, and parts of another one also acquired over lunch.

It's all progress....

Admiral in disguise here!!!

Ok I semi twitched today, but NOT for Christmas.... For dds Feb birthday! Managed to get her loads of Moshi monster bits half price from smyths, so ill bag them up and put them in the loft to go with her bike, and the only thing ill have to worry about paying for then is her party!

Am itching for payday so I can order my last two things.... Shoes for him and a vine for his mother, got a few chocolate bits for both stockings and the advent calendar is almost filled.

Most of the presents are wrapped... Just dds to do, but I've had to buy new paper 3 times cuz shes found it each time I've bought new for the Santa prezzies!

The tree is up but undecorated, purely because it came in about 60 pieces and took three of us to work out how to put it together!

Waiting on some wire to come to modify our elf slightly so hes bendable, and need to make up and print some tasks for him to give to dd.

Need to have a good sort of the toybox and get rid of a few more bits to make way for all the tat new stuff its going to be filled with!

My list is very slowly being crossed off but is almost empty now! Yippeeeeeee!!!

Ok I'm done, with the exception of a book coming from the US. I made my very last lightning purchase on amazon today!

I've decided to do the wrapping and cards the week after next when DH is away.

I usually wait to put the tree up on the 8th but might do it earlier before he heads off.

I'm not going to worry about food until closer to the time.

Bugger! I'd bought DDS dad some new hair xclippers for Christmas and his old ones died mid haircut today, so I had to give him the new ones that means his already pitiful selection is even smaller!

Should I get him something to replace them or just vleave him one short?

I'm nearly there - wrapping all the presents tonight and then if anything's missing can grab them this weekend. Also having a baking blitz this weekend and making and freezing as much of the Christmas dinner as possible. I've never been this organised before - it feels amazing! Can't wait to sit back and just enjoy December rather than rushing around in a frazzled panic!

MyMummyRuns Any chance you'd post what you plan to cook ahead? I'd love to do the same but haven't a notion what would freeze well etc

HeyHey I don't know if you've already found your SIL something but Amazon do Hogwarts acceptance letters for about £7

I'm completely done, just have a handful of parcels I'm still waiting on but they'll be here in time for Christmas and that's all that matters to me. I have the ocado basket ready to check out on Sunday when they open the christmas slots... All of my make in advance food stuff has been done for two months! Going to make mince pies as I go this year, I made them in advance and put in the freezer last year but they just weren't the same as freshly baked. My mincemeat has been ready for a while and the pastry is easy so it's no biggy .

Almost done- just need alcohol presents and a couple of selection boxes. I really need to start wrapping but I said I wasn't going to open the baileys until mid Dec and you can't not have baileys when you're wrestling with sellotape and ribbon . It feels great knowing its all done!

I'm so excited to be organised! Got so much of my "to do" list crossed off these last 2 days, I've got very little left!

Although 2 things did get added today....both of which were presents I'd forgotten I needed to get!

I'm nearly there - just have a couple of things to get for my dad and for the DC and some bits and pieces that I can get easily this weekend. Some presents for relatives have already gone wrapped and in boxes up to my parents. Am hoping to wrap all the remaining non-DC stuff this weekend too, so that I can save wrapping lovely stocking presents for a nice evening in December with a glass of something nice :) I like wrapping :)