One festive thing per day throughout December - who fancies it?

[bangbangprettypretty]

I've had a frankly shitty year and am really looking forward to Christmas.

I thought a non-stressful Christmassy activity a day would be lovely to prepare for December 25.

Anyone fancy joining in?

I'm planning a mix of easy crafts, some carols etc or some festive food and drink to make me feel more festive and less frazzled!

Kirstie McColl and The Pogues 'Fairytale of New York' in the car coming home from work tonight! Yay! Christmas is official now

Just started on xmas playlist on deeza....

Love Fairytale of New York!

Never heard of Deeza, will check it out!

My carol concert last night was just lovely, felt full of anticipation and calm as I honked away!

Bang the Carol concert sounds lovely.

Yesterday I popped out whilst the children were at school and work and picked up a couple more presents.

Oldest DD12 took the Christmas presents into school yesterday that she'd bought for her closest friends,she said there was alot of excited squealing whilst the girls opened they're presents,they're poor poor teachers.

Managed to organize the 3 youngest DC(DS14,DD12 and DD8)last night and they wrote out they're cards for they're friends at school,they've taken them in today to hand out.

I wrote out the cards for my Aunties and Uncles and finished wrapping they're presents,wrapped presents for 2 of my great nieces and nephews last night.DH is going to deliver them all for me today.Now I just need to write out about 20 Christmas cards for my Dad,my big brother,one of my nephews and the neighbours then DH can go and deliver them.

Deeza is like spotify... Its £10 pm but can play pretty much anything on it. I added FTONY last night!

Today I bought my christmas wrap from m and s outlet, cards for dcs to send waste, crackers and some TA gifts. Oh and a small fibre optic tree --kitten-/

Found out yesterday that my Dad had been taken into hospital so most of my plans went to pot yesterday but DH did deliver all the neighbours cards for me.

One of my Aunties and Uncles popped round to see us today so we got to exchange gifts and cards with them which was really nice.

DH helped me sort out our 5DC stockings today,so now I have lists of what everyone has in they're stockings and what else we need to buy to finish them all and I've put the gifts we have got into they're stockings.
Also managed to get 4 presents wrapped as well.

Got the Dogs and Cats stockings out,just need to find where I've stuck the bits that we bought them all now.

The last bits for youngest DDs class presents arrived today so I'll get those all put together tonight(when the 3 youngest are in bed)and then I need to get all the teachers presents wrapped and bagged up.

Oh Holidays I hope your Dad is doing OK. I hope he gets to come home for Christmas. My DF has been ill this year and it's so worrying.

So I'm going to try and be a tiny bit more structured with my festive plans.

My plan for tonight is:
December 9: START READING SOMETHING FESTIVE

A festive book like Dickens' A Christmas Carol, No Holly for Miss Quinn by Miss Read, A Winter Flame by Milly Johnson - something to make me feel a bit cosy inside!

I have loads to do this evening so if I can't make it that far, I'll try and read a short story on my Kindle or a festive news story.

I hope everyone's Advents are going OK!

I'm also going to light some tealights around the house and put my Christmas oil burner on.

excuse the one handed tying, i have one of the guinea-pigs

i washed the glass tealight holders - i have a screen on the kitchen windowsill that holds 12 candles, and a wire tree that holds 5.
i need more tealights though - yankee candles

i bought the christmas tv times - yes , that counts as festive reading

Holidays I hope your Dad is ok.

70 I am looking forward to browsing my newly purchased Radio Times in in bed this evening.

I have had a nice couple of festive days.

Monday evening me and DS attended the Christingle service at church. It's one of my highlights of Christmas and always makes me feel very festive.

Yesterday lunchtime it was my work Christmas meal with the rest of my team which was lovely.

Today I have written and posted all of my overseas Christmas card

Thank you Bang and Vista,he has a nasty chest infection but they're treating it in the hospital so fingers crossed he'll be out by next week hopefully.

My festive thing for today is going to be:

MAKE SOMETHING CREATIVE

I haven't decided quite what yet, but maybe some festive peppermint creams as gifts, a homemade craft like name tags to go around the table on Christmas Day, or bundling up some cinnamon sticks in red ribbon.

Sounds lovely to me! Who's doing something festive today?

Ok I made the peppermint creams to a Mary Berry recipe and they were LOVELY! I might get some edible spray glitter to make them look festive but they're already pretty!

Yum too

Tomorrow I'm going to: DO A BIT OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
I have some Secret Santas to buy so it makes sense just to blitz it on one night if I possibly can. Need a few more gifts for family too.

Finished getting all of youngest DD's friends presents ready.All of the teachers presents are now wrapped and bagged up and put into 3 separate boxes so we know who's is who's.

Last of the Aunties and Uncles cards and presents dropped of today by DH,also managed to drop of a Great Nephew and Great Nieces presents of today,very lucky with the traffic this time,only 40 minutes driving there and back in the past it's taken over and hour to just get there.

The new chains we bought for the childrens rooms have been hung up and DH fetched everyone's Christmas bedding out of the attic for me today and I've got that all washed and dried ready to put onto all the beds whilst the DC are at school and work on Friday.

Seeing my Dad Friday,going to check how he's getting on and no doubt have a small breakdown when he tells me he's sorted nothing for Christmas this year so needs me to get it all sorted,bought,wrapped,wrote and delivered on the same day.

I have just posted cousins christmas present and give ds1's key worker her christmas presents.

I also bought a teeny tree this week as we have a kitten. Its quite freeing not having to decorate a big one, do lights etc!

Bang oh peppermint creams that brings back lovely memories for me.

My big brother(he's 13 years older than me)learnt to make them when I was little and made some as a surpise one day for me and our parents near Christmas,they were lovely and I still well up a little bit when I think about it.

Got everyone's Christmas bedding put onto they're beds today,the children were all really excited when they got home and saw all they're beds ready for Christmas.

Popped into town and got the last of the stocking fillers and finished filling the 5DC stockings,whoopee I'm so glad that's done now.Bought the 2 girls some more Christmas cards to send,oldest DD has wrote some of hers,including one for each of our 3 dogs(we may be the only people in the world who's Dogs get overly excited when ever Father Christmas is mentioned)just hope she doesn't do one for each of the 3 rabbits,the hamster and the cat next.[santa]
Bought some more bits for the dogs stockings.
Bought a leaving and good luck card for one of the DC main teachers who is leaving soon.

Picked up some gifts for a Mum at youngest DD school,she's on the PTA and does so much for the whole of the school and all of the children and supports tons of the family's,it's like a full time job but she does it all for no pay whatsoever and she's such a lovely person but I think she pretty much gets forgotten by everyone when it comes to times like Christmas presents and cards so I thought it might be a nice gesture to just let her know how much we appreciate everything she does for everyone and the whole school.

Also picked up the Christmas TV magazine thanks to this thread ,never thought to buy it before but with 5DC who all like different things it should help me be able to record some nice films and programs for them all.

Hope everyone else has had a good day and managed to get some of they're Christmas bits ticked of they're lists.

What lovely things everyone is doing! Holidays it is so kind to remember the volunteer!

Braved the shops last night and it was actually OK, got absolutely loads done so was glad I'd gone. Bargains galore in some places, I never go crazy but it's nice to work the budget thoroughly!

Today my aim is: DO SOME FESTIVE COOKING

We have some friends over later this evening so I'm going to spend the morning getting everything ready and filling the house with nice smells so it feels inviting! I can already hear DH in the kitchen chopping away - he'll do the whole main course and I can just concentrate on the starter and pudding!

Ooh I'll definitely get a Christmas Radio Times too, I've never bought one before either! Good work, this thread!

The dc will write their Christmas cards today and later we will make stained glass biscuits for the Christmas tree.

Tomorrow we are to see father Christmas!

Today I took DS to see Father Christmas which was lovely despite the appalling weather today.

Tomorrow I have got friends coming round for a festive drink. First time I have held a Christmas party so a bit nervous but I am sure it will be great fun.

Thanks Bang your evening sounds like fun I hope your all having a good time.

We had youngest DD8 Dance show today,the last one of the year.It was really good but finished quite late so we ordered a chinese for dinner for everyone once we'd got in.

Earlier in the day I managed to move some of the Christmas presents about as I need to make space for the Christmas tree going up on Monday.

Tonight DH helped me make up to the beer and treats hampers we'd bought for 2 of our nephews(they're both adults incase any one think's I've completely lost the plot and bought beer for small children) then he helped me get them all wrapped up(I came close to wrapping myself in the cellophane at one stage)then I realized I hadn't bought everything for the hampers for my Dad and big brother(I had convinced myself that I had)so I now need to get the rest of the bits for they're hampers so I can get those wrapped up.

The little one's were tired so have gone to bed so I shall be treating myself to one of these soon although judging from my above post most people will think I've already been drinking as it is

Sounds good!

My festive activity today will be: WATCH A CHRISTMAS FILM.

Thought something easy was in order for today, given it's Sunday after all!

I'm planning to have a quiet day and spend some time on the sofa. Our guests didn't leave until 2am so I'm knackered now and feel like a festive film would be just the ticket!

The day was really good yesterday, it all made me feel really contented and expectant for Christmas.

My Christmassy thing today is: my staff Christmas lunch. Some team bonding would be a good thing; it's been a bit disjointed but underneath it all we do all get on.

Then tonight, I think some present wrapping to a Christmas cd. Might open some wine, too...!

Morning,

Bang 2am no wonder you needed a rest,you must throw a good party.

Sunday I went into town with our second oldest DC,DS17 to help him get his Christmas shopping done and then we went to Bella Italia for lunch.The meal was lovely and we tried a festive cocktail each but the town was packed full of people that looked lost,fed up or both.We were the lost looking one's

DH got all of the Christmas decorations down from the attic yesterday.We got the Christmas tree up and decorated,the inside decorations put out downstairs and in the childrens rooms,DH put up all the decorations outside.

I managed to get all of the presents wrapped I'd bought for DH on Sunday whilst he took the children to school and wrapped the presents I'd picked up for our 2 oldest children.Wrote all 5DC cards from me and they're Dad,wrote DH's cards from me and the 5DC.

Ordered some more presents,still more to get though.

That sounds lovely holidays!

Going to do some wrapping in a bit I think...

Evening all. Wrapping is one of biggest tasks left to do. My plan is to do it this weekend. Hopefully there will be some good Christmas films on to get me in the mood.

Yesterday I watched DS's Nativity which was lovely. Today I have finished and posted my Christmas Cards finally.