Countdown to 2016 - a whole extra day to wait.

[AbbyCadabby]

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[santa]

Ooh it's gone quiet!

I was so tempted the other day Rudolph Day to announce to everyone that it was only 11 months til Christmas. I held my tongue though, I knew I'd get slaughtered :o

I did say it in work on 26th, that we had less than 11 months to go - yes, the only other girl in the office at the time did look at me (Grinch!!).

I think DH had a delayed Christmas party last night, in effect. He didn't really get one himself, and his colleague was in having a procedure done in late Dec so missed the party season entirely. They had a client event last night, and after the clients were gone, continued on themselves. So instead of "might be nearer 9 than 8 as a few clients are coming", he rolled in the door at 3.30am (having sent taxi driver off with payment and instructions on where to drop colleague)!!

I am in a "sleep is for the weak" week, I don't know why, but I need a quiet weekend. So a further disrupted night last night was not the most welcome....

Nothing done on my planning ahead, but I am finally catching up on some other planning I had done and actioning a few things at home. And I got quite a lot done, and handed on to others, at work this week (lots more hanging over me, but ...things done!!). So all is moving in a positive direction.

Ha, I put on my Fb that it was 11mo til Xmas, got a few haterz!

Some Christmas bargains in Aldi this morning: mulled cider reduced to £1.49 and a "Mrs Christmas" dress and hat for DD1, down to 49p! They had crackers at 29p a box, and tinsle for 9p!

Fab Zombie, will pop in to ours tomorrow they usually have a great bargain bin bit!

Less than eleven months to Christmas? Bollocks, I haven't got the sprouts on yet! Good job we like them crunchy!

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Got some great bits in town today unfortunately my Aldi only had gift tags left. Clintons had lovely Christmas scented reed diffusers reduced to £3 so got a few of those.

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Am planning to update my Christmas book today with ideas for Christmas 2016 based on comments from DCs and my thoughts on what went well eg no more gloves as stocking fillers for DS! I will make a note of items bought in the sales. I planned to do this on 25 th as I am considering embracing Rudolph Day.

Rattling on here: putting some cash away (actually attempting to save properly this year). Nearly out of dastardly January!

Can't believe it's almost February. That means it's only 8 months until we start to see all the Halloween decorations in the shops

We will be eating out for Christmas dinner this year, so i've just got an envelope out & will start putting £10 or £20 in it at the end of every month, so by the time it needs paying in November I won't feel it. Got about £20 saved on my Asda card so far, and £4 worth of nectar points on my sainsburys card. That will pay for a bottle of nice champagne come December, hopefully.

327 and it is now FEBRUARY!
We can start thinking about spring and Easter!

10 months til Advent!!!

Went to monsoon and bought 4 black wool 'poncho' type things with tassles - really nice feel to them.£28 down to £8.10 each. Thought they would be better than the usual type smelled/candle stuff we usually buy plus I can see all 4 wearing them.

326!

I like your thinking Abby. Advent is one of my favourite times of year.

I finally got to use my Christmas Eve bath bomb last night - DD was at me - and the green colour of the water!!, and proceeded to point out (in response to my saying it was now 2 months since Christmas, as we are in February!) that it was less than a month since Christmas ended as that wasn't until 6th January!! Pedant!

Tonight, I am having a painter call in, to quote for painting the walls in time for Christmas. Admittedly, the plan was they would be done before Christmas 2015, but things ran away from us, so we are aiming to get them done this month instead.

And I have a paperwork night planned after he leaves - scouts stuff, then daily schedule charts for DD, then US tax returns (only 5 years to do!), and finally updating the Christmas lists and doing my Christmas post-mortem on paper. That might take me a couple of nights to complete......

In thinking of the list of celebrations - I need to figure out the dates for 2 upcoming ones - Chinese New Year (I know it will be the year of the Monkey starting) and Pancake Tuesday (must be soon as Easter is early). And it's our 16th wedding anniversary this weekend as well - we are hoping to get out for dinner.

Biddy they are both next week. Chinese New Year is Monday (8th) and Pancake Day is Tuesday (obvs )

Then comes one of my two annual struggles to get my mostly-lapsed-but-still-filled-with-Catholic-guilt family to eat non meat meals. I think I'll give up trying to get them to eat fish and cook cheese and tomato pizza for them and a veg curry for me (cheese allergy)

OOoh thanks Woolly

(We routinely fail on both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday - not intentionally but completely forgetting it quite often. Although, we usually claim ourselves the dispensation for travelers on Good Friday as we are usually driving down to either DPs or DPILs and need sustenance on the road. DSis and DF are not unknown to go to the annual Leinster/Munster rugby fixture where a glass of beer is allowed to be consumed, although they do limit it to 1!).

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DD2 bought me the Christmas Eve Yankee Candle as part of my Christmas present. I've got a rare evening hour to myself as everyone else is busy. I've just lit it so six weeks later it is Christmas Eve again in the Woolly house.

emoji fail

I'm burning Sparkling Cinnamon (wax melts) I love this fragrance.

DS has the face on................ "Christmas was weeks ago, Mother"

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70 you're just doing as the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge did when he said "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year". As we all do on this thread - Christmas isn't just for December

The weather was so springlike here yesterday, the air smelled different too. Like it wasn't winter anymore. We've probably got plenty more filthy weather to come but it's lovely to start thinking about spring and Easter. Christmas seems like forever ago! Yet it's only six weeks since DD was unwrapping her presents. Strange to think it's only slightly longer - seven weeks - until Good Friday!

Biddy happy anniversary - I hope you manage to get out for dinner

Hullo everyone. I feel really tired and post-Christmas January bleuh. Both of our DCs have birthdays in January so December and January seem to pass in a whirl of lists and wrapping paper.

I have started thinking about DD's party for next year and may have been having a look see on Pinterest. DP thinks am bonkers.

I was in Accessorize yesterday birthday present shopping for 2 parties DD has this weekend and while I was there I bought a few small things for DD which I will keep for her stocking. I was feeling quite festive and organised and then went and watched the Revenant which knocked any warm glow straight out. Have never seen such a brutal film!