Countdown to Christmas part 2

[SideOrderofSprouts]

Wow! Part two!!

8 months to go

Thewoolly did your dh pull faces? That house that'll take 3 trees sounds fab!

Viva I hadn't thought about getting presents on Amazon prime day!! That's why I'm on this thread to get the obvious tips lol. I'm going to an advent calendar were they get a cheesy Christmas cracker type of toy /little gift each day. Amazon prime day would've been perfect for that

164 (We forgot to count yesterday!)

I'm eagerly awaiting the M&S food announcement this week, as this is the week it was announced last week. I'm rather impatient (as it's where I'm getting our food this year!).

Im way too excited for christmas this year. Think its because my two will be 3 and 1 so more into it :D we have also had the crappest 2017 going so I want it to end on a good note!

have written my lists for them!

He's only back in the early hours tonight. I sent him a link and he says it's too big Whatever happened to size doesn't matter

Oh eenie is your 3yo at playgroup/nursery? Do they do a nativity play?

I work in a pre-school and we do a nativity every year. I sob all the way through it and my youngest left nursery 7 years ago. They all look so sweet in their little costumes.

I love the m&s foodchristmas catalogue

It's Christmas food porn

@SideOrderofSprouts me too. However, being married to a chef, I'm not allowed to buy any of it because 'I could make that for us' - he inevitable ends up working most of Christmas (except Christmas Day) and therefore has no time to prepare any of said lovely foods! Maybe this year I'll just order it!

It really is, Sprouts I bloody love it. And Booths' offerings too!

Tootsie just say to him that you know he but as he

My SIL sends me the Booths book every year. I have that, the M&S catalogue, the Waitrose catalogue and the Morrisons and Tesco books and I plan all our menus for the festive season. I've never bought enough from Booths for them to deliver but I usually manage a trip up north in November time and can get some goodies.

Once I get back from my holiday I'm going to start picking up Morrisons saver stamps as I buy the bulk of my Christmas dinner stuff there. I'll also get a couple of M&S cards between now and the end of November so I can go into our local food hall and splurge on treats.

Has anyone seen Aladdin the Musical? My DDs were singing along when watching the League of Their Own Road Trip as one of the tasks was set in the Aladdin show on Broadway. Tickets are available for the West End version and I'm tempted to get some. I was trying for Ed Sheeran tickets but no luck.

The Booths book is a thing of utter beauty! Proper food porn right there.

I've got a £75 M&S voucher plus I currently have £127.00 in Nectar points and should have around £30-£40 more come Christmas as they throw points at you if you have a delivery pass!

I might get a few bits from Booths, but the bulk will be bought using the above. We're doing what we did last year: bacon sandwiches for breakfast then buffet from lunchtime onwards to pick at. We will have a roast of some description on Boxing Day.

I can't wait to start the planning! 😁

We'll do the same as last year

Steak dinner on Christmas Eve
Chocolate chip panettone for breakfast with Buck's Fizz
Turkey (crown) on Christmas Day
Christmas Dinner pie on Boxing Day

The difference this year is that it will all be done without DM pulling a cats bum face and saying "Another glass of wine!"

Although saying that I don't know where she's staying for Christmas - she is welcome here but she didn't enjoy the drive and she felt that she was a nuisance. She wasn't but the was no convincing her.

She will have to come to us, Woolly! (Though she may not approve of the lack of proper dinner. Or the booze we will drink!)

I might take you up on that Fluffy . Will you take her to Mass?

I'd love MIL to come. That woman knows her way round a good bottle of Merlot and she has none of those old fashioned ideas about Wifework. DH (who is fantastic and stacks a dishwasher like a pro) gets short shrift from her as she thinks I'm a saint.

My inlaws are Catholic; she can go with them!

Job's a good 'un...when am I getting her?! 😂 🎅 🎄

We're home this year so am definitely ordering from m&s

I have no idea what we will end up doing this year re parents / in law...

my folks won't go out on Christmas Day, so we always end up going to see them for a couple of hours, which is a pain, but always nice.

MIL is on her own, so I feel bad if we don't invite her to ours for day....

Need to do some serious thinking about this year - will have a potentially only 2 week old as well as an almost 3 year old, so it's going to be very different!

Ooh that sounds difficult tootsie.

All of mine have been great sleepers but dealing with a newborn AND Christmas AND visiting would still have been a struggle at two weeks post partum.

If you are close enough would your parents and MIL come by taxi - if indeed it is a 'we don't want to drive' issue. Would they understand if you didn't visit on Christmas Day itself?

Tootsie my other half is a chef too. Any pre prepared food he scoffs at and eating out is a nightmare.....he analyses the food and tells me which supplier he thinks it's from. Drives me up the wall lol

Haven't heard of Booths will google.
My 7ft Christmas tree comes tomorrow!!

When searching for other stockists of pug paper on a roll (no luck) last night I came across this website which has some gorgeous Christmas stuff. I haven't ordered anything yet but will report back when I do.

Tootsie I think you have to be selfish this year. Your parents' refusal to travel is their problem, not yours, so they can either not see you, or drop that habit, this year.

I'd probably invite your MiL round on the proviso that she helps / is hands-on with either the food or the children (the choice of which is yours!).

Since having kids we've said that we aren't schlepping the kids about. Christmas is for them, and we aren't spending it travelling! It may sound harsh, but that's how it is. Anyone who wants to see us can come round, but don't expect us to travel!

(My own, non-travelling, parents live about 3.5 hours' away...down near Woolly! Thankfully they understand our approach and we do go down during the festive period.)

Christmas Dinner pie on Boxing Day

Oh Woolly, sounds interesting, what's in it?

163

It's pretty much exactly how it sounds Kitty

Chopped up Christmas meats (I use turkey and ham) with chopped up stuffing and pigs in blankets. Cover it all with gravy and top with a puff pastry lid (I use readymade).

Serve with mash and veg and extra pigs in blankets and gravy. I usually assemble it all bar the pastry on Christmas night so Boxing Day dinner takes about an hour tops.

Sounds yummy, Woolly!

Had a brief chat last night ....

think we will aim to stay at ours this year, MIL is welcome to come from late morning (I like Christmas morning just us) , and my folks can either pop down and see us, or we see them on Boxing Day. They only live 30 mins away, but they just don't like leaving the house on Xmas day... never have. I'd like to hope this year they might make an exception!

I just don't want to have to drag anyone out, particularly myself as I'm quite likely to have a c section again if baby is late, so everything will be at least twice as hard work, if not much more! We need to plan for the easiest, stress free Christmas possible this year.

@Wheelycote - everyone always thinks being married to a chef must be amazing and we must eat like queens! The reality is so very different 🙈