Countdown to Christmas part 2

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Wow! Part two!!

8 months to go

Just been planning dd's list for this year.

We went totally overboard last year with it being her first Christmas. So this year we're scaling back a lot and sticking to a budget

Ok, I went a bit nuts with the Christmas buying earlier. Ebay and a paypal account can be bad things...lol I'm doing my mum a hamper, cherry themed. I went a bit nuts and order from napkins to straws. What's a 66 year old woman want to do with cherry printed straws?! Must step away from the computer...:p

Morning all

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Kitty cherry themed straws sound ace, I bet she'll love it

Thankyou for your meal ideas for Christmas Eve and boxing day!

Ordering some more bits to make the advent calendar sacks this morning.

I've given in and tweeted M&S asking where their Christmas food preview is! 😂

hello again! I am ashamed to report that this thread had disappeared from "Threads you are on"
In my defence, when we broke up from school for the summer, I did have a little frisson of excitement because when term starts in September it will acceptable to start planning for Christmas openly (at least in a school context!).
I have bought lots of stocking fillers for DD (we had a silent auction at a school event with lots of bags of fashionable make up for v reasonable prices). I need to start thinking about DS.
I am also planning Christmas Eve hampers again as they went down very well - I might move the date forward to a "First day of the christmas hols hamper" as hopefully both with be at University this year.
In the meantime I have the challenge of planning something for DH who has a v big birthday this year.

Fluffy, do they not know that we're dying to plan our Christmas buffets!?!

Wheely I will be making them with a lot of help from Pinterest. Gingerbread Bath Bombs. Pretty simple looking - I'll let you know how I get on when the citric acid arrives...

Those look amazing firefly I 💜 pinterest. I've fallen off the Christmas crafts though, I am now inspired to get back on.

Is it bad that I just ordered some baby clothes for friends children's birthdays. ..In order to see the quality before I order them for ds for Christmas.

The Christmas meal ideas are awesome!

I've got two "going to uni" blankets to finish before the end of the summer holidays and blankets and hats to make for two babies due in late September/early October (not mine I hasten to add). Then I can think about Christmas crafts. I'll probably make something for the Woolly Hugs craft sale but I'm not sure if I'll make anything for home. We are pretty poncetastic already with a tree skirt, an advent calendar, a table runner and some festive mini bunting that I have along the bottom of the kitchen cupboards. I'm sure Pinterest will help me out - there's bound to be something crafty that I didn't know I needed

I wouldn't mind a wreath making course, if I can find out if one of the local NT places are running one.

Hi all!!

70s, yes I did and I'm still waiting for the results (although we got an email yesterday to say that they will announce on Friday afternoon rather than Monday morning - as the 2nd round interviews are Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday next week!! So 1 day earlier than I thought!).

Fluffy well done!! I hope you got an answer and you can fill us all in?!

73 cherry themed hamper sounds cool, I hope your DM enjoys her straws - you're never too old for funky straws!

Firefly I'll be watching your experiments with interest, I've pondered making bath bombs before and never been brave enough.

I do need to get a bit of a start made though on other things - I have a baby cardigan to finish off by early October, and I was hoping to do some crafting for this Christmas. And I have not really done a lot of shopping yet - I may get some things in France on Holidays but I do have a lot of people to buy for. Oh well, maybe I will mooch around Amazon while sitting in airports. As it really is a bit early to start writing cards yet - and I will have a LOAD of travel for work in the autumn so plenty of downtime to waste!

My and DM went to a wreath making workshop last year, it was just in a local craft shop but I loved it and I hope they do it again this year!

I have just started to put the feelers out at work for this years Christmas party I only got a few looks so maybe the spirit is rubbing off on them.

I would love to work in the Chrismas purchasing department for a big store like JL or M&S I wonder how one gets a job like that. I am only 25 so could retrain....

I love this board! Am totally going to be making Christmas Tree pancakes on Christmas Eve! Thanks Tootsie

@FireflyGirl you've totally inspired me to try making my own bath bombs.

Here's the response I got from M&S!

M&S you naughty teasers I'm hoping for something spectacular dessert-wise. Preferably chocolate, possibly caramel too 🐷

Firefly Gingerbread bath bombs! Ooo I might copy.....will see how you get on first lol

Tootsie and Viva I'm planning on doing the Christmas tree pancakes too! Tootsie do you use a biscuit cutter and pour the mix into the shape and cook or do you cut the shape out?

My hessian material came today and I've ordered a few other crafty bits to make these advent bag things.

If it goes well I might do the other half one too and put retro sweets in his... he's a big kid. I was going to hang them up like a bunting but I think the lads would peek for sure and the sweets would go. Im thinking of each morning hanging that's days on the tree....will do a bit more Pinteresting to get more ideas

Might do something like this

Oh, gosh! I'm not sure I can cope with all the pressure! If I fail at them now, I won't just be a failure, I'll be a Mumsnet Failure...

So excited i've found this thread!

I'm a bit unhealthily obsessed wth Christmas!

Last year my little girl was only three weeks old and breastfeeding 24/7 plus we had just moved 2 weeks before so Christmas was a bit of a baby blues no sleep disaster which means I'm even more excited for this year!!

Hi rachey!

You're in the right place. We're all a little bit actually a lot mad on Christmas here

Haha good! My partner thinks i'm a little bit mad but who cares!

I have been getting bits and pieces throughout the year. I got quite a bit from the ELC sale for my little girl nd i've just reserved some things from Argos clearance for her too!

I want to do a Christmas Eve box for her any ideas for some goodies which would be suitable for a 1 year old? Xx

Morning!!

Welcome Rachey

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Morning!

Remembered the other day that I still need to get presents for my nieces (DH's brother's kids) in New Zealand. The inlaws aren't going over until January though, so I've time to consider options!

Fluffy have you started your christmas shopping??? Im not that organised as yet

Rachey Christmas eve box in our house is geared towards what we do christmas eve evening i.e watching a movie before they go to bed. Mine are 15 and 16 now so the movie genre has changed somewhat over the years but its generally an Action. But the contents of the box have pretty much stayed the same over the years.
Cosy soft pyjamas - to help them sleep for santa not that they believe in santa, but we've carried on with it-
Posh hot chocolate bits in a new mug - basically a hot choc kit not that the caffeine in the hot choc will help them sleep lol
A DVD each which is what we watch.
Some novelty sweets to have whilst watching the movie i.e there was a stand in the shopping centre that made chocolate shaped tools...spanners, screwdrivers etc why i have no idea but it was a novelty thing

Id keep it simple and put pyjams / baby grow, toys that your little one can chew on and investigate and something tasty.

If anyone else does a christmas eve box, what do you put in yours????

I've almost finished my shopping, Wheely! Not much more to go at all. 😁

I think I'm in danger of having too much, actually. Need to do an audit without the kids around (difficult as they're like sheep when I'm at home, following me everywhere!).

Going to Cardiff on sunday, have said to DP we must try and pick up a few stocking fillers there.

No such thing as too much imo but I am deff a quantity over quality gal! I would rather have a huge pile of relatively cheap stuff than squillions of pounds spent on one or two niace things!

Welcome Rachey - for your Christmas Eve box, it depends on what you want to do with it - is it to keep DC busy in the daytime (so colouring pages and baby crayons, or a toy, or a DVD to watch together would probably be best for a just turned 1 yo)? As DD gets older, you can make it more about craft kits, or ingredients to make cookies for Santa, etc.

Or is it to help the wind down to bedtime? Ours is, and has:
New pjs (for all 3 of us, DD, DH and I!)
A Lush Christmas bath bomb each for DD and I (the Ickle Bots are lovely and lavender filled, as DCs get older there are great festive ones to use too)
A posh hot choc each for all 3 of us (I get the "lump of chocolate on a wooden spoon" types, different flavours to suit us all)
DD's plastic Christmassy plate and glass - to put out Santa's cookie and milk
DD's stocking
The family edition of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" - which is never read in this house until Christmas Eve (loads of other Christmas books get read through December but this is saved) - we bought that for DD's 1st Christmas and it's still tradition to read it now (she's 12 on Boxing Day this year!).

So it's a mix of old things that come out every year, and a couple of new things to be used.