Countdown to Christmas part 2

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Wow! Part two!!

8 months to go

Thanks HairsprayBabe much appreciated. I love this page, it's like a little family xx

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Ok who forgot to countdown 😂

I was in Costco , they do a good range of Christmas decorations ( Or "The Holidays " as they call it being a USA brand )

It'll only be 4 months or so till they get the Christmas Stock in

I need a new tree this year (got rid of the scabby old one last Christmas) We get Costco rewards and NatWest Rewards - DH has dutifully been saving them so I'll tell him suggest that's what we invest in. It'll last years so a good choice I reckon.

We're home this year so going real tree ❤️❤️

Ooh I fancy a real tree! Our fake one is lovely but it's massive and probably not practical with a toddler. Thinking a small one but real - I've been Pinteresting ideas of where I can put it/how to display it in a tasteful way out of the reach of tiny hands!
How long do real ones last? I like my tree up in late November but would I have to wait til much later if I got a real one?

(I love how I can talk about things like this in May and not be judged! I think I've found my people )

We're a lovely festive lot in our little corner of the Internet!

Problem with real trees is you have to wait till into December for it to last properly

Just done my Avon order and in their sale book is cinnamon and nutmeg room fragrance!

We always have a real tree. If we spend Christmas at home I will wait until a few days before the big day to bring the tree inside to make sure it stays fresh. If we spend Christmas with family I get a tree at the start of December to enjoy throughout the month but it tends to look very tired come Christmas. I would actually love a good fake tree but my DH is very much against it 🎄

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I am hoping for a real tree year too - we'll either be at home (and I will push for a real one then) or travelling but not "down home" (any travelling year means the fake comes out). I want to replace the fake as it is 18 years old and has been used over 10 of those, cost £20 old pounds (roughly €25) back then in Primark so has well paid us back at this stage.

I managed another few rows of my DF's scarf this morning while waiting for DD to wake up. No other progress though....

Thanks for the feedback about real trees. I'll have a think. Perhaps I'll need 2 trees!?!

We have a real tree. We got one in a pot and so far it's done 2 Christmases! It comes in at the beginning of the month and turfed back out at the end, as it can't cope with it for much longer than that. 🎄

It's growing in a weird shape now though, but never mind!

We get ours in early December and have a tree stand from the US which has a large reservoir for water - it takes about 2 pints a day and needs topping up most days. So when we buy it, the tree stays in the garden for a couple of days until we are ready to put it up. Then we cut off the bottom couple of inches from the trunk to make it fit well and also to get freshly cut bark at the base. Put it into the tree stand and put it up within a couple of hours, water being the last part of decoration but important to do while the bark is still pretty freshly cut so it rises up, and then keeping it topped up regularly. But keeping it well watered does help enormously with preventing needle drop.

We have some real nice quality fake trees. I put them up around the first week of November, although last year I had one up for bonfire night weekend. We have a seven-footer for the front room, a three-footer for the conservatory and then 3x 1.5-footers we move around. We also have a wooden Victorian type lamp that is about 4 foot tall and led lit that looks fabulous on the middle-landing. Then of course I put led lights up absolutely everywhere. I have them up all year round really - here's my pic again of the hall/stairs lights...

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Oooh lights

Very at the number of trees ( five - cool )

When DD and I look at houses on Rightmove, the first question we ask ourselves is "Where would the Christmas Tree go" ...............

That's always the first thing I think about too

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I'm watching QVC now they have a faux ivy trellis on.

I wrote on my planner to grow some ivy cuttings this month and they'll be ready for Christmas to put in the front garden (no idea what exactly but I'm thinking of training it up a trellis and poncing it up with a candle in a jar maybe)

Ooh 70 that sounds nice.
I'm not green fingered in the slightest but there are a few holly bushes where I walk the dogs so I tend to snip a few bits from there throughout December to use as decoration.

I would love to go back to a real tree but we bought a fake one the first time we were away for Christmas a few years ago and DH loves it. This year we're away again so will be fake but next year, I'm having a real tree.
I love that they're not perfectly symmetrical.

If anyone is near to or planning to go to the Ashford outlet centre the Yankee candle shop has advent calendars reduced to £9 from £30, mine is now tucked away at the back of the Christmas cupboard.
They also have quite a few Christmas candle holders with 70% off and Christmas scented stuff with 30% off.

230 I'd love a real tree but the house is a cupboard too small and we don't drive, maybe in a few years when we have a car and a slightly larger house!

I'm not going be allowed a real tree for a good few years - short of a lottery win we're strictly a one tree family!

I have a decent size house but my living room is small. I only like one tree and want to appreciate that where i spend most time so i have a real potted tree on a table.
This keeps the floor clear and it is great for getting presents round the tree and under the table so works really well and you can still have a good size tree if your ceilings are reasonably high. I try to choose a bushy shaped tree and it looks great so worth considering if you are short of space.

This works for me....

Every week when I go food shopping I buy a gift voucher. Not big amounts- just £2.50 here and £5 there. If I have reward points, I cash them in immediately and up the gift voucher by the same amount. It very quickly adds up and I don't really notice an extra couple of pounds here and there on top of the weekly shop.

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I need to sort out my stash of presents so far as we're off to the uk mainland in a week and if I want to shop I need to know what we already have

I have it worked out, just. But will need to move the cocktail trolley this year.

We should be getting a new sofa so that will give me a little more space to play with, in theory.

I have just decided what we are getting DP's sister, she is 17, loves all foodie things and Japan so we are putting her together a sushi making kit!

I save my reward points so I have them there for the double up promotions (Nectar) for booze at Christmas! I'm almost at £100 in Nectar points now. My aim is to increase my points by, on average, about £10 per month, but this may wane a bit now the My Coupons promotion has ended. If I can get to £140 or so by November when I start to buy bits and bobs I'll be happy.

I also have a £75 M&S gift voucher from buying life insurance, so that's going towards our Christmas food too.

Every year I try to pay for the extras with points / vouchers / cash back etc!