Countdown to Christmas part 2

[SideOrderofSprouts]

Wow! Part two!!

8 months to go

And Sunderland - Unit 1 Hylton Riverside Retail Park Sunderland SR5 3XG UK

Ohh a Christmas thread where people won't lynch me and gets cats bum mouth for mentioning the C word before December! Fab!

I have been saving with Park for several years and start saving as soon as the vouchers are sent out in October.

The problem I ha e this year is my older children, they want nothing the have phones/games console etc. DS has suggested we just give him some money to use throughout the year and maybe a token gift. I don't have a problem with that as such but he's got a birthday in September so that will be the same thing, it seems a bit .... hollow.

Tits I have older DDs and I buy the theatre tickets. Would your DS like something similar - maybe a cinema pass. Is he old enough for driving lessons?

Tits DD is 20 and we're in the same boat. It felt different even last year when she was still a teenager but this year she has her own money and buys the things she wants, rather than having to wait for them for Christmas and birthdays. We were going to get her a games console but she bought it for herself last month Happily though she's a Christmas but cannot imagine where she gets that from so she'll still totally get into the spirit - we'll just do a stocking and lots of smaller, fun, more imaginative gifts with the odd 'nicer' thing (piece of jewellery, theatre tickets, a lovely pair of shoes etc). Money or tokens would completely take the magic out of things, I agree. I'm happy to give cash or tokens for birthdays, but Christmas is about opening gifts under the tree (and devoting a good couple of hours to it, which you just can't do with a couple of envelopes!).

*Christmas NUT

The Camembert is from Morrisons! Even my chef hubby couldn't deny it looked good and wants to get one!

Argh. I dropped off the thread ages ago and have missed loads of good stuff :( darn it.

I now so want a disco shower head too.

Thank you for the list Firefly.

For my 21 year old,I usually do a stocking with a few useful bits, a couple of luxuries he would buy for himself, a couple of cheap fun things, chocolate and then a present.

Oh wow! I had no idea this thread or any others like it existed!

Everyone I know thinks I'm nuts for getting the Christmas stuff in early! So exited to see this thread!!!

I finished the nieces and nephews Christmas shopping in the Debenhams blue cross sale and now on to all of the in laws.

I was on the Christmas pages here a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed them! Last year my little brother died and Christmas was just going through the motions. This year, I'm back with a vengeance! Boy will be 3, and he is well aware of Christmas and how exciting it is. Even my grinchy partner can't dampen our spirits

I am knitting socks for some of my most precious friends (they go down a treat) and have almost finished the first pair of the year. I have also just pre-ordered my gin baubles.

Christmas is definitely on its way!

I'm 24 and my DM always gets me an expensive clothing item for Christmas that I wouldn't get myself - leather jacket, quality boots etc.

Hairspray the toffee vodka sounds delicious! How would one make that?!

Potentially got a new job after 18 months home with my DS. Will only fetch home around £500 extra a month after childcare but thats more for Father Christmas to spend

We have just wrapped the kids' Christmas presents! And joked that the presents will be a surprise for all of us come December! 😂🎅🏻

Fluffy that is super organized!!

I should do this.

DD was too interested in the Entertainer bag on top of the wardrobe, so I decided that wrapping was the sensible option!

I think I should do that, Fluffy. I don't enjoy wrapping, at all. I've tried doing a night wrapping with mulled wine and Christmas music, but I still hate it. Wrap-as-I-go would be better for me.

The only thing stopping me is that my wrapping paper is up in the loft. Might start keeping some down for this reason!

I've got all of next month and September's birthday presents bought and wrapped, and card sellotaped on. It's so nice to be able to just pick the right present/card up and head off to the party!

146

I'm not mad keen on wrapping either! I'm pleased to have got it done.

I keep meaning to start wrapping but as I now work in a school it's getting the time to wrap when I'm not utterly exhausted (evenings) and child-free. Though MIL has offered to have the dc one day next week so maybe I will start the bits I've got then.
I quite like wrapping, just not when I have 100+ presents to do in one evening

Ooh thanks all, it is really just dishwasher vodka with werther's

www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/food-drink/pippa-middleton-s-toffee-vodka-137552 Pippa Midds explains it pretty well yes I have the book but I put it through a coffee filter afterwards for a smoother finish!

I love wrapping, I have instructed DP to not allow me to buy any more ribbon/gift embellishments for this year as I have an overflowing box in the airing cupboard!

Oh I love wrapping!

I have just realized however that with starting work now I won't have my
Days when the girls are at school to
Wrap presents!!

How does everyone else do it?!

When they're in bed! It's the only time we have (though DH will have 5 mornings from Sept, but he's not the gift-wrapper in our house, and I work full time!).

I love wrapping but find if I try to do it all in one go, I get irritated by it and end up rushing just to get it done.

I try to do DS gifts with hubby so he at least knows what he's got (we also use the opportunity to split his gifts between birthday and Christmas) but he has zero interest in wrapping itself so it's all down to me!

This year I need to wrap before I get too massive or else it will just be an even bigger chore!

I don't have children so can't help you there I just tell DP to bugger off when I am wrapping his!

Could you get them to stay with a grandparent/aunt/friend one weekend and blitz the lot? Or else get your DP/DH to take them swimming or something on a few weekend mornings to get them done?

Evenings generally. This year though dh and I are getting mil to babysit one evening and we are going to lakeside for a "date night" or Christmas shopping with dinner. Maybe we can pay for the gift wrapping service

When I was a kid my dad used to take me & DB out for an afternoon, usually with a new toy. I remember one year we took a super frisbee type thing down to the school playground (it was closed for Christmas) and ended up getting it stuck on the roof (luckily the janitor was still working and was very nice and got it down for us!). Took me years to realise that was DM's time to wrap our pressies!!

@HairsprayBabe I hope your family & friends appreciate your hard work, the hampers sound awesome! How do you make Cranberry Gin?