We're rocking around the Christmas tree, waiting for Santa to come to town. It's countdown to Christmas thread 4!!

[SideOrderofSprouts]

99 days to go

disclaimer. This thread is up early because I am old and tired and need to go to bed. It's actually 99 from midnight

I've been hiding a bit, but want to get my Christmas joy back. Is there a poncetastic thread yet? I can't find it- it is the 25th tomorrow.

Sorry about the possible redundancy- I understand why it is done, but I think the advance notice that X number will lose their jobs in two weeks is awful- the advance notice just means people stress for ages and the atmosphere in the office is awful. Fingers crossed for you.

I have my first winter cold! Sure sign that Christmas is coming though sore throats and streaming nose make it harder to be enthusiastic about it

Quim, I'll keep fingers crossed for your Dh. We've been through a couple of financially strained christmases and I know how worrying it can be.

Handbag, hope your little niece is doing well.

Ahyabastard, I hope the meeting goes well and your dd settles down. Worrying about dc is so draining.

You forgot the countdown, Ann!

91

Happy Rudolph day all!

It is totally peeing it down here today and it was dark when I got to the office!

Plus with strictly starting I feel like winter is well and truly on its way!

Happy Rudolph Day!

I managed to spend a few hours tackling the study yesterday - although the spare room looks like a bomb hit it again. But it's organised chaos this time - 1 Cubs pile, 1 CI pile, 1 Asperger/ADHD pile, 1 general DD pile, a crafts area and a Christmas pile. So I plan to tackl those 1 at a time to cull by at least 50% each. And I nicely heated up the house last night burning confidential papers.

We don't watch Strictly, but The Apprentice starts next week so that feels nicely Autumnal.

I am getting on with the hall painting this week, as I want it to look beautiful when I put the decs up. I'm hoping it'll just take this week and next (hall and landing, plus stairs, and lots of doors) so I can get the new stair carpet ordered and down asap.

Have a Rocking Rudolph Day, all

Damn you Tesco with your three for the price of one chocolate organs. I have a chocolate hangover this morning. Worry and stress is a dangerous thing when you've got 12 chocolate organs in the Christmas food cupboard. Or, um, 10 and three quarters. Oops.

Thanks all for your good thoughts. Feeling a bit more positive today and we've decided that Christmas is going to happen whatever so we'd really rather enjoy it than dread it if possible. In a way if the worse happens it's better from a Christmas point of view that it does in December than much earlier in the year - thanks to my meticulous planning, saving and buying, lots of stuff is in place already whereas earlier in the year we'd have less put away and less money to do so. If you see what I mean So we'll budget more tightly in the time that's left just in case, and look forward to a lovely, close family Christmas in 'isolation' from other worries. I think we'll deserve it! And if the news is good, it'll be champagne all the way...

Happy Rudolph Day one and all - only two left to go!

We cracked open a chocolate orange this weekend :) 3 months to go!!

Hopping on for advice. Does anywhere do 3 for 2 I need 2 hatchimals and a pj masks headquarters and they are hideously expensive. Does anyone have the headquarters, it looks like it should be 20 not £50.

I had my first mince pie of the year last weekend and the second one yesterday. Full steam ahead on my felt embroidery advent calendar too.

That's good, Quim. I'm glad you've been able to make that decision. It pays to be a Christmas nut sometimes!

I've just joined Sparks so I get my Christmas food preview next week. Suckered in! 😂

Is it just a snapshot fluffy or the whole thing?!

Whole thing, CBeebies. Goes live for everyone on 5th.

So will you get it on the 1st fluffy? Might just have to join myself :)

Happy Rudolph Day!

I might join M&S just for that as well...

DS was up half the night with a fever, so I was up with him and it was my turn to be off work with him. Worst possible timing, as I've got a 2-day trial starting tomorrow and Counsel always wants the world the day before! Managed by spending half the day on my phone, and delegating what I couldn't do to colleagues. But been a bit stressful and DS wouldn't nap, so DH came home early and I've disappeared to bed and am watching Martha Stewart create the 12 days of Christmas

What type of law do you practise, Firefly? I do a variety of negligence-based things and have just returned to Claimant work after 2 years on the 'dark' side.

CBeebies, it's 3rd for Sparks members and 5th for others according to a post on the M&S food thread on the Christmas board somewhere!

Ah might just hang on then fluffy :)

I'll just tease you with what I can see! 😂

Mostly personal injury, with some professional negligence and bits of commercial.

It's a multi-track PI fraud case tomorrow, with 4 Claimants, one of whom can't attend due to anxiety issues.

But the Defendant solicitor doesn't have a compliant witness statement and has summonsed the Defendant so presumably they've struggled to get her to cooperate. Without her evidence, their fraud allegations pretty much go out of the window.

Counsel has had the bundle since Thursday, and decided today they want a million other irrelevant documents.

Apologies for work talk, everyone else

Now you all know my dirty secret. But on the plus side, you can appreciate why I like to escape into the Christmas threads whenever I can

Gotta love it when Counsel does that. I've not had too many trials (I've won them all, however!) but at least as a Defendant you don't have to produce the bundle!

But no compliant statement = not allowed to give evidence. Fx it goes your way!

I spent years doing PI, so I feel your pain!

It's good to know there's another Christmas-mad lawyer hanging around in here though...I have none in my real life! 😂

Feeling very pleased with myself today. Went to B&M for a nosy and discovered a Haribo advent calendar which I bought for ds aged 10. Chemo has made him very anti chocolate so I was chuffed to find this alternative for him ☺ 🎗

Well done, Muddling. I bet he'll love it!

Good find @MuddlingThroughLife How is your DS doing?

I've put my fruit in to soak for Christmas cake (in amaretto) and have managed to acquire another 6 chocolate oranges 😂 and I'm busy googling crochet orange covers to give them as Christmas presents to my colleagues.

Hope your son is doing well muddling?

Well I have been hit by the bug that has worked it's way through my office 🤒 High temp, headache, cough, the works. Have spent my rudolph day browsing Pinterest for Christmas tree ideas (no idea why when mine is practically the same every year).

Ps Thank you for the well wishes for dniece. She's doing very well (and being quite greedy) which is good, however, I have been banned due to my illness so am hoping to get better quickly.

Gravy and red cabbage made for christmas, house smells amazing!!