Anyone started prep for 2018?

[cheesemumma]

I know I must be crazy but bought matching Xmas jumpers for the family in the next sale last week and booked our panto tickets.

Got to admit a little excited already.

What does anyone else do throughout the year?

@cheesemumma Previous pic was some of the wooden spoons, not sure if I have pics of the whole collection, if not I will take one in a little while.
These are birdhouses I made for my plush snowmen to hold. The snow was made with shaving foam, white glue and glitter. It looks all puffy and gorgeous. Instructions in Pinterest. Looking for small robins to clip on to them this year but I can't find any small enough..

Got new decorations in the sales, plus loads of wrapping paper ready and waiting. I buy most things in the July sales.

@cheesemumma here are a few more of the spoons, sorry about the quality, I had to crop it out of the corner of a family pic as I don't seem to have close ups of them. Will do better next year! (I was sick at Christmas) The Santa has a white pompon and behind him is an elf though you can barely see it. There is also a reindeer.

Yep I always gave a look in the jan sales for next xmas. Got my 2 daughters some clothes & fleecy blankets. I pick up bits as I see them as it spreads the cost out. I don't get main pressies until much closer as they tend to change their mind

MrsChrimbo I really struggle with small gifts for my kids advent calendar as the drawers are small. Last two years I put chocolate in there but of course come Dec they are inundated with the stuff and they couldn’t care less about the chocolate. What else could I put in there do you think? DSs are 5 and 2.

@ski40 I love those little spoons how cute are they? I think that will be a definite with my little ones. Though I doubt they'll look anything near that good when we do them.

@cheesemumma Thanks they were very fun to make and cheap too. You can't appreciate it in the photos because my phone is rubbish but they are quite glittery. There are tons of samples on google that are very easy to copy. Do show us if you make them! 😍

Ah what a nice thread! I love Christmas, and planning for it. I'm usually a total procrastinator and crap at organising, but when it comes to Christmas I'm highly motivated as I love it so much! I have a Christmas folder which is just a ring binder to save stuff in with a picture of Buddy the Elf on the front - I used to put it away with the decorations every year but I've realised that's pointless, as the best thing to do is add to it through the year. At the weekend, I cut out loads of recipes, pictures, etc from Christmas magazines and filed them in the folder! I had a great time. I'm also looking out for stuff to put in crackers (I've made my own the last couple of years, and it's always a bit of a challenge to find stuff that will fit in them when you are under time pressure!).
I love your decorations Ski40

Aaah @PrivateParkin you are like my lost sister 😍 I am also a die hard procrastinator for everything else in life and the biggest scatterbrain ever born. But Christmas! I also do the binder thing, I buy tons of magazines in the run up to Christmas. One of the cupboards in my dresser is full of them. I also look up magazines from other countries on Issuu and "clip" photos and articles onto my Christmas Pinterest boards. I loved what you said about the cover picture! 😄 Mine is just plain purple outside. Got to do something about that now you've put it in my head lol. X

Ah that's lovely Ski - yes it just shows what we can do when we put our minds to it eh?! I love your idea about magazines from other countries! I haven't heard of Issuu - will definitely look into that. I always used to think people who planned Christmas in advance took all the fun out of it, but now I'm older and have more to do in life (!) I realise getting organised is the way forward. I was always so depressed after Christmas, even as a young kid (woe betide any annoying adult who would announce "That's it, all over for another year!" on Christmas night, which someone always did!). But now I think, if you want to keep it going throughout the year, by planning and organising and putting things aside etc, and you enjoy it, then why not? Plus it helps with budgeting and reducing stress in December - what's not to love?!

SleepFreeZone I also used to struggle to find things to put in my son's advent calendar so gave up and now every christmas eve a mini christmas tree arrives in my sons bedroom while he is asleep and 24 presents are wrapped up underneath instead. He thinks Father Christmas puts it there and I haven't told him otherwise. Like I said as I got all the bits from toys for a pound it only cost me £24 which is what some normal advent calendars cost and the look on his face is magical, perhaps you could try doing something like that instead, although that does then make your advent calendar redundant, you could just put a little chocolate or sweet in each one? x

What other sweet little things do you do for your kids to make it special? I want my kids when older to say mum always used to...

I’m actually wondering whether to get Lego advent celebders this year. I know my five year old would love it!

SleepFree we've had a couple of the Lego City calendars - they are pricey but ace!

@PrivateParkin I have made my own crackers when I've had the time and sourcing the pressies to put inside is the most fun part ☺ I gather things through the year, some for pennies (cheap pendants from ebay, lip gloss, stickers...), some for free (sachets of perfume or beauty products from magazines, freebies I claim through the post from freebie websites...). Also wrapped chocolates. I source and print my own proper jokes as I don't like the cheesy ones. The beauty of it is how you can personalise the contents for each guest. 😍

@cheesemumma I always make a big glass jar of "Elf cereal" which is a mix of all the naughty, sugary, chocolatey types of cereals they like with Smarties. It's their breakfast during the school holidays.

I lay out a hot chocolate bar across three shelves on my kitchen window. I cover the glass in snow spray and snowflake stickers, line the shelves with fake snow fabric and lay out jars of cocoa and white chocolate powder, sprinkles, mini marshmallows, candy canes... In between I place little snowmen and reindeer. Then I scatter clear iridiscent glitter over the snow

and put LED candles or battery powered white fairy lights between the jars. The actual jars are just clear glass from Poundland and decorated with cheap Xmas ribbons from eBay and labels I print from Pinterest or simple Google image searches. The kids love coming home to their hot chocolate after walking the dog or going to look at Xmas lights.

On Xmas Eve, while I put the kids to bed, DH sneaks downstairs and plays youtube videos with sounds of jingle bells and Santa going HoHoHo and we get them to jump out of bed and look out for him in the sky. They go MAD 😂

I always photocopy their lists to Santa to put in their scrapbooks and I will give them to each child as they leave home.

My husband is just as Christmas mad as me and I always told him that if he was a bah humbug type that would be a deal breaker for me, I truly couldn't live with someone who didn't like Christmas, it gives me so much joy. 😍

Ski what truly lovely ideas. Deffo gonna do the hot chocolate thing. That can be prepared before time. And love the father Christmas sounds.

We go to Panto every New Years Eve and when we arrive, we book the following years tickets, so we have panto tickets.

I've still got wrapping paper and cards that I brought in the sale from Clinton's about 3 years ago. Everything was half price buy one get two free and I'm sure it was a mistake!

I've got stamps ready to post out cards

I allocate every person (except DH and DS) on both sides of the family an envelope and put on it how much we spend. Then every December I starting putting the money away. Because of overtime and extra work, I've only got two more envelopes to fill then present money is sorted.

I've also got DH a couple of bits that were in the sale.

Yay! Yesterday I ordered two lovely new nutcrackers for my husband's collection, one is a snowman and the other an elf.
Today I received some more of the frosted dark green tinsel I like so much. I use it everywhere 😄

I'm going to do the envelope idea. And maybe have an extra envelope for Xmas food shop. Great idea thanks.

Yes. I have the wrapping paper, bows, ribbon and sellotape all ready. I'm going to do my lists (of presents) this month and start buying them next month. Aiming to be completely done (or at least 80-90% done) by August. Then I can actually enjoy the festive period instead of being in a present-decorations-cards-gifts-sale frenzy like last year. Too stressful and took all of the joy out of Christmas

There is a book I got for free on Kindle Unlimited,by Alison May, called Countdown to Christmas that is a beautiful read for xmas nuts like us. It's full of lovely ideas to make the preparations for Christmas feel as festive as the holidays themselves.
I have also started to watch Youtube videos on the subject, my favourite at the moment is Brianna K, I love how she has decorated her house. If you have a minute just check out her tree!! It's so gorgeous I could cry, with 3 different sets of lights on, I'm definitely taking notes from her!

I've just started my food shop savings, I got a savings card with Sainsbury's and put £10 on it, I'm going to put £10 on every couple of weeks so I have about £200 for the Christmas food shop.

I bought the Christmas pudding in Waitrose in the sale. Have bought my and my DDs xmas day dress in the sale and have started putting a bit of cash aside which will add up to a few hundred by December and more than cover the big food shop.

Loving this thread, some lovely ideas.

I hoard Nectar points for my Christmas food shopping. I've got just over £170.00 now. Can hopefully get well over £200.00 by Christmas.

I've started putting money in a savings account for presents as well. The kids' stocking bits are thereabouts done and I'll save buying bigger stuff until nearer the time.

I bought waaaaay too much wrapping paper in the JL and M&S sales; I'm sorted for many years to come!

I'll look for that book, Ski. It sounds just up my street!