Ok summer, off you pop I want to plan Christmas

[QueenOfIce]

I'm giddy already, eager to design my Christmas decor it'll be the same as every other year probably

I want an abundance of candles, twinkly lights, candles that smell of winter and Christmas. Making mulled wine, gingerbread and planning festivities.

Am I on my own here?

I feel the same!!

I always start thinking about Christmas in the summer holiday

I've made a list of present ideas & been thinking about how to decorate better this year.

We're in the process of making changes to our house & I'm hoping it'll make life easier in the long run but might be a nightmare this Christmas

I got the urge yesterday when the first Strictly contestants were revealed. Strictly is the heralding of Autumn/Winter for me

I was looking forward to festivities until ds announced he would adding his very on /off gf to the proceedings....
No way matey!
Might have to batter her with a tree branch...

Yea please, I love the colder evenings, open fire on, candles, snuggled on the sofa, the twinkling lights.

I have no space to put the tree as yet, so may have to start thinking about that one.

Yes i can't wait! Last December we had just moved into our building site of a house (which I insisted on putting a real tree in the living room 🤣) so now it's done and iv just given birth to our first child so I just can't wait!

It'll be a very special Christmas for you then lv20!

I'm sick of summer now even though I begged for it to arrive when it was endless days of rain! There's something magical about autumn and winter.

I'm going to start planning my Christmas goodies, I'm low carb no sugar so I need to plan well in advance so I don't fall of the wagon spectacularly! I might start with a mince pie tasting afternoon

Don't let the summer stop you. I've been planning since last Christmas

I've been thinking about Christmas for a few weeks.

I always start my preparations early but this year I'm pregnant and the baby is due on the 27th October so I want to get as much of it sorted as possible before the baby arrives.

I can't wait to put the decorations up at the start of Decemeber.

Oooh yes, I love Christmas. Its going to be different this year as we've now got a DD so making everyone come to us but also the first one without my mum. She always loved Christmas and did us all stockings despite the fact we are in our 30s.

So my sisters and their partners are getting stocking fillers for a Christmas present and I've already started buying things in the sale to go in. [santa]

The summer holidays always make me yearn for Christmas! I love autumn and winter and the whole run up to Christmas is my favourite time of year. Have stared thinking about gifts and looking at Christmas baking ideas with the dc.

Jo Malone did a beautiful roasted chestnut candle one year, I haven't found anything since that's anywhere close. I do believe Yankee candle are bringing out a sweet chestnut though.

We moved house last year and it's the 3rd without my lovely mum, I feel this year I'll be better equipped to honour some of her traditions.

I'm getting fairy lights for the garden, I've told everyone it's for the summer evenings. They're not, they're for me to gorge myself on twinkly lights when the mornings are dark and I'm the only one up!

Does anyone change their theme each year? What will you have this year?

I always start thinking about Christmas in August - for some reason this year I started thinking about it in July! We had that awful heatwave followed by some rainy, cooler weather, which made me light candles, make a pasta bake and feel all autumnal. I’ve written my lists and looked through my Christmas cook book.
This year DS will be a month off 4 and DD will have only just turned 2, so I’m excited for them to start understanding a lot more. I like to have most things bought and wrapped in November so that we can enjoy December without rushing round the shops, so will be aiming for that again this year.
DS has recently got obsessed with a Mickey Mouse Christmas cartoon, so we’ve had that on today after a walk in the woods - he’s definitely my son

My theme is always the same - colourful!

I can't do elegant, too many toys, animals, clutter etc so I embrace the chaotic colours & twinkly lights

I don't do Christmas decor, ours are a mishmash of things the kids have made/chosen so it's just colourful with no actual theme 😁

I have started buying stocking fillers and planning gifts though. We're cutting back on "stuff" so need to look into tickets and days out etc to book ahead. 🎅

I was going to recycle a large plastic bowl, but I reckon I can use it for an ice-bowl (I do one every year , freeze water in between two large bowls , with ivy in the water) keep it in the big freezer till I need it .
It goes on the patio table with a candle in a jar inside . Very pretty , costs nought .

I plant some ivy and snowdrops out , so I need to get the ivy cuttings sorted , they have LED candles in a glass vase tucked inside the ivy . Really nice in the front garden.

The £2 jar we save all year (start Nov-Nov ) and we'll cash it in for Black Friday.

I need to find something festive and embarassing for the cats to wear

I'm so excited for Christmas this year, we have just finished our extention so loads more space for Christmas decorations, I have even bought some Christmas presents this week in the Dobbies sale!

I'm almost done, gift-wise, by coincidence more than planning as such. I now need to avoid The Twitch!

I bloody love Christmas!

I'd missed the Strictly announcement, so thanks for the heads up; Christmas is definitely on the way when Strictly starts. 🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻

I used to change my decor/ theme yearly, but looking through my photos the year before last I realised that when I go red, gold and green- that's when the house really looks it's best.

Last year I did lots of crafts- made wooden trees from palettes, wooden wreaths copied from Pinterest etc which I think I'll do again.

I absolutely adore Christmas and start from 1st Dec full decorating (having baked the cake/ pudding/ collected masses of pine cones/ dried oranges and chillis for garlands etc starting from sept onwards) and I don't take down before twelfth night! The longer the festive revelry the better.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget your ice bowl sounds amazing!

Our local rail used to do an old fashioned Christmas dining car, I'd like them to bring it back. Going to aim for a carol service this year too. I bloody love Crimbo!

Oooh I have started planning to! My DCs birthdays are in the summer well all but 1! So once they are done, I go in to Christmas mode.
I wrote my lists at the start of the week and researching gifts for my DC. This year I plan to be all wrapped by the 1st December so it is full steam ahead.

Our new decoration this year will be a Dutch windmill (that I bought yesterday before finding there is a whole shop for Christmas in Amsterdam, I restrained myself there, with difficulty).

We have also decided that we are not going to visit DB as we would spend the entire break running to stand still, and we are doing too much of hat the past few years. So we'll stay home instead and visit other family over the break.

New plans will now be drawn up and quietly executed by me for the next 3 months before others will get stuck in as well. But DH knows this and does mention a few things from time to time that he would like to happen, so it's not just me with the madness

Your not alone. I'm able to share my love of Christmas and being organised with a friend at work, she is finished and I've got a good start. I'm much more organised thanks to mumsnet and last year I felt I enjoyed Christmas so much more because of it. I've already booked a week holiday off work for last few days in November through to 6th December to enjoy decorating our home, doing festive activities with our granddaughter and enjoy start of advent. If I could I'd put 2weeks holiday in for Christmas but we aren't permitted. Christmas is starting to creep in and it's great.

Well done Fluffy being finished already. I'm aiming to be finished october.

Well done Fluffy being finished already

Well Fluffy might THINK she's finished but we still have ample time for the unwanted Christmas Visitor that is......................

THE TWITCH

Mwah ha ha

I started some minor planning this week - we will have a full house and I'm going OTT!