Countdown to Christmas 2022: the final straight (thread 4)

[NoWordForFluffy]

New thread!

42 (for ease tomorrow.)

I’ve come down with a stinking cold so my plans for a trip into town this weekend are off. Which is a shame because I was looking forward to it and maybe having a festive coffee. It will have to be next week sometime now which means bringing the toddler along so it won’t be the peaceful trip I was hoping for. Oh well.
@CrazyBaubles that sounds like a wonderful evening. Enjoy :)

Happy December everyone no Christmas oven glove in shop never mind I’ll get one for next year but stuffing in freezer split 4 ways mince pies into 2 bits so happy. Advent calendar op now. At last I can say I get paid this month hard few weeks though UC not till 23rd and very little to live on but bills paid food in so ok.

Crazy enjoy your night tonight.

Sorry to hear about your cold YorkshireMom but you've the perfect excuse to stay home and watch Christmas movies.

Always sounds like you've been busy in the kitchen.

I almost forgot about DD's advent calendar but I remembered in the end and it's sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for her to come home from college.

I've a night out with two friends tonight - we're going to a show in the local secondary school. Tickets were cheap (€10). We may go for a drink after the show but it will just be one drink and non-alcoholic because I'm driving and I'm up early for work in the morning.

Tomorrow I've a lunch with work friends (some of whom are now retired). I'm taking a half-day so I don't have to rush back to work and skip my dessert or leave half of it like what normally happens. There will definitely be drinks during and after the lunch and I'll be on the bus home. It's the first time we've all been together since early 2020 and we'll have so much news to catch up on.

I almost forgot the advent calendars too! I had dark Divine ones to decant into the material calendar my mum made for them and then a Dairy Milk one each.

Crazy, I'm the proud owner of 20 Snowman loo rolls (well, almost-20 now 🤣). I almost bought some Christmas booze and stocked up on enormous bottles of ketchup, as Iceland does 2 x 1.35kg ones for £6.50 online. DD gets through loads of it!

Crazy, have a brilliant time tonight.

I hope the orthodontist went well, Wreck.

I put DD and DS Dec 1st Bags in their rooms about 6.45 this morning, DD is wafting about in her new grey bathrobe .

DH put the Christmas bedding on DS bed (he says so that I didn't tell him he was putting the duvet cover on wrong )

23

Morning!

I'm struggling to get up! It's warm in bed and isn't out there! 🥶🤣

My shoulder is hurting again. Might go to the GP to see if they can refer me for a scan to check the integrity of the repair, as it feels like it's not doing too well. Sigh.

Morning everyone bad night for pain was dreadful 2 codiene at 4 in the end just so I could sleep. But happy enough no Christmas bits for a while as broke but love ding my calendar every day. Tiny bit of shopping just fruit but I need the walk and it’s good for me I take my sholley trolley it’s sturdy and easy to push.

Morning. Slightly sore head this morning, but last night was worth it. Show was great, it was a Christmassy evening and both friends were happy with their stockings

Onwards and upwards this morning as it's my work Christmas 'do' today (this is basically a nice 3 course lunch then either go home or stay in town and get drunk).
I'm winging it, depending on how I feel.
Currently on the train which is so so busy.

I forgot about my advent calendar so I'll dig that out later, although it's only a small, picture only one.

Your poor shoulder Fluffy, I'd assumed that was all sorted by now!

Oh that’s annoying fluffy, I’d forgotten about your shoulder.

Crazy pleased you had a good night.

Always enjoy the walk.

I’m having a nightmare with Bensons for beds. I ordered dd a bed from there a month ago, delivery due last week, they messaged to say it would now be the 5th December which was fine although I had to rearrange some work. I tracked it online yesterday and delivery says March 2023. I messaged asking if it was a glitch and they said no there’s been a delay! I’m so cross, were they even going to bother telling me? They said I have to email them to cancel the order and someone will respond in ten days. I’ve emailed but also tried calling however after half an hour it just says they can’t take your call and cuts you off. We’ve used them before and never had an issue, I’m so annoyed as poor dd has been sleeping on the floor waiting for a bed and mattress.

I am desperately trying to get back on track here. Conference that my team organised is over, EU audit finished this morning (they've been here all week!), I have to go to a week-long conference in a week, so just trying to get work sorted and vaguely get home life back on track. I'm getting DD's advent calendar started tomorrow as it's still in storage unit. Today is about work backlogs and trying to sort (and burn confidential waste) the paper mountains near me...as I may need the spare room as a guest room over christmas. Oh, and trying to figure out what to get my team, and everyone else, for presents.

22

Morning!

We're off to build a shed today. Wooooo. #sarcasm 🤣🤣

Still sodding cold. We've not seen the sun in days, so nothing there to give even slight warmth!

Morning - hope your shoulder bears up in the shed-build *Fluffy( you should be there in an advisory capacity only , and cut the ribbon once it's finally built .

Yesterday I did a nice brunch (in lieu of the DEc 1st North Pole Breakfast that I don't think I've ever done ) . We were all at home yesterday , DS had croissants , the rest of us had vegetarian bacon and sausage , hash browns, eggs and fresh bread toast with coffee . Delicciois .

Then we went to see "Violent Night" , very funny but a lot of blood shed (its a 15) , the Santa is quite a dodgy character

Today : Christmas Market ....
I've only ever been to the South Bank and Winter Wonderland , so I;m looking forward to this , even if it's just to get it out of my sysyem as a Must Do .

Morning! I’m just getting my click and collect then we’re going to help my bereaved family member decorate their tree. Hopefully will buy our tree later too 😊 I’m wearing my Christmas leggings today tucked into my fairisle socks 😅

I need to keep moving the shoulder, 70, else I'm at risk of a frozen shoulder (Woolly is out resident expert on those!). My manager is going to send me a physio sheet as she had a frozen shoulder as well. I'm shit at doing physio though!

We're taking tea-making facilities with us to the allotment. Planning! 🤣

Morning everyone.

I hope you're all good.

Had a nice lunch yesterday and it was great to meet up with some colleagues and retired colleagues. We went for a drink afterwards. We had a great chat about old times and all the people we worked with over the years.

DD seems to be coming down with a cold (she did a Covid test earlier in the week and it was clear) so she's not feeling great. She's already made plans to go to a friend's birthday night out tonight. Lots of other people have pulled out so she feels she has to go now or else it will look like she's cancelling just because the others aren't going. She says she'll go but just stay for two hours. The venue is a 40 minute drive away so I'll have to drive her there, come home and then go back to collect her. I'm half-hoping she cancels so we can get cosy and watch a Christmas movie but at the same time, I admire her commitment.

I need to wrap some presents this weekend and get my Christmas cards done. I've a parcel going to Australia and I need to post it by the 7th. I also have to put up the outdoor lights and find my tree topper star.

I think DCat1 might have injured his tail. He's not lifting it high like he normally does and he pulled away when DD was stroking his back - normally he can't get enough of being petted. I'll keep an eye on him over the next day or two. Could do without a vet visit at this time of year but needs must and all that.

Right, plan for the day

Supermarket shop
Tidy/hoover downstairs
Do some laundry
Clean fridge
Entertain DSis who is calling in at some stage in the afternoon
Cook dinner
Drop DD to venue
Write Christmas cards/wrap presents
Collect DD from venue

Dd has a cold too. She didn’t test positive for five days last time, I’m not testing her now though as she feels ok and she tested lots when dh and I had it recently.

Morning no Christmas fair so money was spent on meat slices for the next few weeks in freezer including turkey all spit so last longer. So really my Christmas is done. Got Christmas mug out today and will wear red slipper socks now.

It's Christmas decoration day here. I've been doing a quick bit of tidying downstairs while DH gets the boxes out of the attic. I've also got ear bud in listening to a gold Christmas playlist on the classic fm app to make sure I stay feeling festive.
Not going too mad this year but looking forward to having the cosy lights everywhere

I delivered the last of the charity gifts yesterday and enjoyed the work do, although I came home early ish.
Going to do a final present audit tomorrow but I'm pretty sure all I've got left to get is hamper stuff for my dad and some beers for MILs DH which can be done with the food shop 🙌🏻

We got our tree! Looks like dh has thrown out my wicker tree skirt, I’m not surprised though especially as he asked me if I wanted to keep it and I said yes of course 🤨

Starting Christmas programmes call the midwife Christmas special after this episode I think. Christmas oodie on as well.

🎄21🎄 Morning. I've been up since 7 🙄 We have smart plugs for the Christmas lights so I turned them on before I got up so it was Christmassy when I went downstairs.

Decs are up, except for the string of lights I put around the conservatory - I haven't found them yet. Going to have a last rummage through the boxes later then DH is putting them back in the attic.
Also had to replace the prelit twiggy tree thing because ours has stopped working 🤬 Luckily Asda had a slightly smaller one on sale but still, was annoying yesterday morning.

Plan for today is to spend the morning at the sewing machine attempting to shorten a dress for my sister and make a start on my nieces stocking.
Then to my parents for lunch, home again to put the lights up then studying for an hour or so.

Fluffy I hope your shoulder is ok after the shed building!

Morning! That’s annoying crazy, pleased you got a replacement.

Dh is working again today, dd is feeling sorry for herself with a horrible cold so I went out and got her some cold and flu stuff. I’ve mountains of washing to do and some uni work.

Afternoon.

I didn't actually build much shed yesterday. DH has returned there today to complete it. The bases (repurposing the previous roof to make a floor, then the metal shed base) took too long.

I have been wrestling with our bloody washer today as it's playing up. Having faffed about with it, I am pretty sure it's because it's not able to balance the load, so nothing else can happen. Thankfully, I pay monthly insurance on it, so I've booked an engineer for Weds, and if he can't fix it, they'll replace it for free. It's almost 8, and has had no issues before, so I suppose it's time for it to do something daft!

Hope everyone is enjoying their day; I'm going to do some cleaning now. Exciting.

20

Morning!

First full day without a functioning washing machine...DH is taking a small load to his parents' house so we keep on top of it before the engineer comes. I do hope he can fix it so we don't have to wait for a new one (the insurance replaces it if it can't be fixed, so we'd have to wait for that process to complete!).

How's your DD today, Wreck?

She said she’s feeling a bit better thanks. She definitely doesn’t seem as congested so that’s good. No washing machine is a pain, we still don’t have ours fitted in but can use it in the middle of the kitchen floor 🙄

Went to my new gym this morning (hated the other one) much preferred it.

It’s going to be really cold this week! Busy couple of weeks now until the 16th. I have the week before Christmas off so that’s nice.