Countdown to Christmas 2023: get past the post-Christmas slump by thinking about the next one! (Thread 1.)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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Morning (just)!

I failed at eating yesterday which meant I got blotto far too early and wasn't well. Oops! 🙈

But we had a great time anyway and I avoided having to tidy up!

Countdown to next year is go go go! 🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻

That's what we're hoping, Tribe. Maybe we need to look at adopting again, but many places round here don't seem to like you having kids under 10 (and there were no suitable dogs for kids even if they do allow it, last time I looked at our local rescues).

I'll see what comes of the autism dog applications and go from there, I think. Your life isn't as restricted with an assistance dog, as they can just go along everywhere!

Ooh a puppy Fluffy 😍
DH wants a lab one day (he prefers red but would take yellow or black). His dm recently lost hers and we're all very sad about it, she was rescued from an awful life at 4yo. MIL had her for 6years and she was lovely, even people who don't like dogs ended up loving her.
She ate like a pig though!

We don't have insurance on ddog. We had a claim refused on our old dog and decided from then to set the money aside instead. Less risk with our dog, think I'd have some sort of insurance plus put money aside as they got older if I had a lab.

We're having a late start today as we stayed up late watching the Northern lights last night. We've only got 2 days left of our trip so need to enjoy the snowy Christmas feeling before coming home to rain.
Later this evening I'm going to properly list the craft projects I want to get done for Christmas next year - I want to start asap so I can get them all done for once

Ideally we'd have a red fox lab, Crazy (apparently it's a permutation of yellow!)

Was your NL video taken on a normal phone? They're spectacular!

Morning everyone :)

Now we're on the right side of the Christmas flu we've all seemed to have had in turns over Christmas, I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who posted deals this year, it really helped keep Christmas affordable this year.

Any ideas for sales on stocking fillers for teen girls, 8+9 year boys, 5 year old girl with autism and 2 year old boy?

New bedding not Christmas but needed later in the week start saving Friday very happy about that will get tissue paper and prit sticks soon.

The Red Fox are beautifyl Fluffy
My NDN got a lab (she was a childminder so the dog was very carefully researched into her family and they had to go on a waiting list ) They were adviced that black labs were the best tempered , though most of the Guide Dogs I've seem about are yellow or lab/retreiver crosses .
They are greedy little gits though, even a highly trained service dog -though it's discouraged through training . My parents adopted a friends guide dog when she retired . The dog was very much "Hey , I'm Off Duty and...I;m a DOG )

I want a golden retriever

Your life isn't as restricted with an assistance dog, as they can just go along everywhere !

Downside of this is people think they have the right to distract and pat the animal , they see a Service Dog as gentle so want to introduce their child to it ....which is fine if the dog is at rest and with permission. But parents adopted dog (when she was working , lived in Glasgow) had people patting her , feeding her and distracting while she was trying to cross a road !

Your dog would have a lead and little coat that explains who they are , Guide Dog had a harness and lead , patently obvious who they were . Some now say "Don't Distract Me"

I love watching them training round our shopping centre , their little furry faces in serious mode "I;m On Duty" (said in a DCI Jim Taggart voice )

Joining in this year if that’s ok?. I’ve already started planning for Christmas next year. I don’t have a proper Christmas planner though I might have to invest in one

Ordering mine next week/

I don't have a Christmas Planner but I use a notebook just for Christmas and write anything that occurs to me (or else I'll forget , being ancient and menopausal )
Then about Sept , start doing proper lists , like presents for DD and DS .
Things to buy (Sainsbury/M&S/Waitrose list )

This year , I won't buy them Advent Calendars , they had Hotel Chocolat ones and said they weren't great .

I like the look of the planner but can’t justify buying it when I’ve used the Notes on my phone for about 10 years.

Guess who just found two gifts she had completely forgotten to wrap and gift? 🤦‍♀️ oh well, they clearly weren’t missed and I guess I could say I’ve made a start on Christmas 2023 now

Yes I can use my phone but this is such a special time for I’ll have money and I mean money for 2023 Christmas I want to remember the planning and saving being happy in September when I start buying things some things will brought earlier.

I have a feeling 2023 is going to be really tight financially so I’m pleased we agreed to cut back for Christmas this year, means we can continue that now and just buy for the dc.

Dh has been informed that there’s a 20% increase on a lot of building materials from tomorrow so that’s a sign of things to come too 😬

We don’t do anything special for new year, I will probably be in bed by 10.

I use an A4 notebook as my "Mum book of everything". It generally lives under the kitchen table & I tend to have ramdomly added slips of paper in it so I can tell if anyone has peeked 🤣

They'd be disappointed atm, if they looked, though. It contains a list of what bills money to shift back from my savings account so it didn't get spent, a random post-it of scribblings from hits/misses threads on here but no names assigned, and a note to myself to cook nibbley bits earlier on Christmas Day & shift folks out of my way if needed, rather than be polite and wait til they've left...then I might squeeze in the last roastie and sprout I've put on my plate!

I'm a bit bored atm - I'm quite literally waiting for paint to dry on a wooden peg doll so it can become a polar bear 🙄. The rest of the set are ready to varnish apart from the walrus whose white tusks are still wet. I wonder why the white takes longer than the rest 🤷‍♀️

I'm a bit bored atm - I'm quite literally waiting for paint to dry on a wooden peg doll so it can become a polar bear 🙄. The rest of the set are ready to varnish apart from the walrus whose white tusks are still wet.

Most niche comment on this thread so far!

Wreck, I think next year will hit loads of people hard. It's going to be a tough one.

@psuedocream3 mine were almost 4 and almost 1 this year - duplo and lego polybags were enjoyed! I think the surprise hit for older ds was his bunny bath mit (I got them matching ones), and a little alien squishmallow :) There were also enormous bags of chocolate coins at Wilkos this year he was impressed with!

Ds is onto his third tonsillitis infection following strep a at the end of November, so good times are being had here. Trying to avoid a&e as he is still drinking small amounts at least this time. Baby girl is working on her molars and seems to have forgotten how to latch comfortably - I feel like I'm being shredded.

Very excited for next year, got a bunch of paper from smiths yesterday and have a few little gifts already.

Re service dogs - we have a few guide dogs down our road, and I've explained to ds that they help their owners to see, and that they're working (and that you can tell them by their bright yellow harnesses). Is this accurate enough? He's a bit nervous of dogs and would never go up to one.

🤣 @NoWordForFluffy I'm still waiting on it drying. Fourth coat now & it finally looks white! The rest are laid down while the varnish dries on their bottoms 🙈

And, the amigurumi stegosaurus I've been working on ALLLLLL year, just needs his feet attached tonight.

I've done nothing at all today, other than craft/finish stuff off that was hanging about, and have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Blessed , my DParents adopted retiree was a good few years ago , but I think with Guide Dogs especially if the owner is holding the harness then the dog is on Full Guide Mode . If they're sitting or standing with just the lead being held , and the harness resting on its back then they're having a breather .
99.9% are happy to be chatted to and ask the owner about the dog , tell him/her how wonderful they are etc.

The one my parents adopted used to get some Time Off when my Dad took her out , just being a Dog , going into ponds and puddles . when she was an Active Guider .
When she retired she embraced a life of leisure (she retired at 10yo)

Other Service Dogs might be terriers or crosses , depends more on trainability and aptitude than size .

Ooh puppy! So exciting fluffy!

Happy New Years Eve all, no plans here but hope you all have a good one.

I just ate a large plate of cheese and biscuits so still feeling quite Christmassy.

Fluffy yes I took the northern lights video on my phone (iPhone 11 I think). It doesn't do them justice, they were amazing.

A school friend of mine always had guide dog puppies for the first part of the training (basically taking them out around crowds, on trains, buses etc) growing up and now works for them as a trainer.
I think they're amazing.

MIL has also helped look after some prison and police sniffer dogs. They're bonkers but so clever too they alerted her to a staff member who had drugs in his pocket 😂 I wouldn't want one in my house though!

lucysmam please post a pic of the peg polar bear etc when they're finally dry.

I'm resting up for NYE. We went snowmobiling and DH tipped it - I'm fine but my leg got stuck under it and it's bloody sore now.
On the plus side, DH feels bad and is bringing me cheese, crackers and cocktails regularly

Happy New Year all 🥂

I would love a dog. And another cat. Although I have 3 cats already

Happy New Year to you all! DH and I are in bed, long gone are the days when we'd stay up with wine and cheese to see in the new year.

@CrazyBaubles hope you've had a wonderful trip, seeing the northern lights is definitely on our bucket list, if you're happy to share, I'd love to see a picture.

Managed to get a substantial amount of bits and pieces towards next Christmas in Sainsburys this morning, including a few bits for DD'S stocking. If I can get the standard bits and pieces done in January (socks, pants, bath bombs etc) I'll be happy. Just about to go and have a browse on the Rex London site for anything interesting.

Oooh cats ,cats Side

This is our little boy don't like the fireworks Mum , make them stop, make them STOP

His sister , Meh not bothered