Countdown to Christmas 2023: launching into summer with more Christmas planning (thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

Here's our new thread. Almost missed that it was needed!

Can somebody add the countdown again please, as I've no clue! 🤣🤣

I have 6 loos and those look absolutely perfect @70isaLimitNotaTarget & @NoWordForFluffy 😂😂

Christmas markets open in Brussels next Friday - whoop! (It will make up for the rain☔️☔️☔️!).

I have no idea if I can organise being in an apartment before Christmas so doubt if I will be decorating this year. I can't book flights yet either in case I can get organised Christmas week - but I will be taking a long break! (I don't think I'll be getting my loo decorated quite like that link either 😁)

Dd and I are off to London today. Not sure how she will go having not left the house since September really but she’s adamant she wants to go and I’m excited to see a festive westfield! We won’t be going into town though. I got ds a lovely onesie from Tesco yesterday (25% off atm) for his stocking. It’s from the girls section but they’re nicer than the boys ones!

I'll have a look at all the flowers/evergreens mentioned.
I've made an attempt as a 'bulb lasagne' but would like something colourful on top to get me to spring, plus something evergreen with berries would just be lovely.

I really hope you hear something about the house today Fluffy

I love the toilet decoration. I may threaten DH with it

Well today I started my Christmas shopping!

Christmas markets open in Brussels next Friday

Ahhhh - we're going next year , DH and I did a trip to Bath Christmas Market last December , it was the last weekend of it so busy . Nice enough but I wouldn't go again. But in Bruges , it'll be hopefully all lit up and pretty , with more beer/waffle/chocolate shops than I can shake a stick at

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The lists are getting longer

My lists are stretching rather than shrinking!@70isaLimitNotaTarget I love the sound of the Christmas markets. I am hoping to finish DD's advent calendar this weekend plus manage trips to home bargains and fortnums

I managed to get a few things off my list (underwear/clothes ) and panettone

The Christmas lights were up ,

Westfield didn’t have any Christmas decs up. Humph. So disappointed. Dd was too unwell today anyway but managed a nice time yesterday.

I have ds’ birthday next weekend so need to get cracking on that, I’m very behind this year.

Westfield are leaving decorating a bit late then Wreck - even the small towns locally have got some lights up.

I'm off Christmas shopping with my DDs tomorrow. I've no firm ideas but I'm sure DD2 will guide me in the right direction.

I had to go to Fortnums to buy a birthday present yesterday. The pavement and shop were very crowded but the lights and decorations looked beautiful. I was rushing but now really want to go into central London to enjoy the lights and atmosphere one evening.

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I'm trying to pick a day to go up to London too Constantly maybe Covent Garden. I don't want Oxford Street , I can get all those shops at big shopping malls (and I know there's toilets and I can drive to them)

We're going on an Open Topped Bus Tour just before Christmas to see the lights Very excited , even if I don't get to sit on the top deck . .

Yesterday when I was shopping it wasn't too busy but carrying bags , wrestling my purse out of my handbag , making sure it was safe etc, and standing in queues , I was thinking "This isn't as much fun as it used to be"
We put the bags in the car halfway through .(DD insisted as she was Chief Bag Carrier )

My master plan is (hopefully) to have all the shopping done (except food) by end November .
Then in December the weekends are busy with going out to nice Christmasssy things .
And I have a couple of days before Christmas to tidy up , do some cooking and watch some rubbish TV.

I was going to make my Christmas Cake today - I'll see how it goes ( the sultanas won't mind a few more days soaking )

Morning!

We managed to dodge the rain on the dog walk this morning. It's set to be grim all day now though.

I'm going to do some Christmas baking today, so I have it in the freezer and don't have to worry too much about it when we move.

We've decided to have a full month's overlap when we move, due to the proximity of Christmas. Not ideal for the finances, but for the sake of getting it done without killing ourselves, it's the best plan. We can shift / unpack the smaller stuff before the bigger stuff goes when the removals people get it from A to B. Should make it much easier.

Just fed the pudding again!

Good idea fluffy. Then Dh has somewhere to go when he’s annoying you 😅

I’ve just bought wrapping paper from the range, we only really buy for the dc now anyway so life is much easier.

Fuck that. I'll go to the new house! He can slum it here.

Cake is mixed and once the oven is a bit cooler (DS had pizza) it's ready tp go

DS and DD did the obligatory Raw Cake Sampling

Yes, that’s what I meant! You in the new house and him in the old!

Phew! 🤣🤣

I'm steaming my chocolate cherry pudding now. The brownie, muffins and mince pies (first batch) are all done.

All you lovely people being very productive, and I am at work 😂

I am not being particularly productive why. I did cook sausage sandwiches for breakfast and have half heartedly thrown the hoover around upstairs but I'm now cross stitching on the sofa while people are being busy around me (DH is simultaneously doing the dishwasher, cleaning the kitchen and cooking goulash while my dad is doing some DIY by replacing leaky trims and seals in the bathroom).

Fluffy like the plan of sending DH to slum it when he annoys you 😂
We had an 11 day overlap - we owned the new house on 20th but our rental contract ran until 31st and while it cost us, it was worth it for what it saved us in stress!

Crazy when your dad's done, send him round here!! We'll even put him up for a few days for a change of scenery, as long as he doesn't mind sleeping in DD's house bed with christmassy dinosaur nightlights 🤣

We also had an overlap, definitely helped make moving less stressful. We didn't need to hire a removal company as we just filled the cars up every time we came over, and we also used that time to have one of the internal walls knocked out.

I have not done anything Christmas related this weekend, I just haven't had time. I've barely been home! I'm going to dedicate my day off this week to sorting the decorations in the loft and then maybe get them up next weekend (Even though it's not December, because we are busy every weekend day after that!)

It's going to be weird not doing the trees until mid-December! We may end up leaving them up for a bit longer than usual. 🎄🎄🎄

We didn't want as long an overlap, but we want to get the kids' rooms sorted before we move in, plus we don't want it to be stupidly stressful, so decided just to go for the longer time. If we'd completed on Friday just gone we'd have had less, but never mind.