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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

In preparation for Christmas today I will……

777 replies

Beautifulsunflowers · 04/11/2023 08:40

…….organise the freezer space and get if it stops raining I’ll go into town to WHSmiths to hopefully get the dark chocolate toblerone for ds’s stocking. I’m also going to make a few more Pom poms for my Pom Pom wreath.

Whst are you all doing today in preparation for the big day?

OP posts:
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mondaytosunday · 01/12/2023 19:36

Today was good: my son got his chocolate advent calendar I sent and today got the mini snowman Xmas tree from Bloom and Wild - I thought he'd say I was wasting my money but he's chuffed with it!
I went to a wreath making workshop today (had serious house envy) and the result now hanging proudly on my front door; went to storage unit to get the decs and amazingly found the right Christmas tree stand. I even braved the post office (v long queue) and mailed a couple gifts and bought my Christmas stamps. Now sitting in front of the fire, planning with my daughter what time she may surface tomorrow to go get the tree!

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 02/12/2023 09:15

Today I will write Christmas cards and wrap presents. We have snow and my plans are cancelled, so a day indoors instead.

TrickyD · 02/12/2023 09:32

@user1789, i don’t like dates and dislike peanut butter but strangely, stoned dates stuffed with peanut butter are delicious.

CornishGem1975 · 02/12/2023 11:06

Going to M&S to get some decorations and a few bits for the freezer (pastries for Christmas morning) and some cocktails.

A few more stocking fillers I need to tick off the list too.

Togekiss · 02/12/2023 14:51

Today is a continuation on with the deep clean of the house. Hoping I can get it nearly all done so next week I can do a quick de-clutter before everything starts arriving in the post.

This coming week I need to:

  • start wrapping presents
  • order turkey for our household and my parents
  • do some online shopping for my mum for gifts she wants to get family members
  • buy Christmas cards for DCs class, family and friends
  • order gifts for parents and sibling
  • sort out gifts for the dog

I also really need to finalise our food shop list and start getting in some stuff. I remember last year herbs were a real pain in the hole to find a few days before Christmas, and although I would prefer fresh, I’ll definitely be stocking up on dried sage etc just Incase I can’t get them closer to the time.

Trying to be really productive this coming week so I don’t have much to do the following weeks, but we will see how things go!

uncomfortablydumb53 · 02/12/2023 15:02

I've just ordered my final present.. for the dog) and will wrap the last few bits for friends and for DS2 GF
Still thinking about food as no one wants a roast so might to a keep it coming hot buffet and dessert
So looking forward to having all 3 adult sons under the same roof at the same time

AdoraBell · 02/12/2023 16:24

Got chocolate Santa’s, now just need another pack of handkerchiefs for DH. Fancy biscuits ordered, will give one pack to stepson when we visit. Agreed no presents because they are struggling.

Sorted a large cupboard and sorted Christmas bedding for DDs, back from Uni for Christmas 😁

APurpleSquirrel · 02/12/2023 17:04

Bought the Christmas Pudding today (by Georgie Porgie's Puddings) & the last item for PILs hamper.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 02/12/2023 18:26

Today I had a great idea for a present for my brother and his wife - the last people I had to buy for, and I was despairing. Then I remembered a photo jigsaw that I got for one of my daughters last year, where I had a jigsaw made of a photo she'd taken from the top of the Eiffel tower. So I dug out one of the pictures that DB had sent me and ordered a jigsaw of it to be made and sent straight to him, saving me the trouble of wrapping and posting it!

Watchingpaintdrying · 02/12/2023 18:49

That’s such a great idea! Do you have a link for the website?

ifIwerenotanandroid · 02/12/2023 18:58

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat Is there a company you'd recommend for photo jigsaws?

ifIwerenotanandroid · 02/12/2023 19:02

ifIwerenotanandroid · 01/12/2023 17:17

Instructions for homemade tinsel, invented by moi...

You will need:
1 ball of King Cole 'Tinsel' yarn (see Wool Warehouse for the range of colours, which is huge)
a 9mm crochet hook

It's a very simple repeating pattern. The tricky bit is working the yarn when you can't really see the stitches! What I do is to locate & hold the loop/stitch part I'm about to go into with my left thumb & index finger (I'm RH), open it out a bit & work the crochet hook into it by touch. Mistakes are at least hidden by all the sparkly fluff.😀

The end result is a series of chain lengths joining blobs of trebles. You could just do chains for a much thinner tinsel, or do rows of trebles for a solid, thicker length - but I found this pattern to be a good compromise because it's quicker & easier than doing all trebles, & it drapes well while still having some bulk & masses of glitz.

(For US crocheters, I'm doing UK terminology so I think that's ch & dc to you.)

My first pattern (there's a later variation) was this:

  1. Make a slip knot.
  2. Work 9 ch & hold the 9th loop in thumb & index finger.
  3. Work 3 more ch (while holding loop).
  4. Work 2 tr into the 9th loop you're holding.
  5. Turn & work 3 ch.
  6. Work 1 tr into the top of each of the previous tr's (you'll have to root around in the glitz for them).

Repeat 2-6 until it's the length you want & then either finish off there (at the end of a blob) & sew the end in, or add more chains so you can tie it to something, or whatever. Then go along your tinsel, fluffing up the strands on each blob with finger & thumb i.e. freeing the strands from the stitches a bit, & pulling the blobs into shape.

Alternative version
Just change step 6 to make a slightly better shaped blob (maybe), by doing the first bit of a tr in the middle strand (the first tr from the previous row) & going on to the next previous tr with 2 loops still on the hook & doing a tr in that previous tr, finishing it by going through the 3 loops left on the hook. There's a name for this: tr2tog (videos available online).

I made some using the alternative method but went back to the first method for speed/ not having to think too much.

There are other tinsel yarns but I haven't tried them. It seems to me that loose thread length is important, & the King Cole one works. I assume eyelash yarns wouldn't work as well as the strands are longer & get more caught in the work. If the strands are shorter than KC, I think the stitches would probably show more. If anyone tries it with a different yarn, I'd be interested to see how it turns out.

I made some more tinsel today & realised that at step 4 I actually do 1 tr into the 9th ch & one into the 8th ch; but I tried various combinations at steps 4 & 6, & they all seem pretty much the same.

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 02/12/2023 19:16

ifIwerenotanandroid · 02/12/2023 18:58

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat Is there a company you'd recommend for photo jigsaws?

Last couple of times (and this time) I've used Photobox. They do Ravensburger jigsaws which are great quality and the pictures always come out clearly. I've ordered 500 pieces for my DB and it's coming in at around £37.

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 03/12/2023 10:46

Today I shall write the Christmas cards which I was determined to do yesterday and didn't. I'll update the Christmas list so I know what I still need to buy.

RainbowZebraWarrior · 03/12/2023 13:26

Today I told myself I would put the outside lights up.

I am lying on my bed eating a cheese and chip stottie, watching 'B&B Merry' on Netflix instead.

I've still got a couple of hours before it gets dark..

Desecratedcoconut · 03/12/2023 13:28

I am full of cold and all my plans are on hiatus.

Taytocrisps · 03/12/2023 17:52

RainbowZebraWarrior · 03/12/2023 13:26

Today I told myself I would put the outside lights up.

I am lying on my bed eating a cheese and chip stottie, watching 'B&B Merry' on Netflix instead.

I've still got a couple of hours before it gets dark..

I think that counts as preparing for Christmas Grin.

My plans went a bit awry today because I'd to collect DD from her Christmas party last night (about 40 minutes away). So I got home late. Then she discovered that she'd left her handbag in the hotel <rolls eyes>. We rang the hotel this morning and thankfully they had it. So instead of DD making her own way to work on the bus, I had to drop her to the hotel and then bring her to work for 11. Her job is close to the hotel but not close enough to walk it iykwim.

I was planning to give the downstairs a good clean today in advance of next weekend (I'll be away next weekend and I'll have family coming in to see to the cats) but I didn't get half the things done that I'd planned. Will have to try to get a bit done each night during the week instead. I'm currently cooking dinner and trying to stay awake. I have a meeting at 7 for a community group that I'm involved with, because we've a festive event during the week and we've a bit of last minute planning to do. I think it will be an early night!

Broodywuz · 03/12/2023 22:49

Been a productive weekend. Finished washing the inside windows. Tree and all the decorations up. Christmas cards written and posted. And a couple of close ones delivered. This week I need to do get out all the presents I have, wrap them and make a list of what I've still to get.

Pinkkisugarmouse · 04/12/2023 02:54

Moved forward quite a bit today (well technically yesterday).
Some of the decorations went up. Will do the others tomorrow (Monday).
Wrapped most of my presents. Still waiting on a couple to arrive.

BaconAndAvocado · 04/12/2023 07:35

Starting to get properly organised now, so today I will:

*Order DS2's pressies. He FINALLY gave me his list last night and DH had some great ideas for him - all Spurs related.

*Get stamps for cards. Wrote them all in an unexpected frenzy just before Strictly on Saturday night 😂

*Feed the cake.

STILL haven't got the decs up as we're having the hall, stairs and landing decorated....

ErnestCelendine · 04/12/2023 07:49

Post packages, buy stamps for cards and figure out what I need to get for DD.

Justhereforthechristmasthreads · 04/12/2023 07:56

Today Royal Mail are collecting a couple of small packages I needed to send. I need to buy some stamps when I go shopping later so might write the very few cards that need posting and take them with me to get those gone

I don't really feel like I have a lot to do now whic I'm glad of as from next week work will start being more unpredictable .

Tree needs to go up but that is a job for the weekend after stepsons birthday

MissMarplesNiece · 04/12/2023 07:58

I've written some cards and later I'm going to the PO to send them. A couple are going overseas - normally the PO assistant prints out an ugly white sticker for them but I'd like nice stamps instead. Can I just ask for these, tell him I want stamps not the ugly sticker thing?

Taytocrisps · 04/12/2023 08:29

@MissMarplesNiece I'm not sure if they'd oblige re the stamps but I understand perfectly. The brightly coloured stamps are a lot more exciting. Sure, you can ask and see what they say, although they'll probably think you're a little bit crazy.

I need to wrap the present for my work kriskindle tomorrow.

Togekiss · 04/12/2023 08:34

MissMarplesNiece · 04/12/2023 07:58

I've written some cards and later I'm going to the PO to send them. A couple are going overseas - normally the PO assistant prints out an ugly white sticker for them but I'd like nice stamps instead. Can I just ask for these, tell him I want stamps not the ugly sticker thing?

If you want it tracked/signed for it has to be put through the system so there’s no way around the printed label.

If you don’t need that you should be able to use stamps, but you’ll have to check how much postage will be and then add enough stamps to cover the value.

They’ll be able to tell you at the PO. Just say to them before they start the transaction as once they print the label it has to go on the letter/parcel.

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