Spring has sprung...let's Countdown to Christmas 2024 (Thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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For the forgetful of thinking AKA me tomorrow, repeating the countdown!

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Ooooooh thats exciting Hoping. I don't normally order M&S but I like to get ideas.

Just saw a christmas cracker hack on the Christmas bargains thread - get some cheap crackers carefully snip ties off on each end, open up and get the stuff out then replace with the hat, motto and better gift. Tie up with fancy ribbon. I also saw someone said Home Bargains had sets of pawpaw lip balms etc for £4.99 i think so i thought get some of these sets and break them up for nice cracker gifts. My family are used to measuring tapes and mini screwdriver sets so this will be a nice change.

Or even in the interest of being eco get the ones without the plastic tat and just put a nice lip balm in.

I'm quite interested in the gingerbread mug men as well 70 and Monkey so if you see them again please shout.

Yipppeeeee!

Plan for Day:

1. Walk MonkeyDog
2. Supermarket and bank
3. Sofa, cuppa and M and S Christmas food ordering...well, have an initial gander at it.

Last year, I ordered from M and S, Sainsbury's and Waitrose as their prices for often extremely similar items was very different.

Morning!

Is MonkeyDog ok now after being sick, @MonkeyTennis34? If he's like ours, it's not a sign of illness, just an occasional vomit!

I'm on the train to the office, so will look at M&S. We order from our local cheese shop, Booths, Sainsbury's and Morrison's usually. Not sure what I'll get this year as I'm
trying to cut back (I am a notorious over-caterer)!

@NoWordForFluffy
Ah thanks for asking, he seems better today.
He was, extremely uncharacteristically, happy not to have a breakfast yesterday but lunch and dinner went down (and stayed down) well.

Booths you say?!!
I've heard so much good stuff about Booths on MN.
But I gather they don't do mail order.
We're in Kent and I'm pretty sure Booths stores are in the North?

I also over-cater, particularly in the cheese department...always lots of the unpopular ones left over...looking at you Stilton!
11th Christmas Commandment here should be Thou shalt not buy ANY Stilton.
Although my Dad does enjoy a slither 😫

Ooh, we like Stilton. Just get a supermarket one though. It's the ones supermarkets don't do that we get from the cheese shop / Booths.

I'm glad MonkeyDog is OK. FluffyPup had a dodgy stomach in the summer. Still ate his food, wasn't sick, but wasn't entirely well (he cut his walks short!).

Booths are on Amazon Fresh in some locations down south.

I will do a mix of M&S and Sainsbury’s. The puddings look better with M&S but the savoury better with Sainsbury’s. I love Stilton but no one else in the house does so I usually end up making and freezing broccoli and Stilton soup in January.

I think I must be an anomaly as I am not a big fan of cheese. I think Fluffy must have the cheese gene 😂 I do buy mozzarella sticks and hallumi fries as both my children and my husband like them.

My cheese board is pretty boring tbh (and def no Stilton for me) but I love it anyway.

We're home (as in not going on holiday) for Christmas this year and have invites to my mums and FILs for lunch.
For various reasons our Christmas is going to be a bit different this year so I'm pushing for us to stay home. Plus DHs Christmas dinners are the best.

We shop mostly between Aldi and Sainsbury's then I do an M&S shop when I pick up a c&c order. It's a bit of a tradition - dm buys DH M&S socks and slippers every year then we go together to pick them up and buy random nice looking cakes/biscuits and hope they have the good Bucks Fizz

@NoCheesesForUsMeeces
I love the little Christmas traditions like your DH's sock purchasing when you pick up your food!
Very special.

DH and DS2 always pick up the turkey and ham together from the butcher's. This year DS2 turns 18 so perhaps a pub visit will be incorporated into the proceedings!

Ohh...what's the good Buck's Fizz?
Would be nice to find one that doesn't take the enamel off my teeth!

@MonkeyTennis34, it's clementine and cranberry. And lovely!

Thanks @NoWordForFluffy I’ll look out for that, it sounds delicious!

I found the M and S Christmas food to order a bit disappointing…..there were a few bits I liked the look of but not enough to spend £50.
And when I compared like for like with Sainsbury’s Christmas food, Sainsbury’s came out at better value.

Will have a gander at Waitrose when it drops…think I ordered their side of salmon for Christmas Eve last year.

I had a look at the M&S food ordering , there will be more in store I'm sure .
My DH doesn't eat desserts and no chocolate .
I make apple crumble and trifle , can do a lot of that ahead .

Booths will be 10th Oct but darn sarf we can torment ourselves with looking at the Big Christmas Book of Christmas ( there's a preview online now though )

I've messaged a local butcher about salt marsh beef, as the cattle graze on the beach near here. I'm hoping I can order a joint now.

Booths will post you a book if you message them. You can get the actual thing!

@70isaLimitNotaTarget
What is this Big Christmas Book of Christmas you speak of?

And, more to the point, is it about Christmas? It's not clear.

I have never seen one IRL , it's the beautiful hardbacked Booths Christmas Food , something us Softy Southerners can only dream about .

Apparently , so I;m told , Booths makes Waitrose look like a stall on Romford Market

I happen to have last year's book next to me...here's a sample from it.

The Booths book is a thing of beauty. I get a few bits from Booths when I visit SIL between Christmas and New Year but haven't yet had anything fresh from their Christmas range before Christmas.

Behave yourself now @NoWordForFluffy , I will have a wander round Borough Market , they have some Artisan Food Stalls .
I;m hoping the pastry stall I went to last year is still there , they were delicious .

I'm off to bed now .
Tomorrow is Rudolph Day

<Nods Sagely>

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Morning! Happy Rudolph Day! 🦌

Dog walk / run soon. Bit dark...glad I got a light to wear!

Happy Rudolph day too!!

Its pouring down here but I might cheer myself up by buying my first tub of festive chocs to go in now clean cupboard in utility room. I noticed Tesco selling for £4.50.

But oh I am soooooo envious of this Big Christmas Booths book, Maybe you can send us picture a day Fluffy like an advent calendar.

@NoWordForFluffy
I'm salivating over the Booths book....

Happy Rudolph Day everyone!

Er...what is Rudolph Day please and why have I never heard of it?

This thread is turning out to be a revelation!

And yes please to @Magnoliasunrise 's suggestion of a daily dose of the Bootgs catalogue!!

*Booths

It's the 25th of each month that's not December, where you can choose to do something Christmassy (or not!).

If you find Booths Country on Facebook and drop them a message, they'll post a book out to you!