Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness...and ramping up those Christmas preparations! Countdown to Christmas 2024 (thread 3) (title edited by MNHQ @request of OP)

[NoWordForFluffy]

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(Saves us checking the old thread tomorrow!)

Here goes, folks. New thread to see us through autumn!

Morning!

I'm on the train to Liverpool for my office day. Bit chilly out, but not freezing.

Magnolia, I'm pretty sure Die Hard would be a 15 if rated now! Your DS needs to have a word with himself re whether it's a Christmas film or not though. Have you considered sending him elsewhere to live?!

I don't mind Elf. May watch it later as I can't watch Love Actually with the kids around as they always appear when it's the Martin Freeman scenes!

I LOVE the idea of Whamageddon as Last Christmas is one of my least favourite Christmas songs!

Whamageddon sounds pretty impossible to achieve though...Radio 2 have ALWAYS put off playing g Christmas songs until 1st December but this year they started in November 🤨

Decs are finally up and looking gorgeous.

DH and I are going on a Christmas booze run tonight at Asda. I've amassed £130 to spend there, feeling very smug!

It's OK, @MonkeyTennis34, Whamageddon doesn't start til 1 Dec. You could have Last Christmas on repeat 24/7 til then and still be in the game!

Enjoy the booze run! I've spent Nectar points on booze maybe £200. Our garage has a fair amount in it! Might do a stock check to see what's what.

Morning, I've been swamped at work (what's new, I hear the old timers sigh), but made some...limited...progress.

Presents bought and wrapped for 7 of 25. If I can get a couple more done by Sunday, dd will bring them home for DH to deliver next weekend.

Cards bought. (Improvement on last year).

Decorations bought and organised what I had as well - I have enough to cover a tree. No tree bought yet (middle of next week as needs to be fresh here and no holders to keep it watered).

I won't get cardigans done for DNieces - haven't started the toddler one yet as still have half of 1 front, 2 sleeves and the edging to do on 6 year old's. Possibly a summer gift.

I have some nice iced tea that dd discovered she likes bought, and 2 Christmas beers for DH. I am definitely getting the vibe that a turkey is actually the preferred dinner after all (it had been " let's see what's good in the supermarket and what Belgian food is like").

DH is arriving on 22nd and DD on 24th (or maybe 23rd? She keeps changing her mind but she will have a key back this weekend). So I think DH and I will go to a Christmas market (maybe Bruges or Aachen) on 23rd, and be back for early evening. Wander Brussels market on 24th all together.

But work is bonkers still and I need to do a load of paperwork before year end. And a couple of meetings I need to travel for. And try to arrange Christmas hospitality for a lot of people. And tidy the apartment.

Going up to DD for the weekend though, as I have a meeting on Monday nearer Amsterdam than Brussels. So I'll do some shopping there. And maybe even find things for both of them!

@NoWordForFluffy
So is Whamageddon where you are trying to avoid listening to the song?

I wrote a list of who I'm going to send cards to and DH piped up that I can put them through his franking machine at work. Result!

Have got Pest Control (again) and plumber in today. Hoping to get out later after work for some Yuletide spending.

I am officially done. No more presents! And I've left the bargain threads to avoid the twitch.

Yes, but only the original Wham version (with lyrics, not an instrumental). Covers in any description are fine.

Managed to give blood without a Whamageddon incident, so I live to survive another day! And I'm not leaving the house much before my op next week so I don't get ill.

I'm also done, @Webbb. Just got to finish wrapping now.

If I'd been playing Whamageddon I would have been out twice today - one at home as had a random YouTube playlist going and once in the car thanks to Heart Christmas

Biddy I felt tired just reading that - I'm not sure how you function!

Fluffy love the Snowdog Christmas trivia
LO loves it so much I spotted it on the Works website and added it to an order I was already doing along with the Grinch, a Spider-Man colouring book and 3 games Does it count as the twitch if you weren't really sure you were finished anyway? 👀

I am so close to being done it's annoying me. Struggling for ideas for my auntie (no hobbies, buys herself clothes/bags every week pretty much, doesn't really drink and is always on a diet) and DH - I have the good ideas to his parents as we don't usually do presents but figured we should probably do something this year!

Decs are coming down from the attic tomorrow I hope so I'll have access to my cards. Plan to write and post them next week (LO will enjoy putting stamps on and popping them in the post box).

Absolutely nothing is wrapped yet though - I think DH will be out one evening next week so I'll do most of it then.
I could get started on Thursday when DH is also out but the boxes of decs will be everywhere but they won't be up so I think it'll feel wrong

Ha! I explained the rules of Whamaggefon to DD, she promptly spoke the fateful words, “Alexa, play Christmas music” and yes, guess which song came up first? 🤣

Have written all my cards.

Nothing Christmassy planned today, apart from choir practice for our Christmas concert,

I've been making fun, silly diamond art christmas cards. I have been really enjoying it, such a mindless activity, with an audiobook the time flies by.

I went and bought stamps for posting said cards yesterday and nearly died at the price however! I wanted to change and ask for second class instead but I was too embarrassed 😳

21 🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻

Oh god, @Webbb, I'm posting the one card I need to send on its own second class. I'm sure it'll appear there eventually!

Thankfully our children are well versed in Whamageddon and know they'd be in trouble if they play it! I feel like I've used most of my luck, having been out for food on Sunday and giving blood yesterday and managing to avoid it (despite it being an 80's radio station on during the blood donation)!

I have no plans to leave the house before my op next Thursday now, other than to walk the dog. Hopefully I'll be safe til then! 🤣

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Morning!

Meeces would your auntie like a Christmas Cactus? In a nice pot? Theyre really pretty and the one I bought my mum years ago still flowers every year.

I'm nearly done presents wise but like Webb re xmas cards was shocked at the price of stamps - but then again I think of the journey the card does and its actually quite good value.

Finally got the DC lists and as usual they include discontinued, really hard to find items - I'm sure they do it for the laughs. Anyway I will rise to the challenge (and trawl Vinted)

Fluffy hope you get some relaxation time (apart from the dog running) before the op.

Morning!

I'm already exhausted and the day has barely started! I was taken on an 8km gallop this morning! He enjoyed it though...lots of sniffing involved and many puddles to trot through.

The weather was pretty wild last night and set to be worse later and for the whole weekend too. Batten down the hatches!

It's deceptively nice right now! ☀️

webbb I bought my stamps today too. I think they're a ridiculous price really but DHs family live dotted around the country and some are quite elderly (plus I love sending and receiving cards).
Second class all the way here though!

magnolia I'm afraid a plant isn't a present for my auntie - everything in a pot in her house is plastic 🙄
She's honestly impossible to buy for - we did stop a few years ago but with LO here now she's going to buy him stuff so I need to get her something - may just end up being a bunch of flowers at this rate!

Fluffy bad weather hit just as we got home at 2:30 here and hasn't stopped. It's awful outside right now.

I've decided to do the decs a step at a time and with LO here to help so they know what's coming. It's hard though - I normally do it all in once stressful and chaotic day.

Boxes came down yesterday and today we have window lights, mantle garland, some ornaments and Christmas cushions. Oh and old fashioned lantern lights on the cactus
Rest of the lights, the tree(s) and a general tidy up to go!

I'm tired. lo was up early and we had visitors for tea - I'm enjoying the lights right now and trying to decide between begging out and being productive by writing my cards this evening...

🎄19🎄 We're in to the teens

Lying in bed waiting for with a cuppa now as LO is still asleep after a restless night with lots of short wake ups.

Proud to say I was productive in the end and all my cards are written and in envelopes downstairs.
Will dig out my address book and get the ones that need posting sent this weekend.
Others will be hand delivered by me and LO to keep us busy over a couple of afternoons next week.

My house is complete chaos due to the boxes everywhere and that's doing my head in. Roll on Saturday evening when everything will be up and we can chuck them back in the attic!

Nineteen

I'm still in with Whamaggeddon not heard it (not heard FToNY either but I think that's a given )

I was looking for oven gloves ( I know , the exciting life I lead ) and stumbled across the Argos website .

Takes me back to the 90s when the huge Argos Catalogue was read through, marked off then you queued to get the order slip , fill it in, queue to pay , queue to collect Go to Order Point C

Ahhhh , the memories

Then the massive Post Christmas queues for Returns .....

I am also still in with Whamageddon! I can't remember the furthest date I've got to. Possibly 16th. Maybe.

@70isaLimitNotaTarget
Ah...The Laminated Book of Dreams that was the Argos catalogue....sadly missed.

Just got back from a windy and chilly walk with MonkeyDog.
Invigorating!!

After my cuppa, I'm going to get started on The Wrapping.
I usually put on a corny Hallmark Christmas film...Will have a search on Netflix.

Have a fun, festive-filled day everyone 🎄

what about a sherpa oodie ? i got gorge ones done last year for nieces and sil, sil is another one imposssible to buy for. I ordered off notonthehighstreet.com.

Still in.

Not working today so I've done a bit of shopping and wrapping now watching Christmas at Warwick Castle. It's in the time of social distancing so the ice rink has got to be twice as big. I'm rolling my eyes so much that we were so dopey doing stuff like that, what a waste of time and money.

Yes the Argos book was basically my christmas list in days gone by.

I went for a chilly , breezy walk with my DS , mainly to make him carry things home

Dropped off some stuff at the charity shop , went to Post Office , got some food in Aldi

I'm still in despite a journey in DD2's car (Christmas playlist on shuffle just to mess with my head 😂) and a shopping trip to Asda this morning.

I picked up my last two presents this afternoon and will finish my wrapping tomorrow.

I'm still to write my cards and face the trauma of buying stamps. Maybe Sunday/Monday.

I was doom scrolling Insta and kept landing on Christmas reels...I'm still in though I've stopped scrolling!

You've done well to stay in, Woolly!

Oh goodness, I'd never even thought about Insta! Does it count if my phone is permanently on silent 😂 tell me you're Gen X without telling me you're Gen X

Funnily enough I came across a Gen X reel whilst scrolling! 🤣

I only have the sound up when scrolling Insta as I want to hear Good Boy Ollie! My notifications are off all the time though. 😁