What are you doing for Christmas this week?

[Deliveroo]

Disclaimer - yes I know it’s early, but this is the Christmas Board.

Over the years I’ve worked out a 12 week plan for myself so I can get it all done a little bit at a time. Last week was for reading back over my notes, starting my lists, putting aside money for gift cards (I don’t buy them until December but I put the cash in a card now), and dropping off a bag of unwanted Halloween bits from last year to the charity shop.

This week I have to have the who’s going where conversation so I can get stuck into menu planning. We typically host or visit one set of parents, and then have another family get together on each side too. I need those dates on the calendar so the teens can fit their much more exciting social lives around them.

What will you do for Christmas this week?

This weekend I have -

Planned recipes for my homemade food hampers for neighbours and aunts/uncles etc.
Pulled out all the kids gifts, sorted into bags ready to be wrapped.
Sold bits on vinted and sorted out a bag for charity to make some space for kids new toys.
Finished gifts for nieces and nephews.
Wrapped the above gifts.

This week I will:

Deep clean for the Christmas tree going up next weekend.
Drop toys at church for charity collection.
Need to pick up advent calendars.
Need to buy more wrapping paper.
Make a start on DH’s gifts in Black Friday sale hopefully.

Evening, I am really enjoying reading about everyone’s progress and traditions.

I ordered DH a large Emma Bridgewater mug the other day to match the smaller Christmas set we have (as he drink tea by the pint) and it was delivered yesterday. I will bring them out on Friday alongside the festive treat jar.

I do like to have everywhere clean and tidy before the decorations go up, so it’s going to be a sort out and cleaning week for me.

Started decorating over the weekend. Didn’t mean to but once the tree was up and the decorations out and sorted, I couldn’t help myself. Haven’t finished yet, will get the rest done over next weekend.

We did my sisters outside decorations this weekend whilst the weather wasn’t too bad .

I have the office decorated (traditionally everyone WFH after about the 18th December as people scatter back to parents or have chiildcare to juggle so if its not all decorated pre the 1st we don't really get to enjoy it) and the normal treats are out - a couple more things to add over the next couple of weeks just so there are new things to appreciate but that's more filling up the sweetie bowl and finding a place for a jigsaw

At home we have the small tree up and partly decorated, and I am planning on sorting out the decorations aside from the main tree and the outside things during the week, so that next weekend we can finish it off and be December ready.

I will order DH's voucher this week, and also have the remaining gifts to make but am waiting for DH to do his part before I can do mine, and I really need to make a start on the cards. And ice at least one cake as that needs to be delivered in 10 days. It starts to get busy with visits and parties from this point on so I am trying to get the shopping orders finalised and things to be taken places in boxes ready to go!

It's a cleaning and organising week for me too as I feel I need to give the house a sort out before the decorations start coming out of the loft. In fact I'm going to stick a podcast on and do an hour of tidying up and cleaning this afternoon.

I've bought a few more food and drink items for hosting guests. Mainly things like crisps and nuts so we have nibbles to put out but I've also marinated 50 chipolatas in cranberry and soy sauce and put them in the freezer to have with our Boxing Day buffet.

I think I've taken 50 steps back. I'm always a late starter anyway but have just finished clearing my late MiL’s house.

Feel as if we have two houses all in ours. So much work to do before cleaning for Christmas and putting up decorations. 😯

Done this week:
Sorted all the parcels I’ve been randomly stuffing in the pantry into main/stockings/misc
Tip and charity run
Finished the majority of presents, certainly all the main ones

To Do:
Deep clean the house ready for decorations Friday-Sunday
Put Xmas bedding on
Set up Xmas tree Friday before the kids get home!

I’ve taken an inventory of everything. Christmas Eve hampers, stockings, all presents… all the food I’ve bought in. Very cathartic.

I’m removing any of my autumn decor, like my crocheted pumpkins.
Its too early for Christmas decorations but I might add a few of my white ceramic houses onto window sills.

I’ve been wrapping presents and encouraging DH to get in touch with some of his relations so we can arrange passing presents to them (to declutter my bedroom).

I’m hoping to have a little time to myself to do some Christmas crafts.

I also bought a gorgeous Paddington dungarees set for our newest little grandchild who is trying to be a December baby we think.

Well DH and I went to the Christmas Markets today - probably need not have bothered. We did have a Mulled WIne and a Coffee to get the mugs that we liked this year - DH paid for these! To eat DH had a Pork Pie with Black Pudding - £4.50 Yikes!! I had Mac n Cheese - £8.50 We also spent £22 on lots of cheese and also tried lots of samples. 😛The bus was free as we used our Bus Passes.
Nice day for us as we could wander around without too many people around but this year the markets is far smaller with less to see and look at. Most of the stalls were duplicated in each area and there was a good variety of different foods to buy - not that we bothered - except for the macaroons. 😋
Overall, a bit disappointing - not sure if Rachel from Accounts is starting to bite already!! Things were really expensive!!

I've also been sorting the random bits and bobs I've been stuffing into a wardrobe...

• Stocking stuff
• Table stuff (crackers, table gifts, party hats, napkins)
• Dec 1 box stuff
• General Christmas food

Now separated into boxes and bags (except for the stocking stuff, which is wrapped and packed).

We had family over to visit this weekend, and I made far too much spiced red cabbage to go with the meal so I've frozen what was left - inadvertently being prepared there! I've also picked up some yellow label stuffing and pigs in blankets to chuck in the freezer. I tend to make my own Christmas day but just in case I don't, or we need to bulk it out, or if not DH will use them up on festive sandwiches with the leftover turkey and ham - that's pretty much all he eats for the week between Christmas and New Year!

I'm still dithering over DD's main present, going to wait to see what the prices are on actual black friday and will just order then I think. All the other bits she's getting, stocking fillers etc are bought and wrapped.

As mentioned we saw family at the weekend, so I passed presents to those we won't see between now and the big day - most I will but some not going to be till in the New Year now.

One thing I need to do is find the christmas cards I ordered from DD's school with her design, and I also have some cute little kids ones stashed somewhere that she can start writing for her friends in class.

We've ordered our tree - went artificial just for practicalities really, I want it up this weekend/ next week latest and we're not going to have time to go choose a real one/ DH isn't around to saw off the bottom etc. Plus concerned about it lasting. We saw a really good one for half price so that's what we're going with.

Any ideas on how to get a nice smell then without a real one?

I probably need a load more baubles - it's a bigger tree than we're used to and I also want to put our smaller, old one up somewhere else in the house. I'll see how we go with what we have, might be a mad dash to the range or similar!

Oh, I've also bought some Christmas paper napkins and dug out the Christmas market mugs I've collected over the years, and a couple of side plates with christmas scenes, and found some red and green balloons in my birthday box so we're ready for the 1st Dec special breakfast. I know it's seen as OTT on here, but DD genuinely loves it. I don't do anything particularly elaborate - pancakes is about as fancy as it gets but as it's a school day this year we may not even get that far, but I do like to make a bit of a fuss.

Having made the executive decision that, even if DD is out of hospital, she and DH cannot fill fill their plans to come to me - so I booked my flight home today. (DD has had to, temporarily we hope, leave Uni in 1 EU country to go back home for treatment, I am posted to another for work for another 18 months, and DH is still at home).

I am going home this weekend also, and have a few things I had already bought to put in my case - a couple of presents and a few festive chocolates mostly. (And some of DD’s clothes from here and her “car-drobe” (car version of floordrobe) as I got my car back when she left).

I will move the Christmas tree (artificial) that I bought when I was in the next country over, 2 weeks ago, up to my apartment. But I wot decorate it until weekend of 6th Dec.

I have done some sewing (started felt good as DNiece present).

I may write some Christmas cards on planes this weekend.

So not the most productive for only a month out…but not the worst either.

Did a mammoth wrapping session earlier. I’m about 70% done!

@AliasGrapewe use The White Company fir tree oil (20% off this week too) on ceramic stars and hang them throughout our artificial tree. Not quite the same as the real tree we have in the hallway but just as lovely. Our stars are old ones from there too but I see B&M have awesome looking dupes at a decent price, I might pop back for a few to dot around other places.

@BiddyPopthe2ndthat sounds like a good plan. Hope your DD is doing better.

Today is braised red cabbage day.

I don't really follow a recipe, but the ingredients are: a red cabbage, two red onions, a couple of bramley apples, butter, stock, cider vinegar, cloves and cinnamon, and I'll probably whack some dried cranberries in it.

Then I'll freeze it for The Day.

Going to a wreath making workshop with friends this afternoon. Hopefully this will spur me on to put up the rest of the decorations.

I'm starting to put christmas decorations out. Some cushions are out but some are missing so need to get back up in the loft and have a search. Xmas Fireplace guard is out and the wreath is on the front door. We have some of the GC's this weekend so will spend the day putting up the tree so they can decorate it. Outside decorations will go up this weekend too.
I did some Christmas shopping yesterday with DH - he's sorted his Secret Santa and I'm partway through mine. Still need to get some bits for GCs and expecting a delivery with some presents for the great nephews and nieces. Once that arrives, I can wrap them and get them sent off.
Still need to write my Xmas cards not that's there's many to do. We received our first xmas card two weeks ago!! 😳With the cost of postage - I 'd rather make a donation to charity but we have whittled down the list so have a bare minimum.

Ooh thanks for this! I’ll take a look,

Tree came yesterday, got it up and got lights on so far.

Other than food prep and freezing, I can't believe so much happens with decoration this early. It isn't even December!

I'm still struggling (see earlier post) with decluttering.

Bought a small pile of stocking fillers and some family friend presents.

And think I have an idea for the other presents which should be good fun, need a couple of boxes and to have a think before leaping.
Took MIL out and sorted her gifts for the teens for under the tree. So she is more relaxed and happy.

With a bit of luck everything to be posted will be in the post by the end of next week. And everything for people out of the house will be wrapped.

That's the Christmas first goal.