It is August, and it has just dawned on me...

[orangehandles]

It's August. I can start thinking about Christmas now... 😍

It was a pp's thread about advent calendars that's done it for me!

Oooh, what are you planning OP? I always wind up surfing about SM for Christmas decorating videos to get ideas at this time of year! 😂

Noooooo ! Stop ! Not yet ! Arrrggghhhh !

Don't know yet - I only read the advent calendar thread a short while ago, and that's got me all fired up. I'll have to put my thinking cap on.

You’re reading the Christmas board!

🎄🎅🎄

Thank goodness for that - I thought I was in a time warp !!

I need to start thinking about what to put in ds advent calendar. I'm half sorry I started this! When younger, little bits and bobs worked, but at 14 he thinks I have a money tree for 25 expensive little gifts on the run up to the main event! Any ideas welcome.

OP, you seem extremely happy that now it’s August you can start thinking about Christmas so I’m going to let you into a little secret which I think you will like…….

you can think about Christmas whenever you want!!! Don’t be dictated by the calendar 😂

Post-Christmas last year I bought quite a lot of reduced Christmas food goodies that had reasonably long use-by dates, which meant I could have a box of mince pies in March, a Christmas cake in May, a panettone in June. In fact I have one large panettone left with a use-by of mid-Sept. Perfectly timed for the release of this years stock - I refuse to let the calendar dictate my enjoyment of what has been defined as ‘Christmas food’ (noting the excitement is sometimes tempered by useby dates!).

@ZanyMaker I know I can, but I can't cope with the thought of tinsel until August arrives lol. From now on I tell myself I can get away with it.😁

I’ve started my shopping yesterday! I’m a huge Christmas lover and feel like now it’s appropriate (unfortunate for my DH and kids who are like mum it’s only August!) 😂😂 but I’m the one that organises EVERYTHING so I neeeed to start. (Not that I mind this is my season) Lol 😂
will do a bit of shopping each payday and have my lists ready to go. I have a business which specialises in Christmas so by December I pretty much don’t have time to breathe, another reason to get as much done as I can early.

My lovely mum made my kids refillable advent calendars which is lovely…but of course I have to fill them! I experimented a bit but now they get a sweet or wrapped chocolate and a few puzzle pieces each day so build a puzzle by the 24th. It requires a bit of prep because you have to make the puzzle and work out groups of pieces that will work together so it is satisfying. I have a puzzle holder to keep them while they are being built.

Morrisons has advent calendars last week. I already know what I’m getting DH and I usually struggle with him.

Yes! A thousand times yessss!!! I found a gorgeous book by Anja Dunk for baking last year. Nearly time to peruse and get ready for Christmas baking!!!

I used to do a Beauty Advent Calendat for my DD. At the time she could be fobbed off with a Barry M nail polish or some hair grips.
It got waaay too complex so I started giving her small beauty gifts in a Dec 1st Box which she really likes .
These are part of her Christmas presents but she likes to use them through December to get the best out of them.
Going from a Barry M polish to a Leighton Denny is quite a price hike but it's things she'll use .
So a box of tricks , each wrapped individually (not 24 things but she doesn't count them )

<Disclaimer> not much help for a 14yo boy , but he's old enough to know you can only shake the Magic Money Tree so many times .
My DS would like a £2 coin and some Cadbury Coins in his each day !

I love Christmas and have already done a fair bit of shopping and decor. I try to pick up bargains in Jan and hide them away for the next year, same with some decorations while they’re reduced. Not changing my decor theme (vintage, 90s) just got bits to add to it and new lights etc.

My son just showed me he’s got a Christmas countdown in his iPad and it’s 140 days today. He said he can’t wait to decorate. Boy after my own heart 💓

Can i join?

I am very excited 😊

I always get excited about Christmas around this time of year & have already started shopping, there are some good sales on at the minute so I have almost finished DD stocking 🎄and have been writing ideas down for presents / her advent calendar for the past couple of weeks 🎅🏼

Currently watching a tiktok video of two types of meat (roast beef and slow cooked stuffed rolled pork belly, thats then cooked on high to get a crispy crackling 🤤🤤

It occured to me earlier we have four paydays.

Omg I could eat that now! 😋 🤤

I had a reminder pop up this week to book off a wrapping day in December.

The leave in December gets booked up really quickly and I booked off just one day last year to get everything wrapped and it really helped.

Omg i would die for a roast right now! Got a slimfast 😩😩😩😩

Oh boooo! Definitely not as nice as a roast lol 😩

Indeed-
Aug/Sept/Oct/Nov
We get Dec pay early but that has to last six weelks till end Jan (never my favourite month , being skint makes it 100x worse !)

We’re planning. My DD surprisingly (as she’s not her brothers biggest fan) suggested we go to his for Christmas. He works retail and will be working Christmas Eve and day after Boxing, so if he came to us he’d arrive late Christmas Eve and have to leave mid day Boxing. If we go to him he can spend more time enjoying rather than travelling. But I’m now thinking how will we cook a traditional dinnner in his minisculé kitchen. And I’ll have to take some Christmas decs down as he doesn’t have any. But he lives by the sea so should be great. Presents - cash is king but I try and get a few things for under the tree. Tricky.

Please do!

I actually forgot I started this thread and found it again today - doh😂