Thread 44 GCSE Covid Cohort - Countdown to Christmas & New Year

[OrangeCinnamonLatte]

This is a support thread for our young adults post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting, and their results ( or life updates for those who went into work or have had results earlier). It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, uni vs employment please don't within this thread.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue. We were previously on the secondary board and then further education, now we shall be here in 'Parents of Adult Children' gulp

Our DS/DD may continue down various pathways ( employment, apprenticeships, higher ed). Be warned there might be lots of 'Uni Freshers' chat this time of year. My experience is that everyone is welcomed wherever, whatever their child is doing we have some in work, gap years , apprenticeships etc too. Lots of contributors with different experiences and always sympathy and advice to be had

He's such a prankster. My airing cupboard....

Merry Christmas everyone.
We had a great but very busy day with 9 adults and 3 under 5s, in a 3 bed semi. Ive been Ill all week so had to work really hard yesterday and today to catch up with Christmas. I have a chest infection and barely slept last night. Just told Dh that Im tired and a bit grumpy and he told me not to be because the day went well. I may have snarled.
He does a lot of the cooking, but really doesn’t notice all the stuff I do. Made loads of sides, cleaned everywhere, got most of the presents, laid the table, decorated. Entertained children , found emery boards and screwdrivers and batteries and toilet roll and paracetamol, nappy sacks and Tupperware, corralled pets, more cleaning, collected people, asked all the right questions. More cleaning.
Dh cooked the main components, served the meat up really fatty so no one ate it,and watched tv for the rest of the day, while I cleaned up, played, built toys, admired stuff etc etc .
Teen seemed happy, her best present was the hair gloop so I could have saved £ 200.00 there.
Reminded my daughter that the dogs live here, and should not be constantly shut away for her convenience.. she clearly thought.IWU.
It is just really stressful. Next year they can all have hair gloop and I’ll use the money I save to choose my own presents and rent a cottage for me and my dogs.

Morning all, we had a fairly relaxed day, just us at home in the morning and for lunch, then over to my parents mid-afternoon till mid-evening. House looks like a bomb has gone off, the dishes were done before we went out yesterday and the wrapping paper gathered up, but a lot of tidying away still needs to happen. Off to visit the ILs today.

Happy Boxing Day, I left MIL's early yesterday with a ferocious cough and today will have to be a pyjama day...

Except dd2 invited 2 of her friends for a sleepover tonight. They are having a 'Jane Austen Evening', whatever that might entail. Can't provide a Mr Darcy unfortunately.

Happy Christmas all. We had a nice one, but like @Zebracat I am exhausted! DSs both sang midnight mass at Bristol Cathedral and we did family parents after that, had cinnamon buns and chat, the others went to bed around 1:30, but I had jobs to do - I was taking ready prepared sprouts, red cabbage, Yorkshires, mince pies, Christmas cake, ham and had not finished everything so was up until 5am, then did stockings and went to bed for a couple of hours.

Christmas day in London with family was lovely although my mum is in a very poor state at the moment, she had fainted in the morning and is in a lot of pain from back trouble, added to sciatica and fluid on her knee which had a replacement joint recently. The grandchildren rallied around to look after her and she felt cherished. She has been very unlucky with her health recently, in spite of very healthy living.

Drove back last night SO exhausted, DSs did a great job of talking to me to keep me awake. DS2 would have driven but he is not insured on the car we took, DH had too much to drink and hates London driving.

Good to hear about your Christmases, love the Danny Devito - @icanbewhatiwant your boys are so full of character!

Morning all. Yesterday went well with 2 grandparents joining us. I was fully prepped as had made a lots of things in the last week(sauces and red cabbage) and frozen them. DH and DDs peeled and chopped veg on Christmas Eve and made tiramisu so yesterday was as easy as possible.
Im getting over a chesty cough as is DD1 but it’s now gone to her sinuses and she’s in pain( we didn’t sleep last night as she was up and down refilling her hot water bottle as that helped) and DH is out trying to locate an open chemist as paracetamol isn’t touching it.

We had a lovely Christmas.

dh bought me a course of piano lessons from ds’s old teacher. I then told my family of an idea I’d been harbouring for a while about finding lessons for a year for a local child whose parents either can’t afford or just simply won’t pay.

im going to approach the music teacher at ds’s old school and ask if there is any child who would benefit.

Ive also set up a go fund me to try and raise enough to do this for a second child at a different locsl school, perhaps the one ds’s friend attended.

Obviously not allowed to post the link but if anyone wants to know more feel free to PM.

Happily watching a Christmas film on my own now. Menfolk gone to the football.

Yesterday went okay. DS made me go back to bed so he could come into the bedroom with his stocking. Anything else would be the wrong start to the day! Just the three of us in the morning then hosted a late lunch for my parents and BIL. They all managed to behave and left early evening so quite relaxing.

@Comefromaway What a generous act and opportunity.

@Monkey2001 Sounds like you had a whirlwind Christmas making it special for the family. Hope today has been more relaxing.

Merry Christmas my lovely Mumsnetter pals

Lovely idea @Comefromaway

Dd has been predictably self-entitled , I won't say anymore - it's boring, I'm over thinking about it.

Boxing Day was lovely just me, DH and MIL at hers plus dog. I was able to truly relax, didn't even get out of my fave pyjama bottoms until gone afternoon. Helped to prep a nice leftover buffet , mid afternoon glass of wine and yummy cheeses with MIL. I'm so thankful to have her, she's so kind and relaxed and always let me treat her home as my own for the last 25 years. Dog adores her too, and the coastal walks.

Travelling up to Loughborough today for a family party 🥳 . Not back to work until 3rd but DH has a shift thurs/Fri...I think...

I hope Father Christmas treated you all well. Not sure about Danny Devito in my airing cupboard but at least he wasn't dressed as the Penguin!

Belated Happy Christmas to you all. I hope those that have had a very busy few days have a chance to rest now.

Our eldest had to work Christmas Eve & Christmas Day (junior doctor) but it ended up working out very well - she came home & commuted from here, opened presents together on Christmas Day morning but delayed the usual turkey dinner until yesterday. It was very relaxed & having it spread over two days avoided the anti-climax feeling I sometimes have once Christmas Day is over.

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year everyone. Ours has been ok although a bit too quiet for my liking really, I miss a big family Christmas I used to have as a child and teenager, but it has been nice. DD has been a real joy, it's so nice to see her so relaxed and chatty. Her boyfriend came to dinner Boxing Day which was lovely, DD and I played games whilst DH and BF watched the football on the telebox (DD and I watched it in the background and cheered and groaned at the opposite times to the men ;-) DD and BF then went out for drinks with DDs friends in the evening so I caught up watching Jack Ryan series 3, happy days :-)

DH wants to go to Liverpool 1 day this week to look at art galleries etc (he rarely ventures over the Mersey) so that will be nice, DD is coming too as she enjoys painting with DH occasionally so we will also go to an art shop to stock up on paints.

It's been interesting reading about your Christmases, they vary so much but also similar issues too. @OrangeCinnamonLatte sorry to read about your DD, that has been my DD in the past on many occasions in the past. I think she has a better understanding of what little £ buys these days and there are other people that have to plans to make too so can't just wait for DD to make up her mind what she is going to do and when - so there is hope for your DD too :-)

@crazycrofter I actually got to see a few photos at Nottingham, she pointed out your DD - how gorgeous she looked at the Christmas Meal (I thought was a ball but wasn't). My DD seemed to love dressing up properly for the meal especially as she didn't get to have a school Prom. She said it was her best day at uni so far :-)

DD was explaining how her block in Rutland is the least sociable due to lower numbers of rooms in H block but it seems she has made friends with people above her and people in the other blocks and is loving living there. It's been really nice chatting properly with no time restraints and she isn't rushing off to do something else. Both DH and I have commented how she seems in a good place with uni and her boyfriend, she seems happy which is all I wanted. It definitely helps that she only has 1 exam in January though so she isn't feeling the pressure yet.

Anyone back at work tomorrow? (or even before)? Any nice plans for the next week?

Belated happy Christmas to all.
ours has been good, hosted lots of people over the last few days and have finally collapsed on the sofa now that they have all gone. Typically I have the stinking cold that’s going around, most people here had already had it and still recovering or also had it. Lots of coughing from everyone. So much going around at the moment.

Belated Happy Christmas all. It's been a quiet one here. Just the four of us and MIL (who left yesterday). Both kids are working today, DS at his holiday park job and DD flipping burgers at a local football club. Back to work (at home) for me tomorrow. Still in my PJ's today 😊

Can anyone with daughters help? I'd like to get DD a good jacket for her birthday- not a really expensive one but more than she would spend as a student. What brands should I be looking at?

That's lovely to hear that your dd is so happy @Heifer and that she's been happy to spend lots of time chatting.

We've had quite a busy few days - with my brother who lives about 40 mins away on Christmas Eve, then dh's sister who lives about an hour away for Christmas Day. Monday-Tuesday we stayed at my parents in Shropshire and caught up with another brother and his family and then yesterday my sister and her family. So lots of family seen! Ds is back at work today. Dd is having a 'day off' - I think she means off socialising as she hasn't done any work yet! Tomorrow, Friday and Monday she seems to have social plans and we'll go to family on New Years Eve. Not sure when the revision starts.... She's starting her new job next Wednesday too.

www.theguardian.com/education/2022/dec/26/uk-student-housing-reaching-crisis-point-as-bad-as-1970s-charity-warns “19 towns and cities where there is more than a 10% undersupply of beds, ranging from 28% in Preston and 25% in Bristol to 10% in Birmingham and Swansea”.

Oh crumbs 😫 I’d been telling myself the low and bill-inclusive rents meant it was a buyers’ market, and quietly wondering how a city of 140,000-odd absorbed a student population of over 30,000 so easily. Apparently it’s just a cheap city (I did know that) and … it doesn’t.

Don't know your dd's style NCTDN but both my late-teen girls love Urban Outfitters and spend all their birthday/Christmas money in there. Here's their coats and jackets page if anything appeals: www.urbanoutfitters.com/en-gb/womens-coats-jackets

It’s either North Face or Urban Outfitters here too NCTDN.

DD also North Face or Urban Outfitters (especially the iets frans stuff, DD has the gilet).

Probably too late to wish you merry Christmas, so happy new year!
Fairly quiet Christmas here - MIL on the day, and DSs girlfriend yesterday (vegan so that was interesting!).
DD has had some sort of virus over the whole period - I think she must have got really run- down whilst she was away. Both DCs are usually in bed until lunchtime, so haven't seen much of them. Neither got DH or I anything for Christmas so feeling really appreciated at the moment. Actually, I am quite hurt. I know they don't have much money, but a box of chocs wouldn't have broken them.

Beginning to worry about what DD is going to do for the next 9 months until she she restarts uni. She's not the most proactive if people, so us going to need pushing all the way. And I'm just exhausted at the moment.

DD’s like Urban Outfitters or Zara, ASOS.

DDs even!

Happy everything!

A very mellow Christmas here, lots of food, booze, boardgames, TV, jigsaws. Everyone having a laid-back and enjoyable time, hosted some of DW's colleagues for dinner last night. DD is very good spirits, I just need to nag her about getting repeat meds (an ongoing saga) as she's back at home for another week. No idea whether trains will get her back to uni or whether I'll have to run her down. (Then all the fun of house-hunting lies ahead!) She has some homework to do but no exams or anything (she handed in coursework portfolios x3 before coming back).

Off to pick up my DS from a friend's birthday party, then time for boardgames, TV, and lots of food and booze, I think.

Seasons Greetings!
I’m ‘half in’ one house which is without t’internet and ‘half out’ another which means I have a rapidly diminishing ‘data allowance’ on my phone…😱
@EwwSprouts the fact your DS chose to ( belatedly) open his stocking in your bedroom really made me ‘tear up’ but having said that how lovely- I was very jealous!