Special occasions & other celebrations

Archives for December 2018

Free tree next year
If you had a real Christmas tree, once it's finished with, leave in garden to allow needles to drop then store out if sight. When totally dry, spray with white paint, maybe twice. Then in November, place in tub and decorate. Money saved..
Unwanted gift voucher
Hi folks, i am looking to see if anyone can recommend zeek or cardyard for selling an unwanted gift card? Cardyard are offering me more money so probably going to go with them if feedback is good. I presume ebay is fraught with fraud danger. The voucher is high value so very wary of who i hand it to. Thanks.
Song List Generator Help, Please!
Looking for somewhere that will generate a list of popular sons that family 24yrs-74 yrs will recognise! It's to play a game with of guess the tune with kazoos! Last time we did it off the cuff, folk couldn't think of tunes or no one recognised them. I tried making a list but then I know all the answers :o
* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas * - It's the 2019 Christmas Chatter Thread
:xmastree: Hello and welcome to the 8th Christmas Chatter Thread. It’s hard to believe that another year has gone and we are almost at the big event that we have spent so long planning and preparing for! But this thread is about so much more than Christmas but about the whole year with all the ups and downs, as well as the…
Last-minute issues: Does anybody else store Xmas food overstocks in a nice cold (unheated) lobby?!
:xmassmile: Last-minute Xmas :xmastree: trials & tribulations . . . Just wondered: does anybody else store Xmas food overstocks in lobby?! In the last few days before the Big Day, we have so many spare bits & bobs - vegetables, cakes, biscuits, drinks - that the kitchen has now overflowed into our lobby! :snow_grin: The…
What's this music? BBC trailer
Can anyone enlighten me?? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06tzdxv Thanks
Happy New Year 2019
Hi there! I wanted to greet everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2019! Another year is coming hope everyone will have a blissful start of the new year.
Present for mum
Hi Can anyone help me with an idea for a Christmas present for my mum!! I have asked her and she said slippers for her birthday in January then said a garden clock but then said to buy that for dad instead. Well I have managed to buy dad a mobile phone charger one of those power bank things. I am stuck on ideas for mum my…
Where is the perfect man from the Festive Fivers competition?
A few years ago, there was a Festive Fivers competition run by MSE. One of the suggestions was a poem about a perfect man. It started along the lines of 'A perfect man is hard to find'. It does not appear to be in the Festive Fivers any longer, when searching. Google brings up (in the images) a similar poem on Pinterest,…
Free video message from Father Christmas
Hi Folks, There is a fun personalised Christmas video to send to kids, friends family etc available at: www .santas.video You can type in what they want for Christmas, if they have been good or bad and what they can do to improve. You can choose to email it or just share a link so you decide what data you want to share (if…
Christmas Eve Boxes?
A heated debate has sprung up about Christmas Eve boxes at MSE Towers: Are they succumbing to "crass commercialism" or are they in the spirit of Christmas? Personally I love them and include everyone's new Pyjamas (not Christmas themed!), a boardgame or family activity for the evening and snacks and sweets. We'd love to…
How old is your Christmas tree?
Celebration cakes
Not sure where to post. Does anyone know any reliable websites where you can order cakes for Christmas? Have used sponge.co.uk before, but wondered whether anyone could recommend other companies. Thank you
When does Christmas begin for you?
For me and my family, it's when we have all gone on xmas leave. My children and husband all have at least 2 weeks off, I have to go in for a few hours between xmas and new year , so not really a 2 week break for me but carers hols are difficult to get and I knew that before I took on this job. Like I said in another…
Did you spot all the Christmas puns in this week's email?
For added fun, and in classic MSE fashion, we've sprinkled this week's Money Tips Email with as many festive films, lyrics and phrases as we could muster. Apologies if we've missed your favourite. Did you spot them all? See the full list below to find out if you're as switched on as the Christmas lights. :santa2: * "For…
Homemade christmas decorations…
Ever thought of making your own Xmas decorations from bits around the home or from work? MSE Tony’s wife has been sharing some of the creations made at the college where she works, including a tree from books and even a fireplace. So what do you think? Have you given it a go or are you tempted to? Let us know and send us…
Christmas present conundrum!
Hi all, I have 2 boys and one of my DH brothers has 10 children (all under 10). We don’t really see them and contact has become us is minimal. Every Christmas we send each child £20 and they send my boys £10 each. It’s now sort of become a financial transaction where we lose out with no Xmas spirit. We get no thanks from…
Special Lamb recipe for Christmas?
Does anyone know a really special lamb recipe that I could cook on Christmas Day - using a slow cooker? We're going to be having our turkey dinner on Boxing Day and hubby has asked for lamb. I want to use the slow cooker (oven is unreliable plus we will be at church in the morning) and thinking about a casserole or maybe…
Books for Children
Good morning I have 5 great-nieces & nephews and was thinking of a book as a gift for at least 4 of them but not sure what is appropriate. My children are older now so I've lost a bit of touch with what would be good. There are 2 5-yr old boys, 2 2-yr old girls and a baby so obviously something different for him. Thanks in…
Wording for donations instead of a gift
I am taking the plunge this year and instead of guilt, stress and panic about what to buy people while on a budget, and posting it to friends and family across the country, which soon makes costs go up, I am making £10-£20 donations to charities instead. For example for a friend in Scotland passionate about the coast and…

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MSE News

Nationwide urged to "give members a say" over proposed Virgin Money takeover as thousands sign petition calling for a vote
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Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds to close 177 branches in 2024/25 – here's the full list, plus alternatives
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Barclaycard's cutting minimum repayments – you could be in debt YEARS longer paying DOUBLE the interest
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NatWest, RBS and Ulster Bank to close at least 100 branches in 2024/25 – here's the full list, plus alternatives
NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Ulster Bank, which are all part of the NatWest Group, will shut at least 100 of their bank branches in 2024/25, after RBS announced a further 18 closures.
Co-op Bank customer? You could be moved to Coventry Building Society in future – here's what's happening
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Chase customer? Check if you can get its boosted 5.1% easy-access saver
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The tool was first promised to MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis on ITV's The Martin Lewis Money Show Live last summer and was expected to launch before the end of the 2023/24 financial year.

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Special occasions & other celebrations

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