Christmas 09 Let's Get Organised!!

Pips_Mum

helyg wrote: »

I'm sure I enjoy the planning and the preparing more than the big day itself!

Thats exactly like me! I LOVE the run up but generaly hate the day itself. Think this year will be different as it will be babys first.

My Decs go up usually the first weekend after the 4th December as that is OHs birthday and I think its only fair to let him have the day as his special day.
We have very traditional decorations, red and gold, many home crafted items and it all looks fairly rustic.

Got some lovely plastic tubs with lids in MrTs for £2.50. They will be perfect for my Movie night hampers as they have plenty of room and will be useful for the familys after. They are nearly finished now and heres what I have put in them:
Robots DVD from Asda £3
A can of lager for Dad FREE used 1 of OHs shhhhhhhhhh!
A small wine for Mum £2
A Milkshakes for each child £1.02
Large bag Popcorn £1
Haribos 55p
Popcorn tub shaped Yankee Candle Tart Burner £4

Really pleased with them and MSE way of giving to the whole family x x

yippee_kye_yay

i had a 7foot xmas tree a couple of years back, it was really fat and had pine cones on some of the branches, from woolies and only £20. i loved it!
we used it for 2 years and when my ds was born on 4 days after xmas dh informed me that we would only be able to have a table top tree in the next few years, i cried (blame the baby blues).
anyhow when the following xmas approached i admitted that my cheeky 11month son would rip the tree to bits and being 7months pg (and huge) i wasnt as quick on my feet!
so as a comprimise we decided on a 5ft fibre optic tree. god i hated it! it was tiny! i cant stand fibre optics! and to top it all off we used it last year too and one day i was making tea in the kitchen and hears a crash. my dd, then 10months had pulled the tree down and broke the base of the stupid thing!
i would normally go buy another one but being 5pm on xmas eve, its not that easy.
the moral of teh story, i spent last xmas day looking at a sad xmas tree stood in the hole of a breezeblock from the garden and lopsided leaning against the wall, the lights didnt even work! and all the while my lovely huge fat tree was packed up in the garage!!!! its def coming out this year. and if it gets broken, well, santa just wont come!!!

helyg

Pips_Mum wrote: »

Thats exactly like me! I LOVE the run up but generaly hate the day itself. Think this year will be different as it will be babys first.

Having kids does make it extra special. Our best Christmas yet was last year and happened completely by accident! We had invited my inlaws, but they weren't sure whether they could come (long story involving stroppy sister in law...:rolleyes:) so instead we invited my mum. A couple of weeks before Christmas the inlaws changed their minds and decided they were coming... leaving me in a blind panic! :eek: Although my mum and my inlaws do get on they are very, very different, so the idea of all of them in the house on Christmas Day sounded like my worst nightmare! However everyone behaved themselves and the kids thought it was the best Christmas ever having both sides of the family there. They seem to think that the same thing is happening agian this year, but I'm not quite sure yet...

pretzelnut

Tashja wrote: »

Hi all

Just waiting for MrT to deliver a box of over 100 nappies for a nappy cake for above baby's Christmas present. Also got 2 ITNG baby suits and a ITNG bib for the same nappy cake 5.00 - shound havre been 20.00.

T xxx

100 nappies - :eek:

How many tiers are you making it - i did a 3 tier one and only used 1 small pack of size 2 nappies (about 36 i think).

I loved making it - would love to make more but i guess i'll have to wait till people start popping more babies out.

stokegal

princesswoo wrote: »

I do like having a nice christmas breakfast, last year we had waffles & cream, croissants, egg's & soldiers, champagne & orange juice. DF made castles out of toast to go around the outside of the kids egg cups. It looked really cute. We set the table up the night before (as it was in the living room) and it just felt even more chritsmassy than ever. DF cooked breakfast - which was a nice treat for me.

I tend to stick to green, gold and red for all my decorations. I buy a new unique bauble for each of the kids each year, i spend months trying to find the perfect one's, by the time they leave home they will have enough for their own tree's.

I also think it's important to teach my kids that they are very lucky to get what they get as there are many other children in the world who dont have families etc. So we make shoe boxes and always donate a few gifts to the chritmas appeal for local children wnho will not get anything for christmas otherwise. And where possible we buy a small tin of biscuits (usually those danish cookies from the pound shop) for all our elderly neighbours.

Chritmas is the only yime of year i wear a hat - well my santa hat, it's great if im running late in a morning and havent had chance to brush my hair, lol. Just put on my hat and no one is any the wiser.

Those are lovely traditions Princesswoo - Can I spend Christmas with you please??
I love christmas and the build up to it but this year I'm even more excited cause of my little boy.... Oh I just thought - I have a whole loads of Baby's 1st Christmas things to hunt for / make... yay a whole new christmas market has just opened up :j:j:j

pretzelnut

I too shall have a new baby this xmas - she's due mid september. We find out next week when i will be going into hospital to have her, We cant wait.

DS's 1st christmas i went totally overboard and surrounded him with gifts. We almost lost him amonst the massive pile of presents and he was only 5 weeks old.

DD's 1st christmas - i calmed down a little bit and just bought what i thought she would need over the next few months - she was nearly 3 months old.

With this baby all i am buying is a few toys and spending the rest of her budget on clothes and other baby items in the sale after christmas.

We bought her a cute little santa suit & long sleeved christmas vest from mothercare in the sale on saturday - it's so tiny. They also had reindeer and snowmen outfit's too.

GrumpyButGorgeous

yippee_kye_yay wrote: »

i have decided to do my nephew a drawing hamper for his birthday which is in dec so im classing it as an xmas present!

I was in Poundland today and noticed they had a whole section with arty stuff, it was beside the back to school stationery, i have no idea what they had as i just glanced at it but defo saw watercolours and it was a pretty big section so may be worth a look as i'm assuming it will be nationwide
Also the Works are pretty good for arty stuff too i think they may have those little men also

Pips_Mum

princesswoo wrote: »

DS's 1st christmas i went totally overboard and surrounded him with gifts. We almost lost him amonst the massive pile of presents and he was only 5 weeks old.
DD's 1st christmas - i calmed down a little bit and just bought what i thought she would need over the next few months - she was nearly 3 months old.

Is it wrong that OH and I have said we are only going to buy DS a couple of gifts and put the rest in an account to buy him a pressie in the summer? We figured he will be getting a tonne of presents from family and friends and its his 1st birthday 2 weeks after Christmas (probably will go overboard with that as I am already planning his party!!)

pretzelnut

Pips_Mum wrote: »

Is it wrong that OH and I have said we are only going to buy DS a couple of gifts and put the rest in an account to buy him a pressie in the summer? We figured he will be getting a tonne of presents from family and friends and its his 1st birthday 2 weeks after Christmas (probably will go overboard with that as I am already planning his party!!)

Absolutely not.

Trust me you will end up with more toys than you will ever use and 9 times out of 10 baby doesnt even bother playing with them.

We have a birthday in sept, oct, & nov for the kids then xmas in December, so we try and i say try and limit gifts at these times so i can spread them out a bit, ie a new slide or trampoline for easter instead of eggs as they end up with way to many from family.

If you put money aside you can usually pick up some great bargains in the sale.

My mum gives us all gift vouchers - as she now says she's sick of forking out to find out its half price on boxing day. So in her eyes the £30 we each get is actually £60 :rotfl:

Ive just bought my DD's 2nd birthday presnts her birthday is in october, i have bought her a few toys as she is in the night garden mad, we've stuck with an ITNG theme and bought her a top, trousers, knickers, vests and socks all with ITNG on them, i got her an upsy daisy bedside table BNIB of ebay for a bargain price as she has just started sleeping in her big girls bed and she will be getting some upsy daisy wellies. Luckilly everywhere seems to have an ITNG half price sale on so she's getting twice as much for my money.

As a mum i find i have to be the practical one and the family get to have all the fun with presents.

When my DS was about 4 he was power ranger mad - knowing that family would buy what you could buy on the high street i had to think outside the box and order items from america that you couldnt get hold of here yet so that we didnt double up.

Im slowly learning to not go mental especially as over the years i have realised that most toys end up in the bin within a few weeks as parts get lost or broken.

Yet surprisingly all the woden toys i have bought the kids over the years are the ones that get played with most and are still all in tact.

Plus once all the packaging is in the bin - there really isnt much toy left these days.

Tashja

princesswoo wrote: »

100 nappies - :eek:

How many tiers are you making it - i did a 3 tier one and only used 1 small pack of size 2 nappies (about 36 i think).

I loved making it - would love to make more but i guess i'll have to wait till people start popping more babies out.

It was 2 boxes for 18.00 !! bargin.

I got a box of 72 for my LO and then a box of size 3 for the nappy cake and some for a spare one !! There is 102 in the box !!

Whoops !!

T xx