Christmas 09 Let's Get Organised!!

PinkPrincess

I've just found this thread as Christmas has popped in my mind recently over the past couple of days so thought I would join in

I got myself into a lot of debt last year from Christmas shopping and I'm still trying to catch up with it even now!!! :eek: So this year I've decided to do what I used to criticise other people doing and that is to start my Christmas planning and shopping early this time!

I know some people think I'm mad (so I don't mention xmas to anyone until at least November lol) but I have a huge family and it's too hectic rushing around at the last minute.

I was up until 5am on Christmas Eve last year wrapping the kids presents so this year I want to be completely organised and actually relax and enjoy the Christmas hols!

Plus I absolutely LOVE Christmas, it's my favourite time of year and I even love the build up to it, I'm just glad I'm not the only one! Haha :rotfl:

lauhen

PinkPrincess wrote: »

I got myself into a lot of debt last year from Christmas shopping and I'm still trying to catch up with it even now!!! :eek: So this year I've decided to do what I used to criticise other people doing and that is to start my Christmas planning and shopping early this time!

I was up until 5am on Christmas Eve last year wrapping the kids presents so this year I want to be completely organised and actually relax and enjoy the Christmas hols! l:

I to tend to use the dreaded credit cards at Christmas, but never again, I have vowed to have a free Christmas this year, by doing surveys, cashback sites, I put child benefit to one side etc, I mean free in the sense I use no cards, and no wages, so none of our own personal money.

I have never stayed up wrapping on Christmas eve, I get it all done before, I don't need the stress, do it early and on Christmas eve you should watch a film, nice glass of wine and some nice nibbles.

Valli

Princesswoo
Favours for your sister in law

babysitting (as mentioned) - but make it a bit different ie babysitting at night at hers OR having her kids at yours in the day to give her a break for shopping/pamper time
1 hour ironing
1 hour cleaning
1 'takeout meal' ie deliver a HM pizza
gardening/lawn mowing

anything she can't do that you can eg sewing on nametapes?
1 girls night out (with you)

yippee_kye_yay

yippee_kye_yay wrote: »

i have just finished cutting up some of the kids old fleeces to try my hand at no sew blankets and although the 1st side i tied up looked a bit weird because i couldnt get the knots right, a quick look at youtube and i managed to do it. the other 3 sides look quite good!
even dh was impressed and he doesnt really get this homemade malarky, like last year i showed him my snowman soups and he said 'it looks good, but why not just give people a full tub of hot choc, a bag of marshmallows and choc chips and a box of candy canes' apparently they'd aprieciate it more!
pah! the recipeints loved them and i made a good sum selling them too!

anyhoo, i think im going to make my 2 kids one each to go in their xmas eve hampers, possibly my 2 nannas too. and maybe if im bored in the run up to xmas (because im super organised and plan to have it all done by end of oct!) i may do some for my 3 movie hampers aswell!
oh and im thinking of doing my mum and stepdad a 'night in' hamper so ill do one for them too! god eveyones going to have one lol!

sorry to qoute my self but wanted to tell you how my ds reacted when he saw my new sew blanket this am

it is made from plain yellow and pink fleece and in our house if its pink its dds!

ds whos 2 spotted it when we got up and said 'thank you mummy for making lucy a new blanket' i even got a big kiss and cuddle for it! dd grabbed it and sat on the chair with it. ds started looking around and asked me where his was!
it was quite sad because he really wanted one! i tried explaining to him that the yellow/pink one isnt his sisters and i was just messing with some old blankets.
then he said 'can you just mess and make me one? a blue one?'
i felt terrible! he really thought i had done it for dd and left him out! he went on about it all morning even though i had hidden the blanket (as sonn as dd took her eyes of it!)
then when i thought he'd finally forgotten he went to play in his room and came down with his blue fleece from his bed and said 'mummy can you mess with this and make me a new blanket?'

so ive promised him that we're going to go and look at some new fleeces and he can pick which one he wants for me to make 1 with.

i think ill make him a small one, as dd's is only the size of a pillowcaes then do bigger ones for the xmas eve hampers to match!

Kaida

Yay! I won a Darth Vader mug on ebay for OH (it's his fave character, he thinks bad guys are underrated). Unfortunately I left the window open on the computer and he saw. I'm desperately hoping he'll forget by Christmas.

pretzelnut

I had a very sleepless night last night, i spent the evening cutting out the card for the tattoo xmas card holders im making for the kids.

I also made a couple of post it note holders and a few tea bag holders, and i couldnt resist making some bubble wrap stress reliever wallets.

It took me ages to cut out all the card and score the edges.

Then when it finally came to 3am and i said i must sleep all i could dream about was tea bag holders.

I have a massive list of things to get today to fininsh them of, ribbob, brads, embellishments etc.

Well DF did say he would treat me, so i best ring the craft shop and tell them to put me an extra large trolley to one side. :rotfl:

I'm also doing all this christmas stuff alongside organising my 2 DD's christening, so i have 40 invites to make as well.

I found an idea to make a lollipop holder, so im gonna do these as christening favours. Then i can put a little thank you message on them.

My magnets and bottle tops have arrived for SIL so i can get them made and packaged today, hope she has a big enough fridge to fit 24 blue wkd bottle top magnets.

sammy_kaye18

lauhen wrote: »

I have never stayed up wrapping on Christmas eve, I get it all done before, I don't need the stress, do it early and on Christmas eve you should watch a film, nice glass of wine and some nice nibbles.

Oh see now my Christmas Eve I sit and wrap all of Ben's presents and boyfriends - I always have done it Xmas Eve.

I sit down about 9pm - with a mug of hot chocolate and a box of maltesers - turn the TV on and there is usually either Love Actually or Bridget Jones on the TV and I sit watching that and wrapping away whilst munching my chocolates.

I usually finish about 11 - 12pm, then I sneak into Bens room to fill his stocking, and make sure Santa has drank his drink and eaten his biscuits adn then I go off to bed.

I do have something else a little bit more magical this year though - am hoping I can find some fake snow - you know like the confetti type stuff - and sprinkle some of it around all the presents and tree and leave some footprints in it for Ben to find. (I have wooden floors so can just sweep it up)

tinksy

morning ladies! well im off on my honeymoon today we get married 3 weeks tomorrow but cant have a honeymoon then as the other half isnt allowed the time off! so we are off today for three nights camping and an mse trip to colchester zoo (clubcard vouchers!) then we pick up our two new boy cats tuesday! see you all soon!

sammy_kaye18

lauhen wrote: »

i to tend to use the dreaded credit cards at christmas, but never again, i have vowed to have a free christmas this year, by doing surveys, cashback sites, i put child benefit to one side etc, i mean free in the sense i use no cards, and no wages, so none of our own personal money.

I have never stayed up wrapping on christmas eve, i get it all done before, i don't need the stress, do it early and on christmas eve you should watch a film, nice glass of wine and some nice nibbles.

enjoy your honeymoon and your new kitties when you get home!!!!!!!!!!
:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t:t

Valli

Selfridges were selling fake snow when I went in their xmas shop.
You could use soap flakes or even get a cheap bar of white soap and shave flakes off it!