Old style Preparations for Christmas 2010!!

Bronnie

pigpen wrote: »

My planning goes as far as.. tomorrow, I will wake up...

Yay! Me too. My birthday is in mid November and I never do anything for Christmas until after that. Wish someone would start a campaign to put Christmas back to where it belongs......and that's most definitely NOT in August!

PS don't get upset folks, I know some people need to and enjoy starting early; just my personal feelings on the matter. :pChristmas planning and giving has just got tooo big I reckon.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Pigpen, and Notjustlaura, I`m with you there! AFTER my `summer holiday` (Devon in September) I`ll start getting geared up for Christmas and winter generally. That`ll also be after the next 2 significant birthdays (2 eldest grandchildren) I feel that leaping too far ahead takes the pleasure out of each season, and if I buy `stocking filler` stuff too early I end up giving it to the kids as treats anyway during the school holidays.
I am saving my Tesco vouchers though, and since May I`ve been saving all twenty-pence pieces, small enough that you don`t miss them, you know? Last time I counted there`s £60 in twenty-pences. I`ll probably use some of these stashes for the `back to school` kitting out for the grandchildren as the shops are full of that stuff now, but WHY spoil their hols buying school kit too early???
My `main` Christmas presents will be based on NEEDS nearer the time, for DD and DD-I-L and Next-Door, as usual, and it`s generally replacing a defunct kitchen item, so usually very welcome! I`ll attend winter car-boots and make freezer space for nice yellow-sticker joints of meat for pressies for these 3 too, and offer them a little early so they don`t stress over their own Christmas shopping too much!
I`ll repeat what I did last year for all the under 12`s I buy for, they AND their parents were really pleased with the idea- rather than a sweetie-filled `stocking`.
Poundland do a little plastic set of 3 drawers. I bought several of these, and stuffed them with bulk-bought items of stationery - Novelty erasers, sharpeners, calculators, biros, pencils, folding rulers, felt & gel pens, stickers, little notebooks, crayons, a little stapler AND... PAPER. Kids can NEVER have enough BLANK paper. Cheaper to bulk-buy copier paper than to get kids` colouring books, and way more appreciated, and more scope for creativity.
Bargains in stationery are to be had AFTER the `back-to-school` rush is over, too. I stock up then when things are getting sold off cheap in Tesco & Asda. By the time Christmas comes, kids have used up or lost at least HALF the contents of their pencil cases! So reinforcements at Christmas are very welcome.
For girls, especially the teens, the Poundland drawers can be filled with hair ornaments and make-up stuff, sachets of conditioner, perfume trials, etc.

[Deleted User]

I start early in the year to
a.beats all the jams in the shops
b.I have seven grandchildren between 6-19 so look out for bargains over the year.
I too would prefer the chistmas rush to start later in the year but shopkeepers being canny know the sooner they get their stuff in the shops the better.Competion for customers will be fierce I think this year so I am hoping for some bargains.It may sound a bit mercenry but as a pensioner on a fixed income I like many of my friends watch our pennies very closely.This year we have all agreed on small token presents, as at our ages there is very little that I actually want or need. We have to look towards January and the heating bills.

^!£$&

Well I too start planning early due to working term time, I use the school holidays to start planning and organising our family christmas because once I'm back to work I'll have no time to think about christmas (other than the school carol concert, nativity play, christmas party, christmas fayre etc)
Some people really have no choice but to get organised early and the advantage of doing this is I'm usually all sorted by oct half term!

lauhen

At present I just read the threads about Christmas which I really enjoy, I have sons birthday in September and husbands in October, so I will fully concentrate on Christmas after that and I can't wait, it is the best time of the year for me and I absolutely love it.

mummyslittleboy

MyRubyRed wrote: »

This year's going to be a bit scary for us I think. Always being used to buying loads of expensive gifts but won't be able to do it this time around as OH out of work now and has been since last Oct. Weve managed to keep our heads above water and not draw attention to reducing income but I haven't planned as well as the posters above...any advice please?

I would start by writing a list of people you want to get presents for and think of things they like to buy for if it is a couple who like to watch films you could do a night in hamper a DVD,chocolate or homemade chocolates,popcorn. or if they like to read swap the DVD for a book.

Barneysmom wrote: »

They're old enough now to buy gizmos and gadgets out of their own money.
Just buy what you can and tell them to be grateful for what they get.

juliethemuse I have to agree with Barneysmom here your children shouldn't be expecting these sorts of things at there age, my mum gives me something small that I need last year I had a lovely scarf of my mum and some chocolate. Maybe set a limit to how much you can afford for each child or offer them the cash of that amount towards there ipads and iphones.

So far this year I have bought some little bits for the children I have some money in quidco which is being saved for xmas, I also have been putting £10.00 a week by, and my nan always saves me a card of tesco stamps as my xmas pressie to use for my food shopping which is a great help as I don't have to worry about my food.

There are still some sales on so am grabbing what I can when I see it and putting it away for xmas. I will be doing a few hampers this year so hopefully these will save me some money.

gailey_2

All this talk of xmas want sto make me get started today as feel crap.
need to get moving as times flying by.

Winged_one

I have my excel spreadsheet updated (I roll this over every year both as a budgeting tool and to avoid (in future) the embarrassment of giving someone the same gift 2 years in a row (yes, that has happened! - but I DO have 34 to buy for!). I try to do this, with an outline budget, in early January.

I add present ideas, and purchases, as they happen during the year. So already I have about 7 people completely sorted, and another 10 part sorted through sales purchases, seeing one-offs that are perfect (and within budget), and some crafting. And I have found a few stocking fillers alreday, and am keeping my eyes peeled in the back to school aisles for a few more.

I have made some jams already, which I will reluctantly part with some, and have plans for an onion chutney (using the onions which bolted and won't store) this week. I intend giving quite a few people foodie hampers this year - between HM biscuits, sweets, chutnies, jams, and alcoholic beverages, and a few bought items to complete them. And I found tins of cookies on 75% off last Jan, all with different Santa pics on the lid, so I bought 4, we enjoyed the cookies and I have those to fill as well.

And I have one grocery card filled, and am working on a second, for those couple of large grocery shops around the season. You put €98 on them and get a final stamp free (€2), but it also helps to let me use spare change now, when I won't miss it, to allow myself buy the offers at the time (I usually stock up on baking goods when all the Christmas specials are on, for most of the following year, and then get the jars of sauces and mayonnaise and all sorts that have loads extra free that I use lots of anyway, and buy plenty at Christmas to keep me going until about March! - we don't actually tend to get much by way of extra "festivities" food (the tins of Ros*s, tins of biscuits etc), as we tend to bake a lot around Christmas and don't eat a lot of them otherwise).

I have organised DD's Santa outing - she wanted to go on the "Santa Train" again this year (we did something else last year and she started asking for this again in Feb! after the success of 2008), which is a steam train trip of about 2 hours.

We haven't yet decided on the location of the festivities, but I am thinking we will be at home this year, and we MAY travel to IL's for DD's birthday (Boxing Day) or stay at home ourselves. We'll decide in the next month or so.

I think DD's red cardigan from last year will still fit, but I will need to get her a "nice" outfit for Christmas Day itself. I may not need much, as I think she has plenty of nice jeans (and I really don't hold out much hope of getting her into a dress), and she will probably get something nice on Christmas Day to wear for her birthday.

DH doesn't really need new clothes, although he wants a few casual tops for winter. I have a reasonable wardrobe still, but am hoping to have lost a stone by then, so may treat myself to one new outfit (we don't do very dressy, but something nice for the season would be good).

gailey_2

I have an idea for my cousins 7year old twin boys but need some input as running out of things to put in it.

They come from weathy family and have tonnes of toys so always struggle to buy for boys who appear to have everything.

Anyway mum said they totally injto enid blyton famous five books.

Was thinking

trying to find every famous five/secret seven book.
old fashioned small suitcase maybe from carboot
few cans ginger beer.
couple of torches
maybe the book called dangerous games for boys.

idea was a set for twins to share a sort of enid blyton/adventure set as seems really different.

Anything else anyone suggest been a while since I read famous five used to love them too. All my mind can think of is they always ate potted ham and ginger beer.

purpleheather2810

gailey wrote: »

Wrapping paper brown parcel paper looks fab with red and white checked ribbon so go plain and go to town on ribbons and bows.
One year i brought candycanes from whittards 3 for 2 and attached to outside of presents.

I was going to do this last year, but I left it too late and all the gingham, spotty etc ribbon (all the types you see in expensive magazines at xmas and on Kirsty's homemade xmas) were sold out :eek:

Also I love the candy cane idea - last year Sainsburys had boxes of mini candy canes which would be idea for decorating presents