Budget for Xmas

homealone_2

i too am off this year, have hated christmas since i was a child. had no money, single parent who drank alot and was just another day bla bla bla get the violins out. anyway did all the things i never had with my kids. 2 are now living away from home and off on hols and 13 yr old thinks like us that christmas spent in a spa hotel in the country with all the trimmings done much better. costing £800 but at least they wont be stepping over unopened food, chocs, crackers etc in feb

halloweenqueen_2

I hope you have a great xmas homealone

Lillibet_2

Crikey, am I the only person left who likes Christmas ???
I'm lucky that I spend every Xmas at my parents house so don't have the pressure of meal planning but I hold a big family dinner part for both mine & Hubbys extended families either the week before or after Xmas which I think involves as much orginization as a Christmas lunch, even if it isn't a traditional Christmas Turkey meal (Everyone wants something different to Turkey anyway, big homemade pizzas or chilli are popular choices for main courses). Maybe I'm lucky that I don't have children (I don't think so but some of you who are on first name terms with the staff at Toys R Us may disagree!)
I love wrapping up the gifts & making them look as fancy as possible for a little cost as possible (I am a bit anal about it I admit, I will only have symetrical bows & neat corners! I now take on Gift wrapping for other members of the family!) I love choosing a tree, jostling for the best one at the Christmas Tree Farm & the pine smell it leaves in the car. I even like finding the needles weeks later because they remind me of Christmas! I love being greeted by Christmas lights when I get home from work. I love that I was brought up with the tradition that Christmas was a time for family fun & that TV is banned between 23-27th December! I love going to midnight mass & remembering all the loved ones we have lost & no-one minding that I am singing tunelessley with tears running down my face, I love being with our families & cathcing up with everyone when they are in a good holiday mood, I love playing cards on Christmas eve for pennies, I love playing board games on Christmas afternoon instead of falling asleep, I love my parents tradition of a murder mystery dinner party on Xmas evening with their neighbours, I love pulling crackers & having silly "anonymous" tree presents on Boxing day & maybe watching home video of our holidays or gatherings throughout the year. I love that I can enjoy being with my family & the promise of the new year.............

OK, you all think that I'm a freak. But at least I'll be enjoying Chistmas while it lasts & not wishing it away

Spendless

That all sound lovely Lillibet. I like christmas too though I find it time-consuming now I have a family. What I don't like is the growing pressie list, or people going back on what THEY arranged a year or two ago.
I like to take my little boy round all the houses to see the displays people have.
Have wanted to take him to xmas eve service at church for past few years, and he has either fell asleep or we've had unexpected guests, fingers crossed for this time.
He also wants to build a snowman but where we live is flat, in a valley and don't often get enough snow to build one.

cathy_3

Crikey, am I the only person left who likes Christmas ???
I'm lucky that I spend every Xmas at my parents house so don't have the pressure of meal planning but I hold a big family dinner part for both mine & Hubbys extended families either the week before or after Xmas which I think  involves as much orginization as a Christmas lunch, even if it isn't a traditional Christmas Turkey meal (Everyone wants something different to Turkey anyway, big homemade pizzas or chilli are popular choices for main courses). Maybe I'm lucky that I don't have children (I don't think so but some of you who are on first name terms with the staff at Toys R Us may disagree!)
I love wrapping up the gifts & making them look as fancy as possible for a little cost as possible (I am a bit anal about it I admit, I will only have symetrical bows & neat corners!  I now take on Gift wrapping for other members of the family!) I love choosing a tree, jostling for the best one at the Christmas Tree Farm & the pine smell it leaves in the car.  I even like finding the needles weeks later because they remind me of Christmas! I love being greeted by Christmas lights when I get home from work. I love that I was brought up with the tradition that Christmas was a time for family fun & that TV is banned between 23-27th December!  I love going to midnight mass & remembering all the loved ones we have lost & no-one minding that I am singing tunelessley with tears running down my face, I love being with our families & cathcing up with everyone when they are in a good holiday mood, I love playing cards on Christmas eve for pennies, I love playing board games on Christmas afternoon instead of falling asleep, I love my parents tradition of a murder mystery dinner party on Xmas evening with their neighbours, I love pulling crackers & having silly "anonymous" tree presents on Boxing day & maybe watching home video of our holidays or gatherings throughout the year.   I love that I can enjoy being with my family & the promise of the new year.............

OK, you all think that I'm a freak.  But at least I'll be enjoying Chistmas while it lasts & not wishing it away

thats the perfect christmas bing crosby style sadly not one ive ever experienced though I have a big family
I hate christmas and all the expense and hard work

what for?????

ok its someones birthday but is there any need for all this palaver, I didnt do all that for my mums 70th and that was hard work.

I see my family all year anyway and the ones that live far away we keep in touch weekly with most of them

its a drag as far as im concerned its great when you have kids to see their little faces at all the glitter and pressies and trees etc

after that its a bore

so we ignore it have a sunday dinner that we usually have dont like turkey anyway and christmas dinner is just that a sunday dinner

dont get stuffed to the gills and enjoy the telly

some years we go away and take advantage of the entertainment they put on but really id rather stay home

omg im getting old i recon

lol

Lillibet_2

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to belittle anyone elses plans or opinions, I hope no one takes offence. It's just that for me, Christmas is a perfect time of year with the family I love so much. I know I won't have them around forever (my Dad was diagonized with Parkinsons disese this year & my Mum is losing the use of her legs due to dodgy hips, although they are both not yet 60) I want to enjoy them & their company for as long as possible & create as many happy memories as possible for when they are gone (sniff). I'm lucky that I've never had a bad Chritsmas experience & feel that I can enjoy it without lots of expensive gifts & trappings. For me it really is the season of Goodwill : I want everyone to enjoy it as much as I do!

trafalgar_2

I love christmas and being with the family ,I just don't like it forced down my neck while shopping from september onwards :-/ and it's too commercialised now...............but once it comes it's brilliant

cathy_3

LILLIBET

you didnt offend anyone your christmas sounds lovely wish Id had a few

I strived for them but they never quite came off

the top hat for me was 3 christmases ago when were all sitting there warm and fuzzy half eleven at night

stuffed with quality street and roses and all that
had a nice day with kids and their girlfriends etc

still thinking "is that it then" when my sons moby goes off

its a text from an ex girlfriend saying

just given birth to your baby at 11.15pm you are going to pay through the nose till hes 18

well, you can imagine cant you?? son is gobsmacked

his girl goes semi hysterical im trying to sort out the details find out whats been happening

son hotly denying it all

turns out she was pregnant she did give birth

but it was another mans, a waster, so she thought my son a better bet to get cash out of

took a dna test at the cost of £750 though

that made me decide that no more christmases to the extent we used to do them got a sickner then

lol

Spendless

OMG Cathy, what a horrible experience.
Big Hug to Cheer you up.

Lillibet_2

Cathy, I'm suprised you haven't turned into the anti-santa, the christmas devil incarnate, the grim reaper of Xmas! After that experience I wouldn't blame you for locking the doors, unplugging the phone & staying under the duvet until new year! I sincerley hope you have a fab season this year, you & your family deserve it!