*The Holly and the Ivy* and the You Know What 2013 Chatter Thread.

fluffysox

Feed reindeers for free, meet donkeys, and there is a Santa's grotto if anyone is near Chester in December.
http://www.cheshirereindeer.co.uk/index.html
Also they sell Christmas trees, wreaths etc.
We usually go to a big garden centre in December (also not far from Chester) as they also have a grotto and have special displays etc to entertain children. We get there early and enjoy the pets section and Christmas lights etc. They have lovely although expensive gifts and tree decorations for sale but DS gets bored with that bit. The favourite with the children is the donkey rides. I've organised a gathering of friends and their children the past couple of years followed by a lunch in the pub next door which has a big indoor soft play. Big group, and I put together goody bags for the children with activities to keep them busy while waiting for dinner. Christmas cards, pens, stickers etc have gone down well. Not going to do that this year but may still go along with one of my close friends and her little boy.

Bargain_Bunny

fluffysox wrote: »

Could be (forgive my spelling??) Lebkuchen. Traditional German biscuits for Christmas time. They are a bit like gingerbread but less ginger. Lidl sell bags of them with their other Christmassy stuff. Might be worth a try.

.

I bought these last year in Lidl and they are really nice .

BB

weeclick

choccymoose wrote: »

Been thinkjng about trees, as you do, still not decided on real or fake but a question I have?
Do your decs on the tree coordinate with your room decoration, all my decs are teal and silver as my lounge is teal and silver. However the end of this month it will be cream, red and gold! I don't really like red and gold on a christmas tree I am a bit of a colour rebel, shall I just add a few different colours on to it?

We normally colour co-ordinate the living room but this year I just want plain white and silver, my mum did this on her tree last year and looked like something out of a magazine! Shes even offered to help decorate ours this year - result!

kaya1991 wrote: »

I've been up to my old tricks of slowly ordering bits and pieces online as they go into sales or I get discount codes, but I really like saving some of my Christmas shopping for late November/ early December to savour the atmosphere in the shops Am I the only one who is crazy enough to enjoy the busy bustle of town as it gets nearer Christmas?!

I love the christmas rush! mum thinks Im mad and end up doing half of her shopping on christmas eve for her! lol

Well been a mad few days! Wasnt well since Saturday thought I ha a bad migraine, no better yesterday even after a cocktail of cocodamol, paracetamol and tramadol! Anyway got to out of hours doctor last night to find Ive a trapped nerve in my neck and off work for a few days Shouldnt really be on pc at all but couldnt help myself! Hope everyone else is ok and enjoying the start of a new week :beer:

Flowfy

choccymoose - well done to your ds. bless him. you must be proper chuffed.

nitnurse-not2

Ooh! My house smells all Christmassy :snow_laug:snow_laug:snow_laug
Mincemeat prepared :j and now sitting in my Grandma's big brown earthenware on my bench to allow the flavours, as Delia says, to amalgamate.:D
It will be cooked tomorrow night then put into jars and hidden.:o:o
My DS20 will eat it by the spoonful or spread between two sliced of bread:eek::eek::eek:
It makes around 6lb so plenty for baking:)

xxx:snow_grin

choccymoose

Flowfy wrote: »

choccymoose - well done to your ds. bless him. you must be proper chuffed.

I am, I tell you just 4 mths ago, I thought that he was going to get nowhere, not through the want of trying but the school just didn't get him and allowed him to be picked on for his speech immaturity and he very much carried around a feeling of being stupid and thick becaude although he understood everything ( apart from instructions with more than 2 steps) he couldn't read and write basically.
The change in him is amazing, I have actually had an article on him published in an international early years publication this month to raise awareness of the condition.
We worried about moving him away from his friends but its the best thing we have ever done, and he still sees his friends out of school, when we read the report from his old school at his new school I was shocked. The new head called me in for a meeting because they didn't recognise the child in front of them to the child they had recieved the report on! I could go on, but I won't :T

BloomingTasty

:xmassmile I've just registered with 'The Christmas Magazine' online. Like having the mag but free:xmastree:

Would post a link but don't know how! Www.thechristmasmag.com

choccymoose

ELJAYCOCK wrote: »

:xmassmile I've just registered with 'The Christmas Magazine' online. Like having the mag but free:xmastree:

Would post a link but don't know how! Www.thechristmasmag.com

Fab thanks for that

Own_My_Own

ELJAYCOCK wrote: »

:xmassmile I've just registered with 'The Christmas Magazine' online. Like having the mag but free:xmastree:

Would post a link but don't know how! Www.thechristmasmag.com

You can also 'like' them on Facebook

Flowfy

choccymoose wrote: »

I am, I tell you just 4 mths ago, I thought that he was going to get nowhere, not through the want of trying but the school just didn't get him and allowed him to be picked on for his speech immaturity and he very much carried around a feeling of being stupid and thick becaude although he understood everything ( apart from instructions with more than 2 steps) he couldn't read and write basically.
The change in him is amazing, I have actually had an article on him published in an international early years publication this month to raise awareness of the condition.
We worried about moving him away from his friends but its the best thing we have ever done, and he still sees his friends out of school, when we read the report from his old school at his new school I was shocked. The new head called me in for a meeting because they didn't recognise the child in front of them to the child they had recieved the report on! I could go on, but I won't :T

it sounds like he has a lot more support with this new head. it will do him the world of good. and you. onward and upward. he is getting the best of both worlds if he is still seeing his old friends as well. some teachers can ruin a child and some can make one. a good one is worth their weight in gold. xx