Old Style Christmas Preparations for Christmas 2013

qwerty79

Very scary, for the first time in ten years I'm not able to prepare in advance as we are having major works done to the house and most of our things will be going into storage.
Normally I order my turkey at Easter as a friend keeps them ( but that's not happening this year either)

[Deleted User]

I have a big plastic box with a lid in my back bedroom that I stash odds and ends throughout the year,usually bargains that I have seen reduced .Then around November I start to sort out what bits I have in my Christmas stash for presents I spotted a large new (obviously unused gift box) of Royal Jelly honey skin products for £1.25 in a charity shop (it was M&S as well :)) and I snaffled that for a friend of mine as she loves Royal Jelly stuff and it can be so expensive.I find march -may a great time for hunting around in CS as lots of folk get rid of unwanted presents (instead of regifting them) so a good time to bag some bargains.
I make all of my own Christmas cards every year anyway,another nice present I found for one of my sis-in-laws was some very pretty boxed notepaper and envelopes I add half a dozen stamps to it as she likes to write small letters and really appreciates the boxes of notepaper and envelopes.By September I have usually got half a dozen small clean empty baked bean tins to make my small Christmas cakes in that once decorated and packed in cellophane wrap make excellent presents for my neighbours and friends who live alone There are so many things that I like to make as presents and a personally thought out present for some one means so much more than just a boxed up bit of tat from a shop.I starte to make a list for family and friends around June and try to get a lot done and dusted long before the Autumn if I can .Even if its only one present per week it soon adds up.
I too adore Christmas but hate all the rushing about before hand and packed shops just don't appeal to me(good way to catch a cold as well)
So well done on starting the thread

Chris25

funfairprincess wrote: »

I spent some of my day colouring sugarpaste green and trying to make a Christmas tree for my DD's birthday cake, her birthday is next month but she is the nutcracker ballet on the brain so I'm just going with it:D


!

FFP - I don't know how old your daughter is, but if age appropriate, there are loads of free downloadable Nutcracker colouring-in sheets on the web. If you're going to look, better to use US spelling of 'coloring'

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

No, Tis is really far to early to put he sprouts on.

Come back October for my cake and pud recipes. Last years is still festering on the side.

xxlouisexx56

Yay! Christmas!!!!

I've bought dd1's main birthday present (31st dec) a barbie cruise ship. Rrp £90 reduced to £21. She is saving for an iPad mini and should have around £200 by December and we will spend the extra £70 to give it to her for Xmas.

No idea what we will do for DD2

I'm saving tesco saving stamps too. We won't be having Xmas at home this year so those can go on food and some gifts.

Always looking for bargains!

AJGray

Fabulous thread, I have my little notebook with everthing listed that I want to buy/make for everyone this year. I have everything from dec's to food to drink (the most important hehe) my friends seem to think im mad but I see it as spreading the cost and getting things now before them bump the prices up in November

I have got my tesco stamps on the go and putting my change from farm foods onto a savings card its all quickly adding up

miss_emmajane

Love reading through the posts!

I am also saving my Tesco Clubcard vouchers up in a little money envelope in my Christmas/present cupboard - will use them in December for Christmas treat food & drinks I have always spent them straight away in the past but they are only about £2/3 each time as I mainly shop at ALDI/LIDL - will hopefully be more substantial when put together at the end of the year!

WantToBeSE

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas, thanks for the new thread!

I will start saving our child benefit from now until November, which will do everyones pressies.

I already have:

Cards
Gift wrap
Gift tags
Cellotape
Gift bags

Will need to get a few stocking fillers for my children though.

My 9 year old (almost 10 by then) wants a Wii U, so i'll be on the lookout for a good deal. We managed to get my older son a 250GB Xbox with 3 games for £169 last year, and that was an awesome deal!

I will be stalking HUKD to look for a good deal!

*Subscribed*

whitesatin

Chris25 wrote: »

the Youtube comment was aimed at CountingPennies - she wants to customise some hoodies for her children who like One Direction My fault, I should have quoted her

But, I did look up pot holders on You Tube and found it helpful anyway, thanks.

nicki_2

I have cards & wrapping paper from last year or was it the year before?

I was putting money away each month to cover gifts etc, but I've had to raid it this month to cover bills after some money didn't show up when it should have done, so I need to put that back.

DD's main gift is already decided on, and I'm watching it on Am@zon like a hawk for it to go down in price. I just hope its not in the next couple of weeks when I haven't got the money :eek: Her yearly DVD box set is also picked out. But that's it. She's 12, but not a girly-girl so goes through phases of wanting beauty things, then there are other times where she just doesn't want to know anything remotely feminine! I am, however, determined to finish the little craft project I started for her when she was in year 3 (she's now in year 7 ) if I can just work out where I am up to! :rotfl:

I have a 4 kids to buy for this year excluding DD, from 8 months to 5 1/2 years old, but I'll leave them until after September so I know what they're "into" Not sure what to do for adults, I have an idea but it'll involve me speaking to other members of the family first as I'll need certain persons to co-operate or it won't happen :shhh: