* Walking in a Winter Wonderland * - It's the 2015 Christmas Chatter Thread

freespirit66

MANDCO ooh that is a really good idea holding some presents back, i have heard quite a few people say that it is starting to stock christmas bits in dribs and drabs atm

STARLET that is a fab idea, DS did something similar for me last year as a CBT thing he wrapped them up though and dated them, i absolutely loved it it was like having christmas all year round, opening presents and having surprises

mandco

starlet- I think that's a great idea though maybe wrap them like freespirit said to prolong the suprises. not quite the same but I brought dd a 12mth nailart advent thing last yr and she's loved getting something new each month

def been chilly here the last wk don't really want to be putting the heating on yet so its been fleeces on the sofa & hot choc starting to feel a bit like xmas

starlet1990

Freespirit and mandco thanks for the feedback im so excited to start now especially hearing you both have had this kind of gift experience and you or recipient enjoyed it. Im sure she is going to love it and as long as there's something to unwrap on the day then it will work. Thanks xx

BBRosie

mandco wrote: »

when do you have dsd over xmas? could you maybe hold back some presents for dd till dsd has gone home? at 13mths she won't know any difference. gift bags are a great way to make presents seem bigger I wrap as normal then pop in a bag with tissue paper on top. works well if they are still at the size matters when it comes to presents stage.


anyone know if costco have any xmas stock in yet?

We have her christmas morning and boxing day. Definitely like the gift bag idea! Not sure I want to hold some back, I know DSD really wants to help DD open her presents and would be upset if she found out there were some she didn't get to help with.

She's had a tough time adapting after being an only child for early 7 years so we really want to start christmas as we mean to go on so the equality is more for DSD's sake, as well as not reducing what she is going to receive because I think she will remember the difference to last year.

I think for this year we will do equal presents and then next year will start doing on value because I think she still sees things in size/quantity not value.



Love that hamper idea!

Arthien

BBRosie wrote: »

We have her christmas morning and boxing day. Definitely like the gift bag idea! Not sure I want to hold some back, I know DSD really wants to help DD open her presents and would be upset if she found out there were some she didn't get to help with.

She's had a tough time adapting after being an only child for early 7 years so we really want to start christmas as we mean to go on so the equality is more for DSD's sake, as well as not reducing what she is going to receive because I think she will remember the difference to last year.

I think for this year we will do equal presents and then next year will start doing on value because I think she still sees things in size/quantity not value.



Love that hamper idea!

Room for a little one? :j

I've been catching up bit by bit, and I just wanted to say a special thank you to Freespirit for the birthday wishes back in August, that was very sweet

I've started getting things ready, thinking we were going to be hosting Christmas with my family this year, but it turns out my nana will be visiting them and we don't have room for her, so it looks like we'll be going to my parents' house instead. It'll be ok, we haven't been there in a few years as we went to hubby's family last year and hosted the year before, but my nana doesn't like my hubby (or many people really!) so it might not be my perfect Christmas. I'll just have to get the Christmassyness in good and early to make up for it

Regards the present issue, why not take some of the presents out of their boxes and wrap them like that? It would make them smaller and your youngest won't know any different. It might make some more awkward to wrap, but if it helps make the piles look less different size-wise then it might work?

BBRosie

Arthien wrote: »

Room for a little one? :j

I've been catching up bit by bit, and I just wanted to say a special thank you to Freespirit for the birthday wishes back in August, that was very sweet

I've started getting things ready, thinking we were going to be hosting Christmas with my family this year, but it turns out my nana will be visiting them and we don't have room for her, so it looks like we'll be going to my parents' house instead. It'll be ok, we haven't been there in a few years as we went to hubby's family last year and hosted the year before, but my nana doesn't like my hubby (or many people really!) so it might not be my perfect Christmas. I'll just have to get the Christmassyness in good and early to make up for it

Regards the present issue, why not take some of the presents out of their boxes and wrap them like that? It would make them smaller and your youngest won't know any different. It might make some more awkward to wrap, but if it helps make the piles look less different size-wise then it might work?

Is she someone that will cause an atmosphere? or can it just be generally ignored/brushed off? Hopefuully one person won't bring a dampner.

That's a genius idea!! Will save the drama on xmas day of trying to get the toys out of the wrapping. Thank you

quidsy

Anything that needs setting up, installing, unpackaging etc is done in our house before they are wrapped. It saved moans & disappointment on the day

Linz4383

Thanks freespirit.. i do a few surveys but alot are so slow at paying out and i dnt have much spare time! However as maternity pay has stopped was thinkin of tryin to bump my time on them up abit!
This years vouchers should arrive this week and next years are now ordered!!!! Love being organised!!! Waiting on an amazon giftcard to buy a couple of magiclip dolls for my daughter.... shes having a new tele so not much to go with it... this is one of the few bits shes asked for!

Spendless

Last night in Tesco they had their Christmas chocolate out, not the selection boxes, but the smaller items, like malteaser reinderers, jelly baby santas and tubes of just pink smarties, which DD thought a great idea.

Called at HB earlier and picked up for stockings, box of iswipes for DD who despite being 12 could easily win a competition for messiest child against any toddler with her sticky mitts, screen proter for her phone and picked up promotional box of t-bags for the PG monkey as a soft toy still makes an annual appearance in there. For DS who is more difficult to get things for a mini egg pan. He likes fried eggs that are in the middle of some friend bread, so this gives him a different variation and bulks out the stocking for 99p.

On the top of a cupboard I've also just found, a jelly belly fragrance tin and a balmi lip balm. Bought in Boots sale. No idea how they got seperated from rest of stuff. I also found a lindt Easter bunny. :eek: Now, I did wonder where he had got to as I remember buying it for the ears it came with as they were long and brown and ideal for DD who was being the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland with her drama group, but I'd kept the chocolate back for Easter Sunday. I've put it to one side for kids coming in, I bet their cross interragation over how long I've had something in the cupboards as they are obsessed with out of date stuff, doesn't extend to chocolate.

I'd better also look for all the items I bought in France, as not all the bags are unpacked yet, otherwise I'll be coming across them at Easter.

Spendless

BBRosie - I spent the same price wise on mine when they were young, but a few years back DS had the opportunity to go to MineCon in France with DH and some friends, and the cost meant it had to be the bulk of his Christmas present and we couldn't afford to match the same for DD as I'd spent half the year out of work, so she had financially less, though still something she'd asked for.

The roles were reversed last year when she wanted an Apple product and DS didn't want much just some new pc games, so it evened things out as I suspected it would.

So long as they are items, that they've requested or I'm sure they'll like, I'm more likely to ensure they have the same quantity of presents to open, than I've spent equal amounts.

I never noticed what my sister had pricewise compared to me, as we also have a 7 year age gap and at the point I wanted hair tongs or perfume, I wasn't interested in how much her Care Bear had cost.:p


Haribo - Is my thread from last year any help?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5104135