* It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year * - It's the 2016 Christmas Chatter Thread

Clumsy42

Hello everyone! Remember me? :wave: I joined for the first time last year and since I've recently started to get in the mood for christmas again I thought I'd pop back.

Since I've not been on for months (or most of the year lol) thought I'd give you an update.

I got my last ever module results for my OU degree in early July. A distinction! Which means that I now have a first class :shocked: honours degree in English Language and Literature! I still can't believe I've done it after 6 long (but also kind of short!) years. And I'm currently feeling a bit lost without anything to study. Wondering if I'll be well enough to apply for a PGCE (for teaching adults) in Sep 2017...

Got to wait until November for my graduation ceremony in Manchester. Which means dress shopping! :T

Health wise I still have ME, no change there lol. And I'm still clumsy (had an incident with the stair gate this morning...)!

On the christmas front I haven't started buying presents yet. Although I did purchase another white house for christmas village whilst on holiday a couple of weeks ago. :T

Saw some lovely wooden toys (like dollhouses and playset) in Asda today. Thinking about getting my 2 year old niece a carry along set like this for christmas: http://direct.asda.com/george/kids/wooden-toys/george-home-princess-castle/000712717,default,pd.html They do a hospital, a gingerbread house, a cafe and a circus. Might've seen a school one in store too. Does anyone know if Asda do a toy sale between now and christmas?

Sorry I couldn't catch up with all the pages! But I hope things look up for those who are struggling. And those dogs are adorable!

Sorry for the essay lol. Must be my academic tendencies trying to get out!

sammy_kaye18

princesskitty29 wrote: »

1. Fairylight Express (driving round with hot choc & Christmas music to see houses lit up with fairy lights)
2. Ice skating
3. Make a Christmas decoration
4. Donate food to food bank
5. Decorate the tree & house
6. Have a festive Starbucks/Costa
7. Put some food out for the birds
8. Visit local garden centre/shopping centre to see the Christmas display. I live near Milton Keynes and they do an amazing one!
9. Sing Christmas carols
10. Have a hot chocolate with whipped cream & the works!
11. Watch a Christmas film.
12. Have a North Pole breakfast
13. Light a Christmas candle and give thanks
14. Make gingerbread men
15. Carry out a random act of kindness
16. Donate some money to charity
17. Make cookies for Father Christmas
18. Go to town's switching on of the lights (although after typing this I just realised that will probably be before December so need to change this one!)
19. Play a Christmas game
20. Visit a Christmas market
21. Make dried oranges to hang around the house
22. Write a letter to Father Christmas
23. Go for a festive walk (take hot choc etc)
24. Have a festive indoor picnic

What a fabulous list..... I may well use this as my starting point and make a few amendments for us to do. But some fab ideas! :T:T:T:T:T

sammy_kaye18

Hello all,
Im sat thinking about Xmas today and realising there is a definite winter nip in the air, its misty/foggy here and that funny wet rain that isnt actually rain - oh the joys! But I am thinking of things to do today.
My friend messaged me about an Iphone for my son - its his main gift so I'm hoping she wont want too much for it so I can have it off her. My daughter wants a DS so I am going to regift my one that is upstairs - I think I may need to buy a charger for it as I have no idea where the original one is then I will get her a few games for it so she is done and I have saved myself some dosh

Really wish I could get my husband on the money saving front - he has worked away today which means he gets £100 cash in hand - hes decided to put £30 aside for petrol (he rides a motorbike so it lasts him a good while) and the other £70 he was going to put aside to go towards his overdraft that he doesnt have,......instead he has just spent £64 on a sandblaster :eek::eek: his reasoning is he has a motorbike in the shed that is worth £2000 when its finished nad if he stops progress on it now it wont get finished for a few more years.....so Im not sure whether to be happy or not. Also our son has broken his scooter (he LOVES his scooter) so hubby has kind of gotten back in my good books because he suggested buying new parts for it, stripping his old one and respraying it - so technically saving us a bit of money and my son will have a custom Xmas present......I just need to keep him motivated and Ill focus on everyone else's presents!

I am going to go through my pinterest board and my wardrobe upstairs and see if I have anything else up there that can be regifted or reused in gifts.

Also little known to me - my sister in law is a psychiatric nurse and informed me earlier that with her ID she gets 25% off in Matalan! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: That could be an interesting shop - she has promised to take me shopping with her when she next goes and I can use her discount, in return I have promised to use my discount day in Argos to get stuff for my nephew :D:D:D:D job done!

Peppapig

Welcome back CLUMSY, of course we remember you Huge congratulations on your fabulous results, I only managed a 2:2, entirely due to the fact that I didn't work hard enough lol.

SAMMYKAYE 25% off the Matalan Christmas range is definitely not to be sniffed at!

LAZYSHEEP the handprint Christmas card is a lovely idea, something us grandparents would go all soppy over - or maybe that's just me lol.

Having a lazy day today to recover from yesterday, apparently the rest if the week is going to be much better weather wise so plenty of time for doing other bits then. Don't seem to be able to stop eating today so just as well DH gas made a cake!

sammy_kaye18

Peppapig wrote: »

SAMMYKAYE 25% off the Matalan Christmas range is definitely not to be sniffed at!

LAZYSHEEP the handprint Christmas card is a lovely idea, something us grandparents would go all soppy over - or maybe that's just me lol.

Having a lazy day today to recover from yesterday, apparently the rest if the week is going to be much better weather wise so plenty of time for doing other bits then. Don't seem to be able to stop eating today so just as well DH gas made a cake!

Oooh there is always time for cake! My address is.............although I have just inhaled a 95g bar of dairy milk which is unlike me! Doh! :eek:

I am going to make sure I make the most of the Matalan Discount dont you worry PEPPA

Congratualtions CLUMSY

LAZYSHEEP - when my daughter and son were little I got the kids to stick their hands in pain / glue and glitter and put them on the canvas, there is then a poem online that I wrote over the top of it about dirty little hands or something like that. My dad loved it and still has it in his office at home

sammy_kaye18

LAZYSHEEP Im not sure if this is the one but it was along these lines

My Handprints

Sometimes I might upset you
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
on furniture and walls.

But everyday I grow a bit
And soon I'll be so tall
That all those little fingerprints
Will be so hard to recall.

So here's a special handprint
Just so that you can say
This is how my fingers looked
When I placed them here today

murie

Clumsy- welcome back! Congrats! Fingers crossed for 2017 and a place on a PGCE course.


Sammy- I'm sure DH has the right intentions- just that he hasn't quite expressed them correctly! My DS did one of those prints when he started at Nursery- he is 26 and 6ft towering over me now, I still keep it hanging on the back of the pantry door- brings a little smile whenever I see it.


Princesskitty- gorgeous kitchen pic on IG, bet you cant wait to complete and start making it yours. The spiced oranges take a while to dry out so don't expect them to be ready in time for Christmas, and don't forget to bake the pine cones in the oven to kill all the little nasties that lurk in the crevices. What about getting Wiggle to paint some salt dough ornaments (cut with cookie cutters). These could be made as presents for grandparents and I'm sure would be treasured for years (if mommy or daddy varnish them first).
Peppa- make the most of the rest and the fact DH has made you a cake , my DH wouldn't have a clue where to start! He's not all bad though and he does have some redeeming qualities- I'll get bck to you when I remember what they are.....
I hope it isn't going to be too hot this week as tomorrow we are starting the decorating in the living room/dining room. Its our 30th Anniversary tomorrow- what a way to spend it- arguing most likely!! I want to keep the aubergine that I have on the chimney breasts and want the rest of the walls pale grey. I have tried 3 other greys (which were too cold) and finally settled on a dulux grey (chic shadow) which is warmer so I hope it looks ok. DH isn't keen on the colour scheme but as usual I have got my own way (I remember one of his qualities- he lets me get my own way 99.9% of the time with only token protests!)


On the Christmas front I have ordered DS an Estwing hammer that he asked for - its for his tool box that he never uses but is always adding to! Strange present but its what he wants lol. Not got much else to get now so will start to concentrate on the food shop.

princesskitty29

Well we stepped inside our house for the first time today! It was by no means finished but it was good to have a look around. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished! Unfortunately in the family bathroom the tiles didn’t quite look how I imagined and I wouldn’t have chosen them had I seen them like that, but it is so hard to tell when you only have one tile sample to look at in the show room! Oh well it’s not the end of the world and we can change them one day in the future. I’m just so happy that we’re nearly there.

I popped onto the Matalan website to look at the Christmas shop and oh my goodness I pretty much want to buy everything! I wish the website had an ‘add to wish list’ button as I don’t have time to sit and look through all of it in one go and there’s no point adding to the basket as it all disappears if I log off. Although MiL is looking after Wiggle on Weds morning so perhaps I can do it then!

ellie by all means steal them! There are lots of ideas if you search online, I took the ones I liked. I also added things that we would do anyway so we’re not trying to do something new every day!

GTQ eeek that photo would freak me out! How strange! Glad you had a lovely break.

Peppa please do share the ideas!

Cherry thanks, you must be excited too! I’d love to live in a country cottage, you must be really looking forward to it!

lazysheep thanks for that suggestion, I shall look up some ideas! I’d like to make some cards with Wiggle.

Clumsy congrats on achieving a first class degree, that’s fantastic! :T Well done you! :T I hope you’re ME isn’t too bad at the moment.

sammy you should definitely do a list too! As I said to ellie there are lots of ideas online, I chose the ones I liked and that would work for us. Yes hard to tell if you’re DH’s purchase is good or bad! Great news getting 25% off Matalan you lucky thing!

princesskitty29

Hi murie our posts crossed! Thanks for the info I shall remember that. Salt dough ornaments sound good, one of my activities is making a Christmas decoration so we could do that!

Bargain_Bunny

Evening all

I had a spare 5 mins when putting LO to bed so I went through her stocking bits and bobs. I have an expanding flannel, 2 lots of colouring pencils and 2 lots of felt tips chunky and normal ( all reduced from sainsburys ) a daily mail free lego bag, coloured elastics and frozen hair clips ( £1 each from sainsburys too) need ot think of other Ideas.

I'm making a big deal of xmas this year, I went onto the Matalan website and I have been adding stuff into my basket - I do want a lot of it lol. I signed up to their reward card and it says they will send you a voucher in the post, when I get this I will defo go instore, I want the melamine bowl/plate/beaker/t towels the lot

I also had a book people catalogue and I have spotted one for the OH something about man points and being manly so i have to get that and he's also seen it, already got hime the ladybird books for grown ups