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

Mrs_Ryan

pumpkin1964 wrote: »

The trick is to buy something from a brand he will approve of (likely Superdry,jack wills etc) within your budget. Which means it won't look much to you, and you won't think it's good value as it's overpriced, but if it has the right logo, he will approve. What do you want to spend? Boots have a jack wills drinks bottle for £8 and in their 342. Superdry have beanie hats from £14.99 also in their 342, but I'm not sure if you'd buy another two things from there!

Boots also do Jack Wills mug and socks set but the drinks bottle sounds a great idea, especially given the fact he's sporty. Superdry beanies are fab- I bought one for my fussy 14 year old nephew and he loves it. Try EBay for the Superdry outlet- they have some surprisingly good bargains on there.

Treasurequeen

Free I am reading a winters tale by Trisha Ashley so far so good.
Boots are sending out their Christmas rewards vouchers in The post, I have just gone mine this morning. 25% off any Christmas gift, and it's the big point event this week i think spend £50 get £10 worth of points. boots jack wills sets are good and If you can get them on offer with vouchers you can save money too.

QVC Christmas bits aren't very good this year, did treat myself to TSV Liz Earle set, a little treat to myself and spent a £10.00 gift card I got when I signed Up as a new member.

Treasurequeen

Next had some nice Christmas candles and reed diffusers started from £12.00. Went into home bargains and they didn't have the gingerbread jar candles in but I bought two apple and cinnamon ones instead and they smell divine. my mum thought they were Yankee candles and was surprised they were from home bargains so I have given her the other one I bought.

mrs-moneypenny

Afternoon all
Hope everyone is well
TQ winters tale is a lovely Christmassy read
My Haynes zombie guide arrived over the weekend so I've put that away.
I got some crackers and more cards at the boot on Sunday.

Need to crack on with my Christmas makes as my list is growing faster than I can keep up.

Gwendolyn

Pumpkin and Mrs Ryan thank you for your suggestions. I am sold on the Jack Wills bottle. Perfect! I might add in something like an under armour t-shirt or boots bag from SportsD.


I hope the smellies ban will get lifted next year. SIL doesn't mean to come across the way she does but she does have fixed ideas. She gives excellent presents. This year for birthdays - my eldest two got nice rucksacks and DS some bits inside for camping (he's a scout) like a compass and DD got shampoos and hair detanglers for her swimming. She is very, very thoughtful. It's tough to live up to her standards.


Because her children play high level sport she's very pernickety about what they eat. Possibly more so than she needs to be as they are both very athletic. I think the smellies thing comes from a loathing of Lynx! Ha ha


I have no need of any more Christmas decs, I've sorted the crackers and will order the cards from school - Children do a fundraising one. It's more than I'd like to spend but it feels mean not too.


The DH is nightmare to buy for. I'd love to get him a surprise but that doesn't work. He's got everything he needs - well bar some expensive car parts but I'd need to check with him what those are. I'm getting some small bits as I go along for him but nothing really jumps out. He hates things that aren't useful and foodie gifts aren't his style. It's more a case of spotting it and buying it - waiting for divine inspiration. Having said that he's difficult, he won't be offended if I only get him something little. He'd rather I saved the money and he can spend it on things like new wheels for the Jaguar!

FeistyFidget

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

Afternoon all

Seems like it has been a very long week.....Ill give you a brief catch up

Son has been on report - and done really well thankfully so thats looking promising
I finally sat and discussed our son with my husband - very hard work and I ended up an emotional cryign wreck in the corner but I think he now has the message and altogether the house is a much nicer place to be living thank god.
Me nad hubby are much better too
Daughter had the Flu Mist thing with no adverse side effects unlike last year :eek:
I went to the doctor with hip pain to be told the fluid around the socket is inflamed. He told me this at 1pm and my shift was due to start at 2 - and I have horrible issues with letting people down so when he offered me a sick note for a week you can only imagine his shock when I declined it! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: either way Ive kept workign and with the few days off Ive had Ive taken it easy and it feels much better until I ran for the bus yesterdayand it let me know Id over done it.
I only work 3 days a week at the minute so have plenty of resting time.

For my fellow Daryl fans - I am mid way through season 4 and got the days wrong - I thought the new series started Friday - it doesn't it starts Monday so unless I power watch between now and then there is no way I will be caught up so no spoilers please - although I already know the outcome of Negans antics!

Onto Christmas - I have finally started!

I have so far gotten
my daughter a new Furby - down to £69.99 in Argos and then my discount made them £59.99 so that's her main one done
3 disney DVDs from CEX shop for £11.00
Another Tshirt for my son that he wanted
A cappuccino mug for the hubby

Hubby has now decided he doesn't want a Go Pro for Xmas so I have to try and find him something else now

But waiting now because in November there is a deal back on in Argos for a weekend. I'm not allowed to say which but I will be finishing my 6 year old daughter off so she will be done and finished and I can then focus on the boys

Still excited for the bike show in November with the hubby so trying to save some money for that since we are going on the 23rd and then we are going Xmas shopping on the 18th/19th of December so I plan to get the rest of my family done then that needs finishing!

Your work ethic is very impressive, but you must take care of you. You've made some fab savings :money:

mrsinvisible wrote: »

Hi, wow, you all seem well organised, Feisty, l don't envy many people much, but a log cabin, or even a converted shed in the garden has been on my wishlist since before l knew l had a wishlist. Currently the garden shed l have is full of bikes and lawnmowers, so l have designated a corner of the conservatory into a 'shed area' complete with bright red 'garden shed' sign courtesy of Wilco sale, 75p.
l have done absolutely nothing for the stocking project, but it will probably be one for DGN. no idea of design yet, though.
l still haven't received the list of wants from China, so l cant progress on the Christmas front, DGD is soooo fussy about clothes at the moment (10 years old, what can you expect) so l cant get her pjs yet. DGS2 is into anything star wars, so is easier to please, but mum and dad are so non-acquisitive they don't want anything and have everything they need.
So it is likely to be a night stay in a nice hotel again, with a meal and a bottle of fizz. DS1 is still vegan, so need to pick hotel carefully. DGS1 has bought him a silver plated engraved yo-yo!!!!! really!
Now l need to get out of bed and get cracking, as the black dog seems to be lurking and l have lost the hob-nailed boots, so keeping busy must be the answer today.

I'm honestly not meaning to rub salt in the wound, but I thought I'd share it's current status. We only have one more wall cupboard to hang and I can start moving in. I even have a sewing nook! I seriously don't think I will ever leave lol
Keep an eye out on freecycle MrsI, sheds do become available every now and then and you definitely deserve one just for you!
I'll get the naughty Chihuahua's to give that black dog it's marching orders! They are tiny but fierce!

vulpix wrote: »

Morning,lovely one it is here.

Dolly Rocker,were the nectar points off ebay? I signed up to them ages ago and must have all of £3 now.How do you access them?Sorry to be dense,am an old person who is not tech savvy.

The garden is finished.Yes I said finished! I will plant up when I come back from Spain.We go in the middle of tonight.

Mr V bought me a lovely NT cake stand and jug yesterday for Christmas,so clever of him whilst he was at work all day.

Doesn't really compare to his pound shop Chewbaca stocking.Perhaps I will see something in Spain for him.Men are soooooo difficult to buy for.

I haven't done the stocking craft yet,and as we get back on Halloween I think I will miss the deadline.I have got as far as making a pattern.

I agree a beautiful work space in the garden sound bliss.I can imagine mine would be cath kidston and radio 4. In reality mine is garden tools and sacks of wood for the fire.

When I get back off hols everywhere will be ramping up for Christmas.Love it.

Love to everybody,particularly those with health worries.


Vxxxxxxxxxx

Have a lovely time on your holibobs!

Peppapig wrote: »

Very proud of Honorary DD and her brother today for doing the Great South Run in a time of 1 hour, 32 minutes and 27 seconds and raising £1000 for Sands after the loss of honorary DGS at only a few hours old last year. Speaking as someone who could only run a few yards I can't imagine what it must feel like to run 10 miles, drive yes but run definitely not

A huge well done to honorary DD and her brother. SANDS is a charity I hold in very high esteem after a close friend's first child was born sleeping. Their donations had made a suite available within the hospital, away from the post natal wards where family could come and spend time with her beautiful son and enjoy their short time with privacy and dignity. I can't begin to imagine the pain, but I know that having that time with him helped immensely and it was all thanks to SANDS.

freespirit66 wrote: »

Evening everyone, well i am finally a member of the gingerbread candle club :rotfl:i cant wait to light it but me being anal i have to finish the YC i am burning atm which is gorgeous Morroccan Argan Oil. I put the money in a card for DD2s OH today, am going to put it in a little hamper with popcorn and sweets and a couple of bottles of fizzy pop, so that is another present done. I am beginning to get a bit panicky now as i have an extra present to buy for DS partner and still have my girls pamper hampers to finish. I feel very guilty regarding you ladies who would like a summerhouse i have one for my craft workshop and dont use it :eek: I used to always be down there doing some kind of craft but then lost my mojo and i havent used it at all this year only to perhaps get a piece of ribbon for birthday presents etc.

PEPPAPIG well done to HDD, i too am amazed when these people run for such long distances. I hope you get some answers tomorrow for DH

MRSINVISIBLE i have set my husky on your BD my lovely, hope you feel a bit brighter very soon.

CREATIVEGAL i was in Costa today getting my popcorn cappuccino and said to DD1 it wont be long before the festive flavours make an appearance

DOLLYROCKER isnt it great when you get presents with neutral money??

TREASUREQUEEN which christmas book are you reading at the moment? I have just finished Trisha Ashleys A Christmas Cracker and really enjoyed it

VULPIX yayyyy on finishing the garden, i hope you are very proud of your efforts, well done you! I hope you have a fab holiday you deserve it

Perhaps giving your craft space a mini MSE makeover into a sanctuary could help you enjoy the space again? Some lovely HB scented candles and a nice warm throw and cushion on a chair could make it all snuggly. I always find crafting helps me when the BD descends x

missmoose wrote: »

I don't know how I've had such a busy few days seeing as though I'm not at work but I have!
Managed to get another Christmas present and picked up a couple stocking fillers for OH.
Spent a fair bit on stuff for a Halloween party that has now been canceled, might as well of just flushed money down the toilet. Very annoyed about that, a last minute invite then they cancel it the next day! Who does that? Oh yea OH's family.

Could you not use the bits for a halloween event for just your wee family? It would be a shame for all of that to go to waste.

I'm definitely feeling more prepared on the festive front as I wrapped my first 3 presents yesterday! Granted they look a bit of a sorry affair with no ribbons or tags, but they are for our little My and ribbons would be a choking hazard and as the Mr pointed out, she really will not care what they look like.

I'm not sure if you remember me saying I wanted to go pumpkin picking? Well we went and it was amazing!


We picked a lot of pumpkins and 5 corn on the cobs too! The whole lot came to £10.56 and it was a great hour spent in the outdoors. Little My didn't seem very interested, but me and the Mr were lol If anyone has any good pumpkin soup recipes I'd love to hear them!

In sadder news a friend of mine's young brother was knocked off his motorbike and killed last night. He has a 2 year old too which is heartbreaking. My poor friend has had such a horrific life and now her father is saying he can't cope and that she has to arrange/pay for the funeral. He did the same when her Mum died suddenly 10 years ago too. It makes me very cross as she's very fragile and to put this burden on her seems cruel. They have no money and she's started a justgiving page in order to try and raise the funeral expenses, it's just awful. It really makes me think about the silly things I get stressed over when I should be focusing on all the things I am lucky to have.

mandco

Peppa congrats to honorary dd & co

I was doing well on the not buying anymore gift wrap front till I spotted some grinch xmas wrap in primark which is perfect for a certain person so just had to get it.
No gingerbread candles in my local Hb so will have to keep looking but did manage to snag the last small stag hurricane vase they had the bigger one which is a bargain at only £1 more but I wouldn't have anywhere to put it.
I've done well on the pressie front this weekend Ds preorder came, picked up ds fave fragrance for nearly 1/2 price using deals and got dd a notebook/laptop for under £100 so that's her main gift sorted :j and I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere.
I saw £2 & £5 xmas scratch cards in the shop yesterday so will be keeping an eye open for the £1 ones.

I can't remember who asked about xmas biscuit tins but boots have some nice ones this year included in the 3 for 2 very similar to previous m&s esp the gingerbread house & rotating xmas tree . Saying that I'm not very impressed with the m&s offerings this year they're kind of pretty but boring so not sure if I'll bother. Taz does like the wobbling penguin though so I may get that if it goes on offer.

sucky day as its the 1st anniversary for dad(can't quite believe its been a year already) but easier than I expected it to be though no doubt I'll have a good cry later once the kids are in bed .

I'd better shoot as I need to take chewy for a walk he's going loopy and keeping taz awake as dd hasn't walked him again:mad: I knew the novelty would wear off and I'd end up doing everything :wall:
tc all

Peppapig

That's a lovely pic FEISTY, she's growing up so quickly. Very sad news about your friend's brother and what a horrible time for your friend. Are the family on any benefits? I know if you're on certain means tested benefits you can get help with funeral costs. How horrible that she has to face this on top of the loss of her brother.

MANDCO I think it's usually the way, the children are desperate for a dog/rabbit/guinea pig/kitten and it's mum that ends up looking after them. I got the smaller of the hurricane vases too for the same reason as you.

TREASUREQUEEN the apple and cinnamon candles sound lovely, I'm going to pop into HB tomorrow and see if I can get any. I've got one gingerbread and a vanilla unopened and a gingerbread one that's about two thirds gone. I want to have enough to be able to burn them right up until Christmas.

Thank you all for your good wishes for DH. Thankfully he's been a lot better today so fingers crossed he'll have an even better day tomorrow.

I've nearly finished my stocking challenge so I'll be on time this month. The big news is that other than my mum and DH I'm finished and wrapped for Christmas. This is really early even for me, not quite sure what I'll do with myself now. Think I'll keep busy on the dolls house front or I'll end up buying more pressies!

mrs-moneypenny

Went to a free preview at the cinema in town last night so had a walk through the precinct lots of shops seem to have Christmassy window displays going up now.
Need to get my class lists sorted so I can make a start on school cards.
Stocking challenge is a work in progress so I can post photo of what I've achieved at the end of the month then carry on if I need to - if that makes sense.

Have a good day all

04624181

i have done it again, wrote a huge post but forgot to click on the submit button. Turned my computer on this morning and lost the post. When will I learn?

Mrs Moneypenny- Sounds like a lovely evening out. I too need to think about cards for the kids, I work with 4 different year groups though, good job I bought plenty of cards x I love car boot sales but hubby hates them! I used to love having a walk around them and finding bargains but now never have the time.
Peppa- Glad to hear your DH is feeling better today. I cannot wait to see everybody stocking challenge this month. I have really enjoyed doing the craft challenges x Well done to you honorary dd and her brother for the run x
mandco-I agree with you on the M&S biscuit tins this year, will have a look at boots x sending love xx
Fiesty- it looks amazing, can i move in please? Fantastic picture of you and little my xx such sad news about your friends younger brother. will remember the family in my prayers x
Gwendolyn- good choice on the jack wills bottle, I too am eyeing it up for my 14yr old.
TQ-The apple and cinnamon candles sound lovely, im going to have a good look at home bargains tomorrow. I have a list going!
missmoose- well done on picking up a few more stocking fillers for your hubby. A shame about the party x
Spendless- I am having a day of decluttering and cleaning as the house is heaving with stuff we do not use or need!
Free- i completely understand with the candles, i waited until I had used my YC before using my new candles. I have some YC votives left but they are going to my mum.
Vulpix- hope you have a wonderful holiday, dont worry about the deadline, just post your craft when its done xxx

Hubby surprised me with a lovely stay in a hotel on saturday, it was fantastic!
have ordered an adidas tshirt for son in JD sale, got 2 games for £20 at agrgos and saved £13. ordered a bop it for ds and cranium junior for dd.
Sorry if i have forgot you or repeated myself, got completely confused :rotfl: