* Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas * - It's the 2019 Christmas Chatter Thread

mrsinvisible

Vulpix and treasure queen, horrible horrible time for you both, be kind to yourselves, and take time out for you. I am still reeling from the news l had yesterday.The friend l told you was starting her pip journey, she has had a brain haemorrhage, and is in an induced coma.
l cant think of anything else to say, but yes, l will try to take my own advice. xxx

vulpix

Oh dear,rotten news all round.xxxx for all.

Someone just came to buy some electrical gubbins just as wild boy brought a dead bird in!

I don't know if I said that I also had grommets fitted a few weeks ago as I had earache for a year. I did have glue ear but not cured the earache. The problem is spondylosis?itis ?,basicly arthritis in my neck squashing a nerve to my ear. I just have had enough of big operations.I think whilst I can stand the neck ache and earache I will leave well alone. The NHS are superb but the past 5 years i have had so many operations and treatment.

Our loft now only contains stuff we actualy want to keep.I threw all my birth congratulations cards and birthday cards up to the age of 21 in the recycling yesterday.Don't tell my Mum! There are about 10 boxes of Xmas decorations and a forrest of trees,I will get them all down later in the year and have a cull.Gotta go,a man coming to see about a new fence in the back garden.

Vx

nic2075

Sorry to hear about your sister in law Vulpix. Life is cruel.

This is a busy few weeks for us. We finish up for the summer holidays on the 28th. So we have a flurry of school trips, transition to high school, leavers party and prize giving.

We head to France on the 30th. I really need to knuckle down on what I’m eating. I don’t want to be embarrassed in a swimsuit with the kids. It was my birthday yesterday, so it’s been a weekend of eating and drinking. But from Monday I am back on it

vulpix

Happy Birthday Nic xxxx Since i booked my holiday I have never stopped stuffing my face,I will be like a beached whale!

Did a car boot this morning made £100. Sales of stuff on FB of stuff from the loft,another £280 to go in the bank tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr V is doing a charity quiz tonight for the teenage cancer trust.He wants us to be there at 5:50 argh I just want a rest. Gotta go n see if any clothes fit me!

Vx

nic2075

vulpix wrote: »

Happy Birthday Nic xxxx Since i booked my holiday I have never stopped stuffing my face,I will be like a beached whale!

Did a car boot this morning made £100. Sales of stuff on FB of stuff from the loft,another £280 to go in the bank tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr V is doing a charity quiz tonight for the teenage cancer trust.He wants us to be there at 5:50 argh I just want a rest. Gotta go n see if any clothes fit me!

Vx

Thank you.:D


Well done raising all those funds, you’re on a roll. :T

murie

Happy belated Birthday Nic!!

noodles86

The village advent calendar, for all interested, a Facebook post goes out and anyone can ask for a number, then on your day you display the number and then keep it up until at least Boxing Day. The numbers can be anything, Mae out of tinsel, a drawing, fairy lights etc. The lady who did the facebook post (though i'm sure she has others helping her) produces a map of where the numbers are going to be. A lovely festive walk around the village.

Well done on another successful car boot Vulpix, hope that the quiz went well.

Have a lovely holiday Peppa, we're trying to think of somewhere to go for august bank holiday (child-free woo!) but struggling with what we want.

murie a hoop cake stand sounds intriguing?

I've been summer holiday planning, half term was hard work. My two didn't want to anything but were bored!? How does that work? Finding places to go is easy enough (but pennies can't make that a daily occurrence) so need to think of things we can do at home the are fun.

Gettingtherequickly

Sorry to hear the news about your SIL Vul, life is carp at times.

Slight smug warning! I have finished my Christmas cakes, all 15 now maturing :j Although I did get a message from Egypt at the weekend to see that one of the work colleagues asked if I was taking one with me when I go:eek: As it won't have any alcohol, I can make it the week before I go. Almost got a phone call last week from my brother to ask me for one. He is the FD for a highend florist (think bouquets starting in £100's!) and one of the clients wanted a fruit cake sent with it. Apparently it is really difficult to just get a plain fruit cake and they almost resorted to taking one of my cakes, eventually managed to get one in Fortnum & Mason!

Not doing much on the Christmas front, got a bit of Avon makeup to stick in the bag I bought my niece, that is her done. Nephew will be 21 in September, so that will be my last gift for him, which means on less for Christmas:D

chirpychick

Hi!
I was a member a long long time ago and struggled to keep up after my son was born (he's 6.5 now) I met one of my best friends on the original christmas post however many years ago!
I am trying to plan Christmas again early as always but everybody around me hates me talking about it so early in the year. So I thought i'd come back here.
I have started.
I brought my son a computer game (how is he at that age already!) and I have purchased 2 starbucks reusable cups BN off ebay which i'm hoping to put in a box with a bag of biscotti and a voucher for my dad and step mum.

I have cut back quite dramatically on who we buy for nowadays but I realised today that my budget hasn't changed in 10 years and i'm really struggling to think of what i'm going to buy for people this year! Also nobody ever seems grateful! I feel like im notorious for being a rubbish present giver!

I know that some of you might say don't buy for ungrateful people but it's not that easy when they're inlaws who do so much for us for example.

I used to get organised due to a love of Christmas but now it's more because my son was born 12 days before so we have a double whammy of celebrations.

I will share who I need to buy for and budgets maybe people here might have suggestions?

Mum (52 posh likes high quality unusual things) £20
Mum's BF (49? has a beard, likes beer, computer games & woodwork) £5
FIL (82 gardening, books) £15
MIL (79 housebound, disabled, watches tv all day, perpetual dieter) £15
Niece (20 at uni) £5-10
Nephew (17 into video games not a lot else) £5-10
Step dad & wife (they say not to buy anything, but buy for my son so like to get something token £5)
Dad & step mum (starbucks gift)
Niece ( loves barbies, unicorns, fairies 5 going on 15) £10
Best friends children 12 Girl, 6 boy, 2 girl £10 max each
Nan (76 lost grandad recently, alone, loves dogs, tv, chocolate BUT lives 200 miles away and anything has to be posted) £10 incl postage
Son will be 7, has ASD and other disabilities. will have a budget half of what he normally he has as we are struggling so approx £100 which NEEDS to be 10 presents. One thing I am going to do will be a chocolate box - a shoe box or similar filled with his own little stash. I've spent £19.99 on one PS4 game already. I am trying to convince him to ask for surprises lol he gets very caught up and when he writes a wish list he thinks it's an "i'm going to get list" I've spent a lot of time trying to explain otherwise and also trying to explain value so 1 big thing means nothing else but he simply does not understand - "at christmas i get 10 presents from mummy and daddy" anyone who knows asd kids should understand this one. But I'm not so worried about that figure as i can always wrap a toothbrush or what have you.
Husband 53 - £15 no hobbies or interests impossible!

Peppapig

CHIRPYCHICK I love your summaries of the people you need to buy for, they’re brilliant. If you have a Home Bargains near you they have really good beer gifts at very reasonable prices in the run up to Christmas although they e got some now too because of Father’s Day. How about a gardening hamper for your FIL? Poundland and Home Bargains have some really good gardening bits (gloves, implements, enamel mugs, decorative garden bits, so,ar lights etc) you could put them all as a hamper in a flower pot or something else garden related. Possibly an Amazon voucher for your nephew so he can put it towards a game he wants? Fluffy unicorn throw for your niece or pretty light string for her bedroom (Asda had some of both recently)? I completely understand the ten presents thing but as you say you can always wrap a couple of small bits up if your budget runs out. Unfortunately I can’t suggest anything for your DH with no interests or hobbies - I’ve got one of those too:D I like your Starbucks idea, I might steal that.

Last day of our holiday today - it’s rained every day but we’ve managed to work round it. Home tomorrow.