* Step into Christmas * & 2020 - It's the 2020 Christmas Chatter Thread

StokieBecks

Don't know of it is of any use to anyone but noticed today that Boots have some Jack Wills gift sets on half price

https://www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?langId=-1&showResultsPage=true&categoryId=&sType=SimpleSearch&searchTermScope=&orderBy=&resultCatEntryType=2&minPrice=0&promoNameParam=1%2F2+price+on+selected+Jack+Wills+gifts&catalogId=28501&pageView=grid&advancedSearch=&searchTerm=&storeId=11352&beginIndex=0&maxPrice=&isPromoLink=Y&searchSource=Q&manufacturer=

chanie

I popped to both Home Bargains and B&M today.  I dont have either store near me, but when I’m in the area, I always pop in.  Here is some of my haul.

Bath bombs were £1.50-£2 from Home Bargains and are for DD.  Some of the bath bombs are rubbish, but I’ve used these ones before and they are good.  The bath spaghetti was £1.50 and a customer in store I was chatting with said she had bought some for £5 online.  The perfume was from B&M, no idea of price.

I managed to find 2 initial sacks for the children  in B&M (£6).  I will use these for their Xmas Eve hampers.  I normally use plain red pillow cases, so they are due an upgrade.  The gingerbread bath bomb (99p) and elf marshmallow (59p)  will go in the sacks on Xmas eve (Home Bargains).
The trainer cleaning kit was £5 from B&M.  I thought they would make good gifts for teenage boys (who I find quite difficult to buy for) and so I bought a spare.  

These final items are for the Christmas hampers.  I found the marshmallow popcorn that mandco previously posted about for 89p, some unicorn angel delight (£1?), marshmallow doughnuts (£1.30) and some slushes.  All from Home Bargains.  

I agree with Spendless that there are some great gifts in B&M.  I have always been a Home Bargains girl, but I recently decided to give B&M another try, as I haven’t been impressed on previous visits. 

EDIT as I was typing this post, I realised I made a newbie  mistake and didnt check the use by dates on the edibles.  Just checked... luckily, nothing goes off before April 2021.

Spendless

C_J said:

The Body Shop do a mango body spray for £8 - might that work?

Hmmm maybe. Is anyone able to tell me how Bodyshop body sprays compare to Hollister ones? I suspect my Mum likes hers because it's fruity and long lasting. 
I may need to pop back to B & M and get ne of those bath bombs for DD's xmas eve ham[er. I introduced them about 10+ years ago, having previously read about them on this board. Initially I thought them a waste of time and as my kids weren't tots we already had the santa stop here signs and xmas cookie plates etc. Then I thought it would be a good plan to get the kids to do as I wished on xmas eve while I did things like peel veg and wrap last minute presents by saying 'what santas elves want you to do is have a bath, put your PJs on and watch a dvd' so they've supplied these......... After the first year DS outgrew the idea. DD never has! (Beware if your kids are small, hahah). So this year DD is 17 and still wants one! However I have told her this is the last one. She will be 18  in March so next Christmas eve legally an adult and anyone old enough to go to the pub on Christmas eve doesn't need a hamper to entertain them! She is therefore expecting it to surpass any previous ones and I thought last year's was good. (I updated her xmas stocking with a Victoria's secret one I'd bought at  a third of the price in the Jan sales)
. This years so far has PJ's possibly a snuggly blanket, a wine glass (poundland), a facial mask and was going to add a ready to drink cocktail and maybe a starbucks glassed drink. I know at the last minute I will be juggling with what fits in her stocking and what can be moved to the hamper.    

Athome1

Oh how I miss My Supermarket which made it so easy to compare prices! I woke up this morning thinking about (uk)turkey crowns and how to compare prices without having to visit every supermarket in the area .. then I thought of this thread!! So may I ask anyone who happens to notice the price to post it here please? Stupidly I forgot to look 🤪 so will check this week. Thank you x

princesskitty29

We’ve made it to the farm and it’s been so lovely to see my parents again. We’re really lucky and I feel for everyone who’s in the higher tiers. I do still wonder though whether a full lockdown will be inevitable in the end as the tier system is so confusing that I question whether it will work as they hope. I just hope that by not locking down now it doesn’t impact on Christmas. I’m certainly going to make the most of being here and seeing my family this week.

 

I was chatting to the Hermes man the other day and his job sounds quite tough. He gets 70p per parcel delivered which explains why he works all hours, he said in the height of covid he was delivering 300 parcels a day. He’s got 7 children at home! He also said that the management treat the drivers like rubbish and talk to them like dirt, and as he points out, there would be no business without them! I have heard bad things about how Hermes treat their drivers. It’s no excuse for bad service but you can see why it gets bad sometimes, they’re up against it and completely demoralised I imagine. He says he’s always looking out for a better job.

 

I did my first bit of wrapping the other day with some Christmas tunes on! I wrapped presents for my auntie who lives in Sheffield, I brought them to my mums as my auntie always visits my mum before Christmas, but I don’t know whether that will happen this year. I don’t know whether to leave them here or take them home and post them.

 

nic wow your Christmas dinner is going to be cheap as chips!

 

mandco it must be worrying having cases confirmed at your DS’s school. Oh I’ve only just read about the gammon joints so I’m probably too late now which is a shame!

 

aimeemum ah it’s lovely reading books to your children that you read as a child.

 

Redrobin it’s a shame the man you worked with is like this for yours and his sake too, he must live quite a miserable life really which is sad. I’m so sorry to hear your break has been cancelled, this whole thing is just so rubbish.

 

Spendless that’s lovely ideas for stocking and the senses presents. To be honest I’m 38 and I would still love it if I got a Christmas Eve hamper!

 

Rachsecret I used to have my stocking in an old pair of tights too! I don’t very often hear people say that these days, people my age look at me like I’m a bit strange! I used to love it as you could see through them to all of the treasures! It’s only natural to get upset about not seeing your family at Christmas, please don’t be hard on yourself. It’s a very tough time of year to be away from family. Your pictures are amazing! Well done I could never do anything like that.

freespirit66

STOKIEBECKS thanks for the Jack Wills sets heads up, I’m going to look for a couple of giving tree presents

PK glad you got away, have a lovely break

ATHOME1 I bought my medium turkey crown from Tesco’s and it was £15. I agree about MySupermarket

REDREDROBIN sorry you have had your break cancelled 

Spendless

@princesskitty - now that's an idea, tell the family the new tradition is that I got a xmas eve hamper. Wonder what thaey'd put in it? Considering I've always insisted that the items in should purely be connected to Christmas Eve, probably a vegetable peeler - lol.

Redredrobin - I've sent you a PM. 

Beshki

Just managed to add a £30 bottle of whiskey onto my Tesco shop for £18 using the clubcard prices deal - really chuffed with that for my Mums partner Also added a box of celebrations as they’re useful to have in to bulk out presents/give to people you haven’t planned on gifting etc, and they were half price at £1.50. 

Athome1

Thank you Freespirit66. 

Peppapig

ATHOME1 if you go onto the websites for the supermarkets you should be able to compare prices for turkey crowns from home.  Obviously that won’t help you snap up the bargains that are reduced but then that’s mainly luck and being in the right place at the right time. 

PRINCESSKITTY so glad you got to have your visit. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of having an actual nylon stocking as a Christmas stocking but then we never had a separate stocking just the pillowcase we used to put out for our pressies. 

This will be our first Christmas with DGD not believing in Father Christmas. She’s still very much into the magic of Christmas (aren’t we all) but as she’s just started secondary school DD had to have ‘the chat’.  Having said that the other little ones all still believe but it’s DGD that is with us on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning so I we won’t be putting the milk and biscuits out this year and the potatoes for the reindeer.  Or will we?  I’ve known the Santa secret for many years but I still look for him on Christmas Eve. 😁