* Driving Home for Christmas * - It's the 2021 Christmas Chatter Thread!

lizzie_b

Happy New Year everyone, and thanks 3forholidays for setting up the new thread
I've been around for every single one of the Christmas threads but hardly ever posted, so I'm jumping in with both feet this year to make it my best year for being organised.
Goals for 2021 are to 'Be more me' to be true to myself and get back to doing the things that make my heart happy!

StokieBecks

Happy New Year everyone. 

Thank you 3forholidays for the new thread 

Christmas prep for 2021 underway ... Got reduced wrapping paper and tags and ordered crafty bits for my Christmas cards. 

Haven't looked much at the sales online as the few bits i looked at were all out of stock very quickly. If I drop on something then so be it but not worried too much. 

Say it every year and find it hard but plan to reduce down what we get for people in 2021. Need to decide going forward whether we are sticking to individual presents for people or whether to get a group one for the families. 

princesskitty29

Happy New Year everyone! Even though the next few months are going to be tough I think 2021 brings us hope. I wish nothing but good health and happiness for you and your families.

 

I started the day by doing the live workout with Joe Wicks and we went to our local English Heritage site, both things I find really help to keep me positive. I’ve set up my 2021 Christmas spreadsheet so I’m all good to go! I had a quick scan of the sales online but most of it is sold out (why does it continue to show online??) and we can’t go to any shops so I won’t be picking up much in the sales this time, but I don’t mind too much. The only thing I would like to get reduced because I need some is wrapping paper. I might pop into our local Tesco when I take Wiggle to school this week and see if they have any left.

 

3forholidays thank you so much for setting up another thread, I really appreciate it.

 

nic we will definitely be having a belated Christmas with my family as they live 100 miles away and we haven’t been able to swap presents. At the moment I like the idea of a full Christmas dinner when we do but I might feel differently at the time! Your Christmas dinner bbq sounds like a great idea! Blimey I can’t believe you stayed up until 4am, it sounds like you all had so much fun.

 

mandco I know what you mean about taking the decorations down, January and February can be a bit hard going in normal times let alone during covid times. You do whatever you want to do – there are no rules! I usually take mine down on the 6th January, I’ll see how I feel. DH and I have said we’re going to keep our outside lights out for a while as it all looks a bit dreary when everyone takes their lights down!

 

murie I felt quite emotional yesterday too.

 

lizzie please do join in, it’s always lovely to hear from more people. Your goal for this year sounds the same as mine!

Gettingtherequickly

Happy new year everyone! This year can only be an improvement on last year, so here’s hoping.

As I was here after Christmas, thought I would manage to pick up bargains in Sainsbury’s, cards etc, nothing, nada, nowt, looked as if Christmas had not actually happened. Anyone manage to pick up anything?

girlinayellowdress

3forholidays thank you for taking time to do the thread. Reading back on all of them it only seems like yesterday we were all chatting on stop the cavalry. 
I had already started clearing out for the spring, need to keep myself occupied with all the depressing news on the television. 
Here's to 2021 and positively xx

Redredrobin

Happy new Year.
Thanks for the nice New thread .
Things here are reasonably positive, hubby is going back to work next week at last after 5 weeks off ,  a bit of peace at last lol .

I have bought a couple of items for Dds Christmas lucky dip and fleece pyjamas for my mum other than that I’m concentrating on Dds birthday.

Spendless

Happy New Year.
Think it's the first time in my adult life that I didn't stop up for midnight, though I was still awake. 
Me and DD went to some shops for sales (avoided boxing day) convinced our non essential retail would be closing. Turns out we were wrong and we've remained in Tier3, though I don't expect it to stay this way for long.
We have lots of birthdays in the first few months of a year. This will include my kids 21st and 18th in the same month. My Neice's 30th is next week, the same day as my daughter's friend has her 18th. With the possibility of nowhere to go to celebrate and DD already having spent her 17th birthday in lockdown thought I'd buy some bits in anticipation just in case. Managed to pick up  a Radley coin purse & a Radley passport holder both for £16 each in TK Maxx, for my Mum's birthday which is also next week.

Treasurequeen

Bit late to the thread, Happy new year everyone. I hope everyone is ok. 

Thank you 3forholidays for this new thread.  

My decorations will be coming down tomorrow, I’ve made a start but the bulk of it will be done tomorrow. It’s my grandads birthday in a few weeks time and being in tier 4 can’t get him anything in shops so I had to resort to getting something online but delivery date is day before his birthday. I’m hoping it turns up earlier though. I think birthday gifts and cards this year need to be bought in advance when able to go shopping. 

Nothing bought in the sales, I’m going to cut up my Christmas cards and make them into tags as I’ve got fancy edging scissors and some ribbon off cuts. I’ve started a cross stitch stocking I picked up in charity shop for a few pounds. Which will keep me occupied for a long time. 

3forholidays

Treasurequeen I agree with you and think that we will need to be more organised and buy things like gifts & cards when we see them (if possible).

Card selections in the supermarkets can be a bit hit and miss. B&M & The Range also sell occasion cards so it might be worth a look if you are in for other items.

pixtotts

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and thanks for the thread 3forholidays 

Sorry I was a little mia last year, I can't believe I didn't check in at all I think that's the first time since I found you in 2015ish! Bit of a weird one for everyone though wasn't it! Being a self employed artist it was a year of nothing, nothing, very little, nothing, then September hit and I organised 2 online markets and helped with a 3rd and created a virtual and physical Christmas gift guide for local handmade businesses!  The mega plus of the gift guide I had to take the photos so ended up getting a Christmas tree for my studio    
We just had a quiet Christmas and New Year with my aunt and uncle, they are only a field away from us. I did also see my boyfriend at last when we could mix at Christmas, he's Birmingham so been a higher tier than us since Sept, and is again now  

We have a shielder in the house so I didn't get to go to any shops, a click and collect from Sainsburys was my only Christmas decoration browsing I did order a few from Etsy though!  But worse of all no sale shopping!  starting to think I have a shopping problem... haha! ( Can't even go online as I've managed to misplace my card, it's in the house ...somewhere...  ) 

 Treasurequeen - the cross stitch stocking sounds like a great find!  We've always done the buy things for birthdays / Christmas when we see them, it definitely helped last year, my birthday is the start of May and my presents were all ordered online for direct delivery, or things my mum had stashed in the wardrobe haha! 
x