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

gymgirl11

Hi all, I’m also glad I found this thread. 

In ‘normal times’ I would normally leave my shopping later, however, this year I’m due my first baby with the EDD being the 6th December!! Which potentially cuts it too close for me to do anything and potential to just panic buy! I’m about 1/2 way through my shopping and everything that I have delivered has already been wrapped and stored in the wardrobe. 

Some of my best buys this year have been: Terry’s chocolate oranges (£1 each at Sainsbugs so just threw two in with my weekly shop for my sister & her bf) and milk chocolate buttons in the tubes (£1 each again with shopping for my niece and nephew) 

Yankee Candle have brought out their Christmas gifts so I brought 4 boxes for £8.99 - you get 3 Christmas scented votives in a nice box with some red ribbon. I got one for my mum & dad, one for my grandma & grandad, one for my sister & bf and one for OH ‘s mum & dad. 

I also managed to get a large tub of celebrations from Morrisons for £3.99!

princesskitty29

C_J said:

@princesskitty29  I had a quick mooch around B&M yesterday, and in their Christmas aisle they had a Nutella gift set for £3 (or maybe £4, I can’t recall). It contained a small jar of Nutella and a lovely matching spreader, nicely packaged in a red box.

Ooh thanks for letting me know, i'll take a look next time i'm in there!

princesskitty29

Welcome to the newbies, it’s good to have you here and we’re always up for Christmas chat – and anything else for that matter!

 

DS2 has been off school yesterday and today with another cold, I don’t know why I was worried about missing him so much when he started school – he’s been at home with me for a couple of days two weeks out of four now! Honestly if there’s a cold going he’ll get it and suffer badly with it poor thing. So I haven’t managed to go shopping yet this week, although I did get some sausage rolls for the freezer and a box of crackers for cheese with my food shop to stash away for Christmas. I also bought two boxes of train shaped chocolates online for my train obsessed boys instead of selection boxes this year – I’m sure they’ll still get plenty of those from other people!

 

EriSteadyGo You’ve just reminded me that I usually do table presents, will have a look out for some when I go shopping. I’ve never heard the term nonagenarian before, I had to look it up! You’re right they are hard to buy for, my DH’s Grandma is 91 and in a care home, even without covid she doesn’t really want visitors except my MiL (her daughter) anymore. She’s so fussy as well that we’ve taken to just buying a charitable gift in her name (such as buying a child new school supplies etc) and a bag of Fruit Pastilles that she loves, she seems happy with that. Your Christmas gift idea box with your OH sounds like a great idea!

 

gymgirl oh yes you’re right to get organised now with a little one on the way! Congratulations. It sounds like you’re doing really well, if you can get as much done as you can beforehand you’ll be able to really enjoy the new baby bubble and hopefully have a stress free Christmas.

Mrs_Ryan

Hi everyone

Ooh everyone seems to be doing really well with the shopping! 

I’m sort of almost pretty much finished. I’ve just come back from London and while I was there I got some coffee for my friend to go with her cafetière- I was really pleased as I hadn’t managed to find a single good quality packet for under a tenner. I got some in Harrods of all places for seven quid- and even just in the packet it smells gorgeous. Harrods were also selling off boxes of English breakfast tea for half price- so I bought four. Mum has claimed two so I’ve also got some Irish breakfast tea, and I’m going to give a box each of English and Irish tea to my other friend and to OH. I was going to buy OH some salted peanuts but mum beat me to it  

I had to nip into Boots in Piccadilly Circus for some shower gel and cotton cloths for my hot cloth cleanser- and while I was in there I spotted the Jack Wills sets were half price. I got OH a set with three pairs of socks, soap and deodorant for a tenner instead of twenty quid which was good value. 

mandco

skogar said:

mandco - I know nothing about such things but did see the other day when I was on the ikea website they have started doing gaming chairs. Not sure how the prices compare (as no idea what these things cost normally) but may be worth a look.

I've just had a quick look - they do 3 sorts 1 at £49, 1 at £99 (in 2 colours grey and black) and 1 at £129 (colours are white or black). All except the black at £99 are showing as unavailable online and the others are showing as only available in a few stores so it looks like they are popular. This is the one currently in stock

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/utespelare-gaming-chair-bomstad-black-90507617/

This is the range

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/gaming-chairs-47067/

As I've said - no idea if they are any good (not a gamer) but I'm sure there must be reviews out there somewhere.

Thanks for that I will check them out as I never thought of ikea hopefully they might have some to actually look at

Princesskitty  poor ds its hard when they keep missing school. There so many coughs/colds/bugs doing the rounds at the moment. Both my DGD's are off this week as they have colds and dd's been told they can't go back until they've had pcr tests done as the preschool had has several confirmed covid case and dgd1 has been a close contact of someone who tested positive. 

welcome newbies

Been a bit of a mixed bag here not really been anywhere as had 5 hospital appointments in the last 2 weeks 2 of which were for pre appointment covid tests and then had to isolate between those & the appointments. Then a few days ago I woke up with a rash that turned out to be shingles. Lousy timing as I'm meant to be taking taz to haven this weekend.
My matalan order came and they sent the wrong thing so now have to take that back and try and find an alternative.
Better news dd passed her driving test = she managed to find a last minute cancellation. Means I now have more ideas for xmas presents and we can have some proper shopping trips on her days off. She took Taz pumpkin picking today 

mandco

Redrobin  wow that must have been scary hope your feeling a bit better.  Its pretty standard to have a chest xray along side an echo and heart monitoring 

Treasurequeen

A warm Welcome to all the newbies. 

Poundland have some great little bits for stocking fillers, I bought my grandad a stylus  Pen Tool which can be used as a Stylus, Screw Driver, Ruler, Spirit Level and Pen, £1. He likes his gadgets, this would be good in a mans stocking. Available in Two colours blue or black. 

Picked up some York fruits eventually after searching every shop found them in the range for £1.99 my Nan used to love them and now I like them. The range Christmas selection isn’t bad this year picked up a gonk for my lounge as a treat to myself. 

Started my Christmas puzzle today which I picked up in CS it’s very traditional but it’s not easy. 

Just got to buy for my grandad now and brothers partner and then I’m finished. 

Gettingtherequickly

Sorry about the PTS RRR, it is so difficult to do. I still remember how I felt when we asked the vet to put our much loved Jupiter to sleep, we were at work & at school, and the vet left a note to say he had not done it, that Jupiter was not in pain and would not last another 24 hours, he was right and we had him for another day, that was 40 years ago Even my dad shed a tear when he buried him.

Picked up a Charles Dickens compilation which includes Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol in Costco for £10 for my aunt, it looks lovely, like an engraved leather cover with gold on the page edgings, we are all readers, so she will love it. Ordered personalised slate coasters for our QS at work, they look good, hopefully he will like the fact that they are a natural material.  Trying to decide what to get my boss, he has everything and if he wants it, just buys it, so really difficult to get for.  Currently thinking about trying to get a nice photo of his baby (9 mth old puppy!) and getting it sketched & framed for him.

DB finally got his Christmas 2019 present this week, went to see Only Fools & Horses!

Spendless

Sorry to hear about your  dog redredrobin and hugs to everyone having a bad time.

I've had PC problems which is why I've been missing. Last week we went away for a few days and DD came to join gus overnight as where we were staying was on the main train route from where she's at college and this weekend we went to visit her again and also called to see DS and gf on the way back, which has all ben lovely. HM2 had called to see them earlier. He has been released a chunk of his inheritance and has a further chunk coming his way over the next couple of weeks. 

I did some more Xmas shopping this week and now need to sort out who I have left to buy for. Some of DD's presents had been bought in anticipation of a holiday she was taking next year with her boyfriend. However, they've split up so now not happening. I am able to repurpose one of the gifts to my older Neice, which solves the dilemma of whether I stop buying for her now. I *think* I might also have enough for next year's present too, which will take me to DS being married and DD in her 20s and I feel more easily I can say stop without upsetting the family dynamics. I also have nonagrians in the family, two of them, as both my Grandmothers are still alive at 96 and 97. One lives independently, the other is in a care home with dementia. I agree they are difficult to buy for. 1 I have got the B & M afternoon tea hamper for plus some more mini bottles of whisky (she just pours them in her tea -lol), the one in a nursing home, I haven't a clue, I've done flowers for past couple of years. You can't get her anything 'new' eg clothes as she doesn't recognise it as hers. 

Once I have got extended family presents sorted I will turn my full attention to our household. Having told DD that last year's Xmas eve hamper was the last as this year she's 18 and can go to the pub if she's bored, I can see myself having to reinstate it if she's at a loose end! Also had the dilemma of the stocking as this is something she has always opened with her brother and this year he isn't with us. I remembered though that our dog has a present obsession and will happily unwrap and chew anything we leave out! I've suggested that DD has her stocking (I'd already bought several bits for it!) and I also make the dog one and whilst they open together, me and DH can put the main items under the tree. 

kerri_gt

I attempted some xmas shopping yesterday in Primark for DN x 2 but tbh it was a bit of a disaster.

Kids section was pretty crap, wasn't sure about sizes for one,  didn't have what i wanted for the other, too hot,  couldn't think and to top it off with an enormous cherry, I got stung in the week. It's gradually got worse and several hrs walking about yesterday afternoon was, in hindsight not the best iidea. I actually ended up with a minor injuries appt this afternoon via NHS 111 (never used them before, after getting a call back from a gp...first person I spoke to just said 'take an antihistamine ' ...thanks...hadn't thought of that 🤦‍♀️). Turns out its quite badly infected and have antibiotics now so fingers crossed they do the trick. 
I also have a bag of Primark stuff to sort for returns from yesterday.