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

Gettingtherequickly

princesskitty29 said:

 

GTQ do you know if the Only Fools and Horses show is any good? I’d like to see that. Wouldn’t it be nice if someone could roll the red carpet out just for us mere mortals?!

My brother enjoyed it, but I think there is an element of actually being able to see something live which is enhancing pleasure at the moment.

With regards opening presents on the day, my mum is one of those who has to open all immediately and it winds her up as I am one of those who opens throughout the day!

I need to give some thought on what to get my mum

bit_by_bit

Thankyou @princesskitty29. 

I have given a load of wool away and now need to buy some specifically  for her Christmas present. She has her birthday and Christmas close together and likes to observe both separately. 

I am the difficult one to buy for in my house. I just say plant labels and chocs every year. I always want those.  

Let us know how you get on with Monty's rake @C_J   

Redredrobin

Anyone anyone buying from the Disney store there’s a discount code ( MAGIC) that’s currently working .

kerri_gt

C_J said:

Oh oh oh, I think I might have solved the unavailable rake issue.  To cut a very long story short I have - after many, many hours of trawling t'internet - found a second company in Germany who stock the rake, and who seem prepared to ship to the UK. Trouble is, I checked their reviews on Trust Pilot and they're generally not great with lots of customer service horror stories.  About 50/50 excellent vs terrible. To be fair to them, they have posted replies to all the bad reviews explaining what had gone wrong (often the fault of the courier companies rather than the company itself) and outlining what they had done to rectify matters.

I bit the bullet and ordered. Now chewing my nails while I wait to see what happens!

Fingers crossed. I try to remember with reviews that people are often quicker to leave a bad review when something goes not quite right, than a good one when everything goes smoothly so you don't necessarily get a balanced picture. 
Courier companies have had a few issues with logistics / supply and Brexit customs issues, hopefully by now most are resolved. 

C_J

My order from the online poundshop has just been delivered (there was a flash offer for 30% cashback through topcashback a few days ago) so I now have a few more little stocking fillers sorted. A pack of two Christmas-themed long sleeved baby body suits for new tiny granddaughter, a lovely red and green fill-your-own Christmas hamper (which will be filled with afternoon tea type things for v elderly grumpy father in law), some gardening bits and bobs including gloves and bee-attracting seed bombs which will be added to a themed hamper for elder daughter, some Christmas tree shaped Reese's chocs and Haribo sweets for stockings, a big box of Green and Blacks organic choc mini bars, and a box of Baileys chocolate twists to go alongside after dinner mints on Christmas Day. Plus a load of other everyday household stuff such as bird seed and fat balls, firelighters, greaseproof paper, shampoo, sweets and chocolates. Oh, and a tube of Max Factor Facefinity All Day Matte panstik foundation which I wasn't sure about, but turns out to be lovely - and it was only £2.50!

Spendless

Good luck with the rake. 

Until the end of the  month it's free parking after 2pm in our town. Going to take advantage and take Mum into town tomorrow and see what bits we can get DD from the Christmas list she sent over. None of which is anything I've bought in advance - sigh. For years she has always been my easiest to buy for, but now she's older with tastes and requirements of her own, maybe I am finally at the stage where I can no longer buy in advance, unless very very generic items and have to stop doing so. That will be the end of an era as I've shopped all year round since 1997, when I was single with a mortgage on my own and a likelihood that came to fruition that I'd be made redundant at the end of that year. My strategy has served me well in financial hardship times, but now my present list is all  adults, top heavy with the older generation, who can be difficult to buy for and all but one of the extended family dropped off. 

chanie

spendless your post really resonates with me.  My children are tweens, so are still young enough to please, but I know we are only a few years away from where you are now.  Like you, I enjoy being organised and shopping early.  It certainly came in handy  last year, when we were in lockdown in the run up to Xmas and I was happy to know they most of the shopping had been done.  Plus I got pinged by Test and Trace just before Xmas.  

There must be a way to manage this new season of life…..

cbsexec

I got to that stage too - mainly adults to buy for who had more specific tastes and if I tried to shop early it usually turned out that they had bought it already themselves!   I’ve switched to saving up for Christmas each month instead.   The money goes straight out of wages into savings so I don’t have a chance to miss it.  

Spendless

cbsexec said:

I got to that stage too - mainly adults to buy for who had more specific tastes and if I tried to shop early it usually turned out that they had bought it already themselves!   I’ve switched to saving up for Christmas each month instead.   The money goes straight out of wages into savings so I don’t have a chance to miss it.  

Yes, I think this is what I may need to do instead (it's what my Mum does) Like @chanie I was very glad last year when my shopping had been completed before lockdown2.

I know there's some items along my stash that DD will need at some point (eg new make up brushes!) it's just she doesn't need them yet and that's not what I anticipated when I bought them reduced earlier this year (probably boxing day sales cos we then went into lockdown 3 in early Jan), and then things I am anticipating and buy for such as her hol next summer,   isn't now happening because of her split with her boyfriend. 

Today I went into town with my Mum and we were able to buy more gifts. My Nan in a home with dementia has an ensuite toilet and sink and the only toiletry she uses that is 'hers' is some handwash. I bought her a lovely dispenser with refillable soap, so she is done. My difficult to buy for Dad has a chest infection that he's been told is lucky hasn't turned to pneumonia. He needs to wrap up well when out, so I have got him a thermal vest. Will ask my Mum if she can think of anything else he needs like this.

One of DD's requests was a matching 'perfume' bodyspray and body wash. That task proved quite difficult without going to really expensive. Think I've found the answer in Ted Baker but so far just got her the bodyspray set as was trying to juggle a 3 for 2 in Boots. My Mum was able to get her some loungewear also on her list from M & S and I had a delivery of some books she wanted, I've ordered 2nd hand as a lot were out of print, only they've missed 1 off. I have emailed company requested either the missing book or a refund on that item.. 

kerri_gt

@Spendless not sure if it has a matching body spray but Savers were upselling a Ted Baker perfume the other day when i was in getting more antihistamines.

Our DN (girls) aren't far off the tween stage too. I thought it was going to be easy with nightwear this year but gauging sizes for those you don't see when they're not their standard age size is turning into a nightmare. Don't want to get anything that's too small but conscious of how something too big might be construed esp with hormones at that age. I think some bits are going to end up more expensive than i planned, then i feel bad as their brother is done for less than I'll prob end up spending on them.