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

C_J

I'm scaling back on food this year too - I had originally planned a Christmas lunch menu which included home made canapes, a very complicated starter (including making dashi gel pearls, for goodness sake what was I thinking!) plus a choice of meats for the main course and about half a dozen different veg sides, and three desserts plus a cheeseboard. It's ridiculous. There is a very good possibility that it may only be me and Mister CJ for Christmas lunch as our daughters and their families are under pressure to go to their various in-laws, so I am re-thinking the menu and making it much, much simpler.

kerri_gt

@Spendless i saw today talk that folk won't need to isolate if they test positive....which begs the question why people would test then? Apparently data would still be tracked but for what end 🤷‍♀️ if it's going to be like that we may as well track colds and flu as well 🤦‍♀️

@C_J wow! What indeed were you thinking? 🤣
I too am scaling back...in that I'm not buying Roses or Quality Street becasue we eat the ones we like, the ones we don't sit in the tin and then migrate to the fridge when I'm fed up of looking   at the tin on the sideboard. 
I'm hoping Amaz@n do the Lindor for Black Friday, I have treeslets and twiglets, some florentines already. OH has a box of choc for his stocking and i might get some Turkish delight and some after eights. 
Picked up some glitterberry J20 today, Sainsbugs have packs of 10 for £5 atm, OH likes it in the summer so I might get some more.
I also got his veggie main, now in the freezer, and Clubcard messaged to say i had vouchers expiring so i took it as a sign and got the Baileys profiteroles in there today.
Am rather wondering how on earth I'm going to make enough space in the freezer for xmas dinner when collected in a few weeks! 

Was also in H@mesense today and picked up a lovely serving plate with Oh Christmas Tree written on it. Utterly a want not a need but it is lovely.

Beshki

Amaz0n have a great 3 for £5 book deal on at the moment if anyone’s interested. Loads of Christmassy drivel - I’ve ordered it all, of course!

mandco

hope everyone is keeping well 

slowly getting on with the xmas shopping ordered a gaming chair for ds was hoping for a discount offer but it kept going oos so didn't want to risk it it and figure if goes on offer I can always reorder and return. Picked up/ordered a few small bits for dd but still not sure what to get her for her main gift. Superdrug have the 200ml bottle of diesel only the brave 1/2 price which is a seriously good deal I've been waiting to see if it would be on offer again this year so that's other gift sorted.
I have most of my main dinner frozen xmas food in so no matter what I can put together a roast though need to make some room in the freezer for the extras like desserts/party foods. My fridge freezer packed up last year and while I managed to get another one its quite a bit smaller as that's all that was available so should be fun trying to fit everything in this year. I keep debating about getting a tin on sweets but like said half of them don't get eaten so its really a waste I think its one of the those things where its more of a tradition rather then really wanted/needed.
I did pick up the M&S shortbread tin but forgot to hide it away and the others raided it while I was out so need to replace that 

Sdd her oh and several of their family members have both got covid we've seen them quite a bit since they came back from their holiday so really hoping none of us get it as we are meant to be going to butlins at the end of the month    
Had my flu jab this week just need to try and get an appointment for my covid booster but all the available ones are 20+ miles away and at stupid times like 8.30am midweek which I can't do.

Spendless

I went to my nearest city's shoping mall yesterday to go to Victoria's Secret and bought DD her last 'main' present from me. A bag that her phone goes in (in the hope of stopping another theft). Was unsure whether to purchase as the card slots and the ID holder are on the outside of the bag and I wasn#t sure if that's a good idea, but it was the last one in the store. I had to have it off the mannequin display, I couldn't find anything else along the same lines elsewhere and as DH put it it's better than the nothing she currently uses.

Mum had told me she wanted another gift for DD of around £20ish. Due to a 20% discount off in another shop, I was able to get her an Estee Launder mascara set for just over £21. DD suffers from blepharitis so has to be really careful about getting rid of her mascaras which is why we try to stock her up at Xmas. She also has a very small benefit one coming her way but that's because it was a free gift on a magazine I bought.

Still DS and DH to buy for plus FIL once he moves into his 'granny flat' in early December and we see what he might need.

Logistics around  the Christmas period are proving difficult. DD would dearly love a staged alternative xmas day with me, DH, her brother and his girlfriend, but they seem to be coming to our house not long before she sets off back to her student digs, partly as she has a job there, partly because I've told her I wouldn't miss out on celebrating New Year there. 

mandco

Spendless organising christmas def gets harder as they get older I didn't see my eldest last year due to covid it was the first xmas he hasn't been over for at least part of the day:'(  this year dd has a newish boyfriend -they've know each other through friends for a couple of years but recently started dating so not sure what her plans are going to be. 
Fingers crossed you can sort something out that fits everyone.

forgot to mention earlier my local xmas donation drop off points are now open so I sorted out the bits I have at the moment ready to drop off at the weekend. 

kerri_gt

Popped into our local craft Coop to see if the giving tree was up but still a couple of weeks early apparently. I did suddenly realise i needed some child appropriate paper. Ended up getting a roll in Asda for £1, although not 100% sure about it. Its red / white snowflakes but wonder if it's still a bit old for kids. I know they just rip it off but if I've gone to the trouble of getting the gifts, it seems churlish to not get them some appropriate paper too. 

Doing reasonably well on the gift list now, hurrah! 
Oh, and I 'might ' have bought some essential foundation on the MAC BF sale (20% off) except i also felt the need to add an eyeshadow pallete. Totally a 'want' it's a ltd edn Christmas one (no not red, green and gold 🤣). But very pretty....she says trying to justify it....

Spendless

DH's present is sorted. He told DD he'd like a sketch etc of our dog. His cousin who is really good at art has just started doing them, so DD messaged her and she's doing one at 'family rates' that me and DD will share the costs of. I only need to put some stocking filler bits together for him now. 

DD is going to give DS gf a make up brush set. This is out of my present cupboard stash so the double whammy of it not costing anymore and it clearing some of my backlog of items. As I've bought in the sales these are a decent brand that I didn't pay full price for. 

Also DS and gf are going to come back to ours a day earlier than originally planned, which means due to Xmas/BD falling over the weekend it will still be a BH when they arrive, meaning we can all be at home to have some form of 'alternative Christmas Day'. I just need a plan to see what shape this will form which will partly depend on when DH came pick them up.  

Mrs_Ryan

I wish I hadn’t gone on Amazon… 
I bought OH a Kindle and an electric toothbrush (plus heads) 
I also bought some giant Choc orange buttons for my cousin. I was quite chuffed as I hadn’t been able to find them anywhere. 

I also bought mum a jumper on Thursday as well, and some shaving cream from Boots for OH to go with his razor and blades set that I got him. 

I need to stop buying now! I’ve wrapped everything up and thought that was it..!! 

Beshki

My OH is the person I haven’t bought for yet, and I’m struggling for ideas. He’s allergic to everything so can’t get any useful sort of toiletry gifts, doesn’t like sweets and chocolate so no good there, doesn’t read although I did actually order him a book I thought he would like as it was only £3 and I figured if he didn’t read it, it could go to the charity shop. He doesn’t need anything to my knowledge so I’m a bit stuck. 

Really pleased with everyone else’s gifts though so I’m doing ok. I’ve bought small this year, only a small box is containing everyone’s presents - but I feel like each gift will be enjoyed so I’m happy with that