A Jolly Holly Christmas - It's the 2022 Christmas Chatter Thread!

Coxy11

Hi all,

The weekend away for DMum's 80th was actually much better than I thought it would be! DSis and I got DMum to do some dares which was hilarious (for us anyway...) and we had a couple of nice meals out. I've just totted up the spends and for three of us it was £580 which I don't think is too bad. That's for 2 nights in a lovely cottage, diesel, pub meal, afternoon tea, entrance to Warwick Castle and bus top tour of Stratford, parking, plus a couple of coffees. DSis and I will pay half each. 

We visited Bicester Village en route and I got some gifty bits. Clarins set of 3 body lotions in a box plus boxed set of 3 x votive candles for total of £37 and a Benefit make up set for DD which I think was the advent calendar for last year. That was £36 but has around 12 items I think. I also bought a T2 gift set with a lovely bone china mug and coaster/lid plus two boxes of loose leaf tea. This may go to DS2 for Christmas as he loves Earl Grey and will be at uni then (hopefully). On Monday I got DNephew (DSis son) a holdall in TKMaxx. DSis had mentioned it would be nice for him to have one and it was only £20. All gifts safely stashed away.

I was in the London office yesterday and did my usual peruse of HoF in my lunch break. Got a nice sweatshirt for me - £12.80 reduced from £20. Lots of clothing, shoes and make up now and everything on the ground floor. I'm on holiday for the next two weeks so doubt it will be open when I come back.

GTQ - hope you can get the details of your DMums estate sorted out without too much aggravation - how awful xx

princesskitty - OMG to your DH - hope he's okay. That happened at one of my kids sports days - was such a dry day that the dust kicked up like the Kentucky Derby - men falling all over the place. 

sammy_kaye18

Papillon55 said:

I’m a long term food prepper too so usually have the typical BBE dates of items in my head (there’s more interesting hobbies I know!). 

Several things I’ve bought with usually long dates had expiries of November!! Not even just special offers, regular priced items too. 

Has anyone else had problems with the dates on things?

Same! I have found that there are so many use by dates coming up quickly so I am having to make sure to really pay attention to stock rotation as well with my preps (long term food prepper here too) I follow a few prepping threads on FB and some of the food shortage threads got me into it a few years ago. It was a blessing during covid though! 

GTQ - I hope you are feeling better. I have managed to avoid it for the last two years but have had some sort of horrid summer cold the last two weeks and that knocked me for 6, the fatigue was something else. I tested about 4 times but it was always negative thankfully. 

Thanks for all the comments about my little card / bauble cross stitches. Now onto the 4th and so hoping to keep mulling along with them and get them done soon so I can start some other little christmas crafts. 

Havent done much more christmas prep but I think this year with my kids being older I am going to follow the rule of the 5 senses and then an extra present. Since Im fed up of having junk in the house and then trying to find stuff to just fill out their presents. Seems such a waste and with cost of living - Im not sure how much we will be affording this year considering we are a bit up sh&ts creek at the minute financially. Bills are paid but not sure we can afford anything to go wrong this month! 

carolbee

sammy_kaye18 said:

Papillon55 said:

I’m a long term food prepper too so usually have the typical BBE dates of items in my head (there’s more interesting hobbies I know!). 

Several things I’ve bought with usually long dates had expiries of November!! Not even just special offers, regular priced items too. 

Has anyone else had problems with the dates on things?

Same! I have found that there are so many use by dates coming up quickly so I am having to make sure to really pay attention to stock rotation as well with my preps (long term food prepper here too) I follow a few prepping threads on FB and some of the food shortage threads got me into it a few years ago. It was a blessing during covid though! 

GTQ - I hope you are feeling better. I have managed to avoid it for the last two years but have had some sort of horrid summer cold the last two weeks and that knocked me for 6, the fatigue was something else. I tested about 4 times but it was always negative thankfully. 

Thanks for all the comments about my little card / bauble cross stitches. Now onto the 4th and so hoping to keep mulling along with them and get them done soon so I can start some other little christmas crafts. 

Havent done much more christmas prep but I think this year with my kids being older I am going to follow the rule of the 5 senses and then an extra present. Since Im fed up of having junk in the house and then trying to find stuff to just fill out their presents. Seems such a waste and with cost of living - Im not sure how much we will be affording this year considering we are a bit up sh&ts creek at the minute financially. Bills are paid but not sure we can afford anything to go wrong this month! 

I think I’ll do this for my overseas DGDs who are visiting this year. 

Beshki

Managed to pick a few bits up in the N3xt sale this morning online. Was a very quick click through but picked up the slippers I buy my mum each year for £5 instead of £10-12, and a few stocking bits for sisters  - socks, air fresheners, hair bands. 

sammy_kaye18

Beshki said:

Managed to pick a few bits up in the N3xt sale this morning online. Was a very quick click through but picked up the slippers I buy my mum each year for £5 instead of £10-12, and a few stocking bits for sisters  - socks, air fresheners, hair bands. 

Well done Beshki! 
My MIL likes a little bag of bits she likes for christmas so she is probably my easiest one to buy for. I already have slippers for her so have a few more bits to go yet. 

C_J

I had an email this morning from the Cornishware online store (you know, the stripey crockery) announcing their Seconds sale. They only do this once a year, and as I had intended buying something from there for my daughter and her husband (they collect the red stripe version) I was on it straightaway!

Their seconds are hardly even that, you really can’t tell they aren’t first quality, so I now have a pack of four large pasta bowls coming my way with free postage and a saving of over 30%. I am very pleased, and that’s another Christmas gift crossed off the list.

Spendless

The dry oil came. The box of face packs I saw in Poundland for £6 have now all gone - my own fault for delaying getting them. I've seen another set elsewhere for an extra £1, so will get those instead.

The next birthday coming up is DS fiancee in September. I already have in a belt that has a bag attached. It's Michael Kors I got in TK Maxx some time ago , I think she'd like that for her hol in October. I'm also thinking of a few holiday bits I can get her, she is very organised. Think one of those swimming pouches that you put wet swimsuits in might be a good idea. I insist DD takes one to the gym, she moaned at first but then realised without it she'd have had everything in her bag wet from her cossie! Have to have a think what else I can add though. 

C_J

How about one of those small, fast-drying camping or gym towels? Except I think they are microfibre which is frowned on from an ecological point of view these days.  Maybe just an ordinary hand towel - perhaps a personalised one? I recently bought a flannel (from eBay) embroidered with my granddaughter’s name to go in her Christmas stocking, and it was quite inexpensive I recall.

mandco

GTQ  sorry your having problems with family over the will - why does it always seem to bring out the worst in people? 
hope your starting to feel better 
I think charities are really going to struggle this year for xmas donations between people having to make cut backs and rising prices.

Coxy sounds like a lovely weekend away and given the time of year and rising prices pretty reasonably priced for what you fitted it. A few good bargainspicked up too so a very produce trip.

Sammy dd's had this nasty cold type thing too this week - tested negative for covid but she's felt awful and worse than when she did have covid in Feb

Spendless I think when they are older practical gifts are a great option esp things they'd need to get anyway as it frees up their spends for things they want instead. DD has been looking for a nice but practical bag for work so I've invested in a really good quality one for her birthday which will double up nicely as a travel bag as we're hopefully going abroad next year - she will be getting lots of holiday based things for xmas this year.

CJ its great when you get a deal on something you'd be buying anyway - I do love a nice pasta bowl I use them for all sorts of meals 

most of the things I looked at in the next sale were oos in the sizes I needed but managed to get taz a nike tracksuit to put away for his birthday- just hoping it will fit I hate buying clothes online as the sizing varies so much.

Sdd is taking the girls on holiday just after xmas so thinking I might just get them a small gift each then give them some spending money this year? 

sammy_kaye18

mandco said:

Sammy dd's had this nasty cold type thing too this week - tested negative for covid but she's felt awful and worse than when she did have covid in Feb

Yeah its not been pleasant. 
I ended testing 4 times in total and I still dont feel 100% - Im not sure if theres something going on with my chest or if its anxiety related because I have felt poorly but I have no cough / temp / runny nose now or anything but still feel a bit congested in my chest if that makes sense. My doctor is impossible to see at the minute though so Im going with hot showers and dosing myself in vicks before bed for a few days to see if that shifts it