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

Spendless

Beshki - Understand your pain with finances. I am remarkably grateful to have returned to work in the last couple of weeks.  My wages are still paying back my overdraft, not helped that I'm being taxed incorrectly but not too worried as I'll get the money back eventually.

C-J - Result!  That once happened to me only I found that Mr S had shoved a bag of bargains I'd bought inc Sale Boots stuff behind a table top fridge in our conservatory on Christmas Eve!  From time to time I had wondered I thought I'd once bought.......but because they weren't in my present cupboard, I dismissed the thoughts as I must have given them out in a previous year. I wasn't best pleased at the time because if they'd been discovered earlier it'd have saved us money, instead I just had to roll items forward to another year.

Sammy_Kaye - Forgot to say, I've always loved doing hampers, they can look so good for not a great deal of cost. With your kids ages they'll love a toiletries one.

This year as much as I am able to my gifts are aimed at helping my relatives save money in the long run or buy them something they will use in the future so they don't need to spend their wages on it (or go without)

I won't be able to apply that for every recipient or present but will keep it in mind as I buy items.

princesskitty29

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMY_KAYE, I hope you have a wonderful day and get truly spoilt!

Thank you for all of your well wishes, I am doing better in general but I still have a lingering cough in the morning, feel generally tired and still can’t taste anything which gets to me at times as I’d really like to start enjoying my food again. Fingers crossed it’ll come back in time.

I just wanted to say as some of you are doing toiletries hampers that my mum always made me a gift bag of my favourite toiletries and I LOVED it! I used to look forward to it every year. In the end she did one for Christmas and my birthday and it kept me going for ages.

I hope everyone is ok in the next few days with the heat. I’ve got my sights firmly set on Wednesday which is saying 23 degrees and raining where I am! The school have given parents the option of keeping their children off school or picking up early, as I’m going to be at home anyway I’ve decided to keep my boys off then I can keep an eye on them and chuck them in a paddling pool of cool water! We’ve never had a dog before in extreme heat, we’ve got her a paddling pool, cooling mat, spray bottle to spray her with cool water and I’ve got ice cubes ready for her to munch on and will freeze some natural yoghurt and peanut butter. I think I might stick a Christmas film on where everything is covered in snow and try and imagine I’m there!

Spendless I hope your parents are better now. Thank goodness for your stash, where would everyone be without it?!

sammykaye glad to hear you are feeling better now. Ooops feeling a bit silly now asking what the senses presents were, I don’t think I registered the ‘senses’ part properly when reading it, I was thinking of the mantra mandco put on here. Either is good though and definitely makes it easier when shopping. Your Lego tradition sounds great, my boys would love that. I love the idea of swapping things too, wool for vegetables - sounds great!

mandco oh dear it does sound like an ordeal with your tooth, you poor thing. I hope it’s doing even better by now.

CJ wow I’ve heard of people forgetting they’d bought things but I think that is the record! I’m sure you’ll be very glad come Christmas that the you 6 years ago squirreled away that stuff, what a good bounty to find.

Beshki I didn’t get around to looking in the prime sale, that’s a shame. Glad you find some bits though, as you say chipping away definitely all helps.

mandco

Cj what a great find  you've made good head start on your xmas shopping without spending a penny this year very mse

Princesskitty glad your starting to feel better - I'd have opted to keep the boys home too it the last week of the school year its not like they are really going to miss anything important. Pets are worrying in this heat as they can't tell you how they are feeling our boy has been wondering round trying to find somewhere cool to sleep - he will not use the cooling pad    he does love ice cubes but I end up with lots of wet patches as he chases them around the floor. A lot of people swap walks for early morning or late evening but it won't hurt to skip the walk for a couple of days if you need to. 

My tooth pain has finally settled to an intermittent dull ache which is great as it means its not long term damage 

while its been far to hot the last few days the heat over the last week or so has done wonders for my veg patch - picked 4 marrows this week each around 8lbs  and there's a dozen more at least currently about 1/2 -3/4 that size

despite the fact were currently in the middle of a heat wave a lot of stores have started getting winter stock in already so I'm keeping an eye open for any reduced summer stock I can use for dd's holiday themed xmas hamper 

anyone else finding this heat is making the kids super whingy? not sure if its the heat, pre teen hormones or both but Taz has been so grumpy/stroppy lately 

keep safe 

princesskitty29

Phew I hope you all got through the heatwave ok, Tuesday was particularly intense! I’ve been really enjoying the cooler weather since. I was sad to see some of the destruction it caused, just awful. We just have to hope heatwaves like that don’t happen too often although I know what the experts are predicting.

I’m bracing myself for the summer holidays now, the last few days have been nice I’m just hoping my boys can refrain from arguing too much – they’re certainly at that age!

I went to a local garden centre yesterday and picked up a Wrendale Designs shopping list pad for my MiL as she likes those designs so that’s another present to add to the list. I’ve got to take my youngest to a birthday party today then I’ll make a roast later.

madnco thanks for your advice, Poppy did well in the heat bless her. We were constantly spraying her with water and she was just trying to drink it in the air! Frustratingly she bit through her cooling mat the day before the really high temperatures hit which is a shame as she was happy to lie on it. I’m glad the pain in your tooth is lessening, fingers crossed it goes altogether soon. Oooh will have to keep an eye out for winter stock, things slowly start creeping in in July it’s very exciting. I find my eldest goes through phases of being stroppy, some worse than others. I imagine the heat didn’t help!

Hotcocoahotflashes

Just jumping on to say hello. 

I don't know if any of you remember my old alias pinknfluffy - I recognise a few names! I think the last time I was here was back on 2016 thread. We moved house, I lost my log in, life took over, I forgot about mse and my amazing Christmas buddies (sorry). Until last week when a work colleague recommended the site - and it all came flooding back!

Anyways, hello to all, and I hope you dont mind me jumping in

princesskitty29

Oh hi pinknfluffy! I remember you! Good to have you back. You know now you've come back you can't leave us again, especially when there's less than 6 months until Christmas!

princesskitty29

Ooops just realised I called you by your old name, I should say Hotcocoahotflashes!

Coxy11

Hi all,

We are just back from two weeks in Cyprus with DD, DS2 and their partners. Was a spendy few weeks (cocktails at every meal anyone...? No....? Just my kids and partners then!) Didn't see DDad much as stepmum  was being weird, so came home on a massive downer and have had several panic attacks this week. Meant a few days off work and took a blood test today to see what's what. Think it's the menopause but we shall see!

Hope your birthday was good sammykaye and that you're feeling better princesskitty x

In present buying news - it's FIL and SIL (BIL's wife) birthday on Monday. I am holding firm in my resolve to not be the one to organise this year. Feel a bit bad for DH but such is life. He will have to spend some time this weekend getting gifts and cards, wrapping and delivering. 

Thanks for Lynx soap bar tip spendless - I'll pop into our local branch at the weekend and take a look. Would be good for DS1 and DS2.

Coxy

Treasurequeen

Hope your feeling better princess kitty. 

Welcome back pinknfluffy/ Hotcocoahotflashes, so good to hear from you. 

Mandco hope your tooth pain has improved. 

I popped into my local range, and they had some votive candle gift packs (Christmas scents) reduced to £2.99. Each candle is individually wrapped in the box so can be taken apart to add to stockings and tree presents. You get 6 in the box so works out at around 49p per candle, they smell amazing too. 

I’m finding it hard to get food for my parents hamper as dates aren’t long enough or items aren’t available. I’m getting things now when I see them instead of waiting, as when I do go back to buy items they are out of stock and the shop doesn’t know when they will be back. 

C_J

Hello everyone, we’re just back from holibobs - we were in St Ives (beautiful part of Cornwall, but oh my those hills!) We went with the whole family so nine of us including a six month old granddaughter, a bit chaotic but loads of fun. The dog got plenty of early morning and late evening romps on the beach and thoroughly loved it.

I didn’t get much in the way of Christmas shopping done while we were away (I often find tourist gift shops are quite good for stocking filler things, but the hills, narrow streets and lack of parking made it tricky). We came back via Clark’s Village and I did manage to get some bits from the Yankee Candle store, where their large Christmas jars were reduced to 75% off. Also managed to escape Mister CJ for a short while and bought him a couple of nice Weirdfish tops.  I looked in the perfume shop as younger daughter would like some Flowerbomb for Christmas, but their 100ml bottles were £24 more expensive than in Boots! Not much of a bargain outlet centre price then.