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

ForTheLoveOfChristmas1982

Afternoon all, hope you're all having a good day so far.

I've got a nice little Christmas box on the go. I have been buying one or two items in my usual grocery shop & putting a few things away so nobody is tempted to open them early. It's just the usual Christmas treats like the chocolate tubs, some crisps, crackers & other small, non-perishable items.

I ordered a few things for youngest daughter today. She loves Stranger Things (well, we all enjoy it really) & I had the Hellfire Club t-shirt in my amazon saved items, so ordered it today. Amazon is usually great for deliveries, but I do find if it's a marketplace seller & they are dealing with their own deliveries it can sometimes take longer to get to me. I know we have plenty of time, but with all sorts of postal strikes, train strikes & all the other problems this country has right now I just thought I'd jump ahead of any issues. I also ordered some Marvel Top Trumps that she put in her wish list. They were only £5 so it's just a nice little stocking filler for her.

I'm seeing so many Christmas related things now. Posts on social media, aisles in the stores, even some adverts are talking about it now. I just love this time of year & I know some people moan & say that Christmas starts earlier every year, but I welcome it haha.

We have a few plans for the next few weekends. Out for a meal this Saturday evening, then out for afternoon tea next Saturday afternoon for a relatives birthday, a charity walk the following Friday & then out for another birthday meal on Saturday 8th & I've booked for us to go pumpkin picking on Saturday 15th. Then just a few quiet weekends (well, so far anyway) and we go to Disneyland Paris at the beginning of November, in the school holidays. Busy, busy!

@Spendless I am jealous you are going to Italy. It's on my bucket list of places I want to visit.

@mandco I saw a post about that M&S biscuit tin. It looks lovely doesn't it & I think it is only going to be around £9 so I might get that for my stepmum. I didn't know they were already in store. I will have to get to the shops this weekend now to pick one up! I am usually left feeling underwhelmed with the Next sales. They don't seem to reduce the decent stuff very much & then anything that has got a good discount is sold out.

@Gettingtherequickly Canada sounds like fun! My husband has family over in Canada & he went over there a few times as a child/teenager. We would all love to go one day, although I don't think either of us are keen to spend too much time with them as if we did go one year, it would be our main family holiday so naturally we would want to spend some time just the 4 of us.

@Coxy11 Good luck with the walk

sammy_kaye18

Hello All
I'm still about - just haven't ventured on to the boards very much lately. 
I did a clear out of my daughters bedroom too yesterday and was having a look around for bits and pieces to rehome, regift etc that she hasnt used. Not much in the way of that but have found board games etc that I forgot she had so we can play them at christmas to keep us busy and save some electric hopefully! 

Cant remember who it was who asked about cross stitching a few pages back but I have now done 4 of the cross stitches. I dont actually like the other two patterns so I think I might just keep the left over thread and material to use at a later date for other projects when I find or think of something. 

Gift wise I havent done much. 
I have decided to make my mother a food hamper though for christmas of treats and bits that she probably wouldnt buy herself being that she lives alone but whenever my sister visits she never seems to have much in the cupboards so if I can stock her up with a few treats as well as a gift or two then Ill be happy. My sister has her for christmas dinner so I know shes fed at least plus my grandfather might be there with her this year after losing my nan last year. 

@ForTheLoveOfChristmas1982 I am doing the same as you as well. I have a box on the go that I am slowly adding bits and pieces to so it will make my food shop smaller come christmas. So far I have put stuffing in there as i didnt have much because I needed to replenish my food cupboards but its a start at least. I will add to it as Im going. 

Also found about £50 worth of One4All gift cards the other day so I am looking online for bits and pieces I can buy to give as gifts as well - even if its stocking stuffer bits.

mandco

Coxy  how frustrating that ds's flatmates took all the storage space sounds like he's settling in though which is the most important thing. Good luck with your walk jogle sounds like an amazing challenge - dd has signed up to do the 3 peaks challenge next year - she has no experience hiking    at least she has plenty of time to prep for it and it gives me some extra ideas for xmas as she'll be needing quite a bit of kit.

Fortheloveofchritmas - the M&S tin is really nice not tried it yet as it comes with a dome lid covering the nightlight bit which I thought was a great idea as is so much easier to store. 
sounds like you have a busy few week too - I'd love to go to disneyland paris one day but the price puts me off. sdd is thinking about taking the girls in a couple of years when frozen land is open so we might go with them then - we were meant to be going to florida in November but had to reschedule to next year(hopefully we'll finally make it then as it been rescheduled 4 times due to covid & medical issues  )

sammy life gets busy I think its that time of year too as quite a few people me included seem to be having a de clutter lately. Its great when you discover things you'd out away and forgotten about or things that can be re gifted and save money. £50 worth of vouchers will come in very handy 

had a bit of a spendy week  but ticked a few present off my list
the superdry toiletries ds likes were finally in stock at boots so ordered those plus 1 other item to get 3 for 2 & a couple of the 1/2 price fcuk showergel/decodrant gift sets. I'll get £5 worth back in points so nearly have enough to get the bottle of perfume off my xmas list.
ordered a couple of hooded blanket/snuggies from dunelm which I'm picking up later - they get good reviews for being warm but lighter weight so hopefully they will be suitable for what I want - I can always sent them back if not
Hotel chocolat have bogof on some of the sachets so ordered a couple of the blackforest & salted caramel ones to put away for xmas - The velvetiser is bit expensive but worth it as it makes some seriously good hot chocolate
ordered a Tshirt I had been watching for ds as there was a free delivery code - I often struggle to make up the minimum spend for free delivery but really hate having to pay for postage as it makes thing so much more expensive esp when you only want 1 or 2 cheaper items. 

no sign of the kindi kids doll or lynx set in either asda locally  not a massive deal as there are plenty of alternatives around but I could have covered them with credit rather than pay cash which would have been handy

had a nice surprise today got an unexpected parcel in the post - I won a competition with baking mad 2 cook books plus flour, icing sugar, dark & light muscavado sugar & bottles of vanilla essence & paste  that's a few things off my xmas food list sorted

smyths toys are having a fun day tomorrow with dj, face painting, giveaways ect   

sammy_kaye18

mandco said:

had a bit of a spendy week  but ticked a few present off my list
the superdry toiletries ds likes were finally in stock at boots so ordered those plus 1 other item to get 3 for 2 & a couple of the 1/2 price fcuk showergel/decodrant gift sets. I'll get £5 worth back in points so nearly have enough to get the bottle of perfume off my xmas list.
ordered a couple of hooded blanket/snuggies from dunelm which I'm picking up later - they get good reviews for being warm but lighter weight so hopefully they will be suitable for what I want - I can always sent them back if not
Hotel chocolat have bogof on some of the sachets so ordered a couple of the blackforest & salted caramel ones to put away for xmas - The velvetiser is bit expensive but worth it as it makes some seriously good hot chocolate
ordered a Tshirt I had been watching for ds as there was a free delivery code - I often struggle to make up the minimum spend for free delivery but really hate having to pay for postage as it makes thing so much more expensive esp when you only want 1 or 2 cheaper items. 

no sign of the kindi kids doll or lynx set in either asda locally  not a massive deal as there are plenty of alternatives around but I could have covered them with credit rather than pay cash which would have been handy

had a nice surprise today got an unexpected parcel in the post - I won a competition with baking mad 2 cook books plus flour, icing sugar, dark & light muscavado sugar & bottles of vanilla essence & paste  that's a few things off my xmas food list sorted

Well done on your win @mandco
I do competitions too so I am hoping to try and get a few things to go on the christmas giving box or some things that people will like to make up a gift for them. Have fun baking up a storm with your prize. Maybe you can make some christmas puddings and give them as little gifts or a christmas cake :-) Good luck on some other wins too 

My son is a big lynx fan, and his favourite saying is 'is it even Christmas if I don't get a lynx gift set' so I think I might play on that this year and tell everyone to buy him one. Hes 18 now so he is forever using smellies - plus it will keep him stocked in shower gel etc for a good few months especially since hes at the gym now and working as well as college! 

princesskitty29

I went to my local shopping centre the other day and picked up a few more bits: fidget toys for the boys, Baileys chocolate twists and a puzzle for my FiL, books for my auntie, M&S dachshund chocolates for my MiL and some Jelly Babies snowmen for a friend. Not loads but a few things ticked off. I was with a friend who I want to buy a Lush Snow Fairy set for, unfortunately I couldn’t get it because I’m sure she would have smelled it in the car! I suppose I could have said I’d bought something for someone else but you only think about these things afterwards! I’ll have to go back again without her one day. I too am going to start buying some food bits to store away as and when I see them.

I’m loving the slow creep in of autumn and being able to snuggle in slippers and a dressing gown again!

beshki the electric blankets sound like a great idea.

mandco Oh I saw that starry night Christmas tin in M&S, it looks lovely! I did the 3 peaks challenge some years ago and one thing I didn’t buy which I really wish I had was a camel water pack that goes on your back and you have a straw near your mouth that you can sip from anytime, it wasn’t great when I had to keep stopping and swinging my heavy bag off my back to dig my water bottle out. Wow well done on the win!

GTQ good to hear from you, I was thinking about you the other day and wondering if you were ok. If you can afford to go business class then why not, you only live once! I’ve only done it once and that was because we missed a flight to Italy where we were going to a wedding, so we had to take any flight we could get or miss the wedding!! I was disappointed though as I just couldn’t take advantage of the free champagne as it was 8 o’clock in the morning!

Coxy I think Friday going into Saturday was the worst time for the queue so I don’t blame you. I have to say your JoGLE walk sounds great, this is just the kind of thing that is on the wish list for my DH and I when the boys are older. I hope you enjoy this next stage and the weather is kind to you!

ForTheLoveOfChristmas1982 gosh you are busy! Sounds like some lovely things coming up though.

sammykaye well done on getting some of your cross stitch done. I’m still beavering away on my Christmas cottage but sadly it will not be finished for this Christmas. What a bonus finding those vocuchers!

mandco

Sammy I think once they hit their teens lynx sets are the go to gift so I get his its not xmas without one quip
I always get the boys toiletry sets for xmas they get through loads and I'd have to buy them anyway so great way to pad out the xmas pile and save a bit of money. My eldest is happy with lynx but middle ds does really like the superdry stuff which I refuse to buy normally as its so expensive and he makes do with the cheaper stuff year round once he's run out so I treat him to a few sets at xmas as its usually 3 for 2 

Princesskitty everything ticked of the xmas list is a bonus no matter how small - I will suggest the camel water pack to dd - she's currently compiling a list of things she thinks she'll need 

I've been getting a couple of non food bits each week really want to start getting some food bits in when things are on offer as prices are still climbing weekly it seems but need to get a decent storage tub to keep it in 1st - I've been looking this week but wow plastic storage tubs have gotten so expensive 

I was totally surprised by my win I can't remember the last time I won something. we bake loads over xmas as taz is dairyfree so it will come in very handy. I used to do more comps but a lot of companies only run them on facebook or instagram now and I don't use either

Picked up my hooded blanket from dunelm and they are exactly what I wanted - single layer fleece so warm without the bulk they seem longer than a lot I've seen as it hit below the knee on me the only issue ds might have is the sleeves may be a little short but they have elasticated cuffs so he can always roll them up a bit. DD & taz have the oodie style ones velourish outer with a thick sherpa lining and while they are great both me and ds find its too hot so these will be perfect.

They had their xmas stock out - they had some nice stuff and a few bits that might make good xmas presents/stocking fillers so I'll have to pop back when I don't have taz with me - he did see a light up wicker santa dog decoration he really liked but it was £25 

Dd was out with her bf yesterday and they popped in a different asda to grab something to eat and they had a couple of tthe lynx set in stock    she used my rewards card and paid using vouchers so I got it for free and earnt £15 back in reward vouchers so very happy with that.   

the weather is definately on the turn its not been too bad during the day but the temp drops quite once it gets dark and its distinctly cold in the mornings - I refuse to put the heating on yet but have resorted to putting the heated dryer on overnight to to help get the washing dry and take the chill off.   great excuse for snuggly blankets and hot chocolate though

ForTheLoveOfChristmas1982

OMG @sammy_kaye18 you have just reminded me that last year & the year before, I had £30 vouchers from my works that I haven't spent yet! So that's £60 I completely forgot about, woohoo

@mandco - I do hope you get to go to Florida eventually. We love it there! We had it cancelled twice due to covid, but finally managed to go back in May this year. Thanks for the headsup on the Hotel Chocolat sachets. My Stepmum bought us a velvetizer a few years ago & although I don't actually drink any hot drinks, my daughters love hot chocolate so I usually get them some sachets to go in their Christmas Eve box. Well done on your comp win, how exciting & a lovely surprise! I used to enter competitions, but I seem to be very unlucky so never win anything

A few Christmas presents arrived today. Nothing particularly exciting, but it knocks a few bits off the list. It was a shirt for DD2 that I know she will like, the Stranger Things Hellfire Club t-shirt, a book for DD1 & a tealight holder for my stepmum. 

Both DD's have started writing their lists now. It makes it easier for me when family members ask for ideas, because I can give them a few ideas off the list. 

I'm usually rubbish when people ask me what I want for Christmas or birthdays, because there's not a lot I want & usually if I do want or need something I will just buy it myself. But I have seen Alan Rickman Diaries is coming out soon, so I'm going to suggest that to my husband & then I am running out of my favourite perfume again so he can get me that. I don't know if it's me being a bit strange, but I'm really funny about people buying me perfume. I don't mind somebody just buying me one that they think is a nice scent, but when it comes to my 2 favourites I feel like it is something that only my husband should buy. So strange of me to think like that, because I am really just so laid back about pretty much everything & really pro independent female (without being over the top feminist). I don't know, maybe it's because the one perfume was our wedding day perfume & then the other perfume is one I usually wear if we go on a date night.

Anyway, I've rambled on a bit there haven't I . Hope everyone is having a good day & the week goes smoothly for you all.

Beshki

Had some time to kill today so I idled round a few shops. Managed to find one real bargain, two fancy branded mugs reduced to £4 each. Checked whilst in the shop and rrp £15+ each, so bought those with the intention of popping a nice bag of coffee in and making into a lovely set. I then went back and bought the other two! There were a few other bits I considered but discounted in favour of other things already on my list. 

Spendless

Hi, I'm back from our Italian trip. I enjoyed my time away with DD and would return to Italy but not that particular resort or at this time of year because the season was considered to have finished 2 weeks ago, so various things such as the waterparks were closed even on the weekends. We did a trip to Venice. Glad we got to do that experience and very easy to do from our hotel via bus and boat which was good value at E20 each return.  We went for a ride in a gondola too. I was really surprised with the food. I'd expected to be blown away - I wasn't. The best thing we had was Sushi, and the flavours there were fantastic. Translation was a struggle, considering we weren't in what I thought the back of nowhere but more of a mainstream area. DD described it as if there was an English translation up somewhere and it needed 2 sentences, you were told 1 of them and they gatekept the other that you were meant to guess at. Hence on one trip to a shopping outlet on our first full day, we worked out you had to buy a ticket in advance, but nowhere did it tell you that this ticket even on an app needed validating. Consequently, when we got to the bus terminus and all tickets were being checked - by the Italian police (seriously, I checked the uniform!) we got told to stay to one side and then told it was illegal in Italy to travel without a valid  ticket and we could be fined (thankfully we weren;'t). So when on our last full night there my eyelid started swelling due to what I now realise was a mosquito bite earlier that day- I was very reluctant to go to hospital and try to explain like the hotel receptionist thought I should. I only went when a call to my hol insurance Dr told me same thing. 2 injections, an ice pack and a prescription for antihistamines later. Still not completely gone away - but nowhere near as bad as it was.

Shopping wise - we went to an outlet - I had high hopes for it but it was incredibly expensive. The only things I picked up were 3 mini clinique mascaras at E3.50 each and some Michael Kors shoes which were reduced to equiv of £43 and thought would go with the MK jacket for DD this Xmas. I then had to do some suitcase juggling to fit them in the case to bring back, as we were flying Ryanair and I was so wary of falling foul of their rules

DD leaves us this weekend to go to drama school. Hope I'm not as bad when she goes this time as I was last year. This time I do ahve a job and have made plans to do something for the following few weekends with friends and family plus DS and finacee may be moving from her parents to near us in the not too distant future 

sammy_kaye18

ForTheLoveOfChristmas1982 said:

OMG @sammy_kaye18 you have just reminded me that last year & the year before, I had £30 vouchers from my works that I haven't spent yet! So that's £60 I completely forgot about, woohoo

 It was a shirt for DD2 that I know she will like, the Stranger Things Hellfire Club t-shirt, 

Your very welcome @F@ForTheLoveOfChristmas1982 and tell your daughter she has impeccable taste! A Hell Fire T-shirt is top of my christmas list!