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

mandco

Princesskitty hope your feeling better soon being sick before xmas sucks even more than usual

spendless glad the mug turned up in time - I think dd has the right idea as while its lovely dh tries with gifts I'm sure she's much more likely to know/understand what you'd really like.  getting the xmas food shop so far for free was a huge bonus


Did the bulk of the xmas food shop just need the fresh/last minute bits that currently aren't long enough dated
Spent this morning prepping xmas veg to pop in the freezer as both the boys have got the horrible viral thing that seems to be doing the rounds and I think I'm coming down with it too     woke up with a thumping headache,sore throat & full of cold so want to make sure everything that can be is ready just in case I don't feel up to doing it the next few days.
dug out all the xmas gifts yesterday so they are all in one place ready to wrap [way behind with that again this year )- did have to do a bit of hunting to find a couple I'd stashed somewhere safe and forgot where. Hoping to get everything wrapped today

DD was gifted a hamper of goodies from work which was lovely of them and I'm sure value wise they are quite expensive as they've used a custom hamper company and its all gourment/higher end brand items but most are chilli or onion flavour    so 90% of it we won't use. I'll drop off the bits we won't use at  the local food bank so it won't be wasted but I do think she was a little disappointed as last years ones were made in house and really good.

princesskitty29

We went to visit Father Christmas yesterday which was lovely and the boys loved it. Although I embarrassed myself by having a coughing fit in Santa’s Grotto and had to ask Mrs Claus to let me out!! I probably shouldn’t have gone really but I don’t know if I’ll do this again with my eldest as he’s 8 now, he still totally believes but I don’t know if that will be the case this time next year. We’ve decorated and made a gingerbread house this morning and we’re going to make some sock stockings this afternoon ready to give to their friends tomorrow.

Most presents are wrapped, I have a couple of stocking fillers and a couple of presents arriving today, plus unfortunately I will have some to wrap on the 23rd/24th as I’ve had some stuff sent directly to my mums house so it doesn’t take up space in the car when we travel up there. It’s my brother’s birthday on Christmas Eve so I’ve got his presents together for that and we’re going to go to an Italian he loves for lunch.

Spendless I live in a small town (with surrounding villages that come in to shop) and there is a Tesco here, thy have been putting objections in about the Lidl application so I think that’s what is holding it up. We wait to see what happens! Glad to hear your dads mug arrived, the website looks great I’ll definitely remember that one. Great result with the ASDA gift card!

mandco oh no sorry to hear you’re poorly too, it’s hard work being poorly at this time of year! I hope it doesn’t linger around for you and you feel better soon. Oh that’s a shame about the hamper, it can be disappointing if you can’t make use of it. I think we both said we’d make more effort this year to get stuff done sooner, but I’m here too still getting things together and still have stuff to wrap! I’m starting to think is Christmas even Christmas without a bit of last minute chaos??

princesskitty29

Oh I meant to say we're having our annual Grinch-themed evening tonight! I decorate the dining room with Grinch decorations that I printed out and a green tablecloth then we eat roast beast (gammon), Who hash (potato hash) and Who pudding (sponge pudding decorated with red and green M&Ms. I'll also do some baked beans and we'll have Grinch juice - a green smoothie! After that the boys have a small pot of popcorn and i've bought them a Grinch chocolate lolly each that I found in Primark and they'll eat those whilst we watch the film. It's always a nice evening that we all enjoy.  

princesskitty29

I've just finished making a jar of Vanilla and White Wine Poached Pears, it's for my DH's auntie and uncle who always give us a hamper at Christmas. DH's parents are seeing them tomorrow so I wanted to make them last minute so they last longer for them. They're foodies who love wine so i'm hoping they'll like it. They're very well off and have everything they need but they're not very extravagant so I always tend to give them homemade food gifts. I'm just sitting down with a cuppa to catch my breath, the boys are at their grandparents today so i'm trying to get all of the bits and pieces finished that need doing ready for Friday when we go to my mums. I don't get much done when the boys are around! DH and I are going out for a meal tonight, we're calling it our team night out! Although we're not as wild as we used to be, the table is booked for 5:30pm so we'll be home on the sofa by 8!

princesskitty29

Oh and we made our sock stockings yesterday:

Spendless

Love the sock stockings. I remember us talking about them earlier this year. Why didn't I think of them when DD was stressing about no money to buy presents! They'd have been so simple to get and I have enough stuff in to fill! Did you put the 2nd sock into the bottom? Love your grinch themed meal too. 

We went to IKEA and bought DS & DIL2b  some food items. Tomorrow is my final day off before Xmas Eve. Still have to get my parents presents from Grandkids plus do the Christmas cards - gulp. If there's one area I vastly need to improve on next year it's the cards. 

For meal times we seem to have a lack of general food in for meals whilst the cupboards are full of 'Christmas stuff' . From an office worker pov the way Christmas falls this year is my ideal with Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, Boxing Day plus 1 extra off, but food shopping wise, it's not so good the beginning of the week felt too early to get items, the end of the week feels too late and busy! 

Mrs_Ryan

Just popping my head in to say Merry Christmas all. 

Heading up to mum’s tomorrow. I’ve been so careful trying to avoid lurgy, I’ve been wearing an N95 mask everywhere I’ve been, I dodged Covid when my friend who I had close contact with got it, and lo and behold.. I dodged everyone else’s germs and then got attacked by my own! I suffer from a rotten allergy and it’s gone to my chest. My sinuses are playing up too (all the same thing)

Fortunately I got an appointment with the doctor this morning and I’ve got some antibiotics. I’ve also been to Boots and stocked up- Olbas Oil for steam inhalations, saline nasal spray, tissues, paracetamol, vapour rub and Vaseline. I’ve got a big bag of medicines to take with me to mum’s- I’ve also got my eye drops, my diabetes kit, Sudocrem for hubby’s cold sore, ear drops.. 😂(and some new packaged N95 masks) 

I was away on Tuesday and I got a teapot for OH. It was an absolute bargain- 1.3 litre Le Creuset from Fenwicks, had been 55 and I paid 27.50. I was going to keep it for Christmas but it was really difficult to transport and the car is going to be pretty full so I gave it to him now. He was in need of it. I got him a hoodie in the Hollister sale as well- it was £45 down to £27 but I had to ask him to try it on. I wasn’t sure if it would fit but it did. I’ll wrap it up now. There’s some decent bargains to be had in the sales- unfortunately I got the link for the Next VIP sale this morning 😂I actually treated myself for once. I also bought a nice hoodie for myself in the River Island sale- I picked it up for OH originally, it was £45 down to 15 but then I saw it had a huge studded print across the back. OH wouldn’t be keen but I loved it so I bought it for myself. It’s a men’s XXL so it’s quite oversized on me and v. comfy. 

I got mum some lovely cosy Skechers slippers in the sale. They’re a lovely blue colour and should go with her cashmere socks and Pj’s. I also got her a lovely blue jumper from Primark. Im going to wrap them up now and that’s it. I hope everyone likes what I’ve got them. 

Thanks everyone for your support this year it’s been amazing. I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and all goes well xxx

Spendless

Sorry to hear you're unwell Mrs Ryan and hope you're better soon. Bargain hunting till the end though - what a trooper. Have a lovely Christmas and I hope New Year is a bit more settled for you.

mandco - meant to say that's frustrating about the hamper and disappointing when you receive a gift that is thoughtful  but then no use to you.  I'm sure someone will appreciate the contents though instead, onion and chilli flavours would probably be the first to be eaten in our house - lol. I received a bottle of pink prosecco off my line manager. I thought that really lovely of him. He'd sent his wife out to get them and wasn't impressed that she'd returned with Kylie Minogue ones. I'd no idea she was putting her name to wine - wonder why - are royalties down hahahaha. I'll have to tell you what it tasted like.

I am working today though from home. We've been told it's normal hours so till 5. DH was told the same by his company so put in half a day holiday only for them to send an email out of Wednesday saying it's a 2pm finish! Consequently he says he won't be doing a great deal today. He's off to buy our Turkey shortly. 

I decided that my parents gift from the grandkids would be a box of cheese crackers, some cheeses in novelty shapes and one of the Santa/snowmen butters from Morrsions. Simple enough, not too costly and needs keeping refrigerated for when they call Xmas morning so no reason to hand over early. DH got them last night apart from the cheese crackers that he's struggling to find. He's also struggling with finding digestive biscuits that DS needs for a cheesecake he's making us. We bought a pack earlier this week but ate them saying nowhere will run out of digestive biscuits - how wrong we were - lol.  


I eventually got the sprouting pencil into the cracker with DH's help. Along with a boot shaped plant pot it does look quite nice and cost £1.80 to do! . Inspired by princeskitty's post, I picked up 2 pairs of Xmas socks in Primark for £2. One is for DD's friend and have put out various items from my stock such as  handcream and a bath bubble from Bodyshop which was included in the pouch I bought earlier this year. The other pair of socks is for DIL2b from DD and will just fill from the stocking presents I already have for her. I added the socks because DD did say yesterday that the presents she bought last year were so much nicer. Pointed out that was because she had a job! She did quit it after a few shifts then regretted it when her paypacket came in. Perhaps just a life lesson she needed to learn. She then said in future she would just start early in order to spread the cost. So I now have a fellow Xmas gift prepper! 

I

mandco

Princesskitty yeah it wouldn't be xmas without a little last minute chaos  
The ginch evening sounds lovely its all those moments I miss as the kids are getting older as they no longer want to participate so much in xmas activities or it they do its under protest.  I think once you have kids an early night and some quiet time to yourselves is often much more appealing than the wild nights out of your youth even if you do miss them at times.
Love the sock stockings 

MrsRyan Some fab last minute bargains 
everyone seems to be coming down with one thing or another the last week or so the shops here are virtually bare of cough/cold meds apart from premium super expensive brands hope your feeling better soon

Spendless  A lot of the staff were disappointed with the hampers this year including management who had ordered them so she doesn't feel quite so bad she didn't really like it- she did appreciate the fact they got a gift as many companies don't bother at all.
she came home with 1/2 dozen bottles of wine yesterday - they received them as gifts from various companies they work with but dd is the only one in her team of 3 that drinks so she got the drinks and the others had the chocolates between them
You've managed some amazing bargains this year and your last minute sock stockings sounds great 

my dd is turning into a xmas gift prepper too its lovely to have someone to share the planning with who actually enjoys it

popped into sains yesterday after dropping off some gifts to pick up an argos order it was heaving never seen it so busy. Didn't even bother picking anything up as only need a couple of fresh bits and the queues were 20+ deep with full trolley loads. Going to try my local express store later.

managed to break tooth last night  so need to call the dentist when they open -it chipped down the side so its more sensitive than painful but has a sharpish edge - if I can't get an appointment ill have to try and get some temporary tooth fix stuff later to tide me over 

aside from picking up those couple of last food bits I have 2 things left to wrap and the stockings to finish but otherwise I'm done everything is as ready as its going to get and by xmas eve which may be a first - Its the most organised I've been in years think everyone being ill has made me more efficient as I've been so worried about getting worse and not feeling up to getting things done I was like I'm doing it now just in case. 

Looking forward to hopefully a relaxing day tomorrow - no-ones working for the 1st time in years so no early starts and nothing I need to do as its all sorted. We're going to decorate our gingerbread house left it late as taz wants to eat some this year watch xmas movies and generally chill out. 

safe travels to those visiting family for xmas 
If I don't manage to pop in tomorrow Hope you all have the best day possible 
Merry Christmas Everyone  

mandco

its a christmas miracle  - manged to get through to the dentist on the 1st attempt initially they said I could go at 10am and sit & wait then said actually if I could be there in 15 mins they would fit me in before the 1st appointment of the day. In and out in 20 mins