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

Treasurequeen

Thanks for the idea I’ve in the past bought Netflix subscription for her and my grandad but they said it was all old things on there not worth money. She doesn’t like sweet things and if she’s given hampers from other people she gives me most of the food out of it. She already has a magazine subscription set up. 

littlegreenparrot

Treasurequeen said:

Thanks for the idea I’ve in the past bought Netflix subscription for her and my grandad but they said it was all old things on there not worth money. She doesn’t like sweet things and if she’s given hampers from other people she gives me most of the food out of it. She already has a magazine subscription set up. 

Fair enough of its not for her.

In case it helps others who are struggling I just had a look at Notonthehighstreet to see what subscriptions they had available. Currently 376 to choose from - Coffee, cooking, socks, books, beer, candles......

Elsewhere I've seen ones for games, bacon, beauty, there is an enormous choice. I really like them as I think it's nice to spread it out a bit. I also assume other people enjoy getting goodies in the post in the same way I do  

C_J

@Treasurequeen Does your Nan have a garden? What about a bird table so she can watch the birds coming to feed at it?

Gettingtherequickly

TQ, can you bake? My grandmother insisted that I make her brownies for Christmas, she loved the idea that they were made specially for her and she loved to give them to visitors saying that I had made them.

princesskitty29

Wow I can’t believe it is March already, it’ll be Christmas before we know it! I’m missing some of that Christmas sparkle now what with everything going on in the world, I’m so shocked and saddened by what is going on in Ukraine. It is so senseless.

Did anyone have pancakes yesterday? We had lots for tea with lemon and sugar, jam and Nutella – the boys were in their element!

theoldmrandmrs those personalised items sound lovely. The thread is called 2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN. Like you say though you have to be careful as you may spend too much time reading and not enough decluttering! I certainly can’t keep up with that thread.

Coxy oh that must have been so frustrating about the theatre tickets, I suppose no-one can help things like being stuck in traffic but it’s awful to actually get to the theatre and find that out! Especially when you’ve arranged babysitters. Fingers crossed it all goes well for the next date. My DS2’s birthday is on Father’s Day this year, my first thought was we’ll have Father’s Day on the Saturday but we now need to have DS2’s party on that day, so will just have to make a fuss of DH as and when we get a minute!

Treasurequeen I’m so sorry to hear that about your Nan, and I can understand how difficult it will be buying her gifts. I don’t know how much she likes to receive gifts for herself, as we now buy DH’s Grandma charity gifts in her name. One year we dedicated a tree to her at the local forest centre and we have also paid for things such as school books for a child in a third world country in her name etc.

thelittlegreenparrot thanks for the heads up about the subscriptions on Notonthehighstreet, I really like the idea of them so will definitely take a look.

Treasurequeen

It is so awful what is going on but in my local community we have been coming together collecting and buying items for women and children. 

Princess kitty I had pancakes with maple syrup on them, I got the Dutch pancakes in supermarket as I can’t use a pan with my disability. They are lovely and I have frozen the rest for another time.

I picked up baileys french biscuits for my Nans birthday  as she loves baileys. At Christmas I got her the baileys wafers and she loved them. 

Gettingtherequickly

I bought a couple of Joules scarves on Ebay, reduced from £20 to £8, so inexpensive but expensive looking. I bought one of their coats for myself before Christmas, reduced from £200 to £100.  Oh my word, warm, wind proof, water proof, even full price would have been value for money, so can't wait to see the scarves when they arrive.

Not really getting into things, more important things happening in the world, just hope he is sorted asap, think it is abhorrent that he felt the need to have young kids arrested for laying flowers at Ukrainian embassy, imagine he thinks it will force the parents to his ridiculous way of thinking.

princesskitty29

Christmas has been in the forefront of my mind a lot in the last week, I think I’ve said on here before that Christmas is my ‘happy place’ and I tend to think about it more, watch Christmassy things etc when I’m feeling down, upset, unsettled etc. As with a lot of people the war in Ukraine is on my mind a lot and my mind wanders into a lot of ‘what ifs…’ if I think about it for too long.

I’ve found the time and motivation again recently to get on with my ‘Christmas Cottage’ cross stitch and it’s coming along nicely. I really do hope to have it finished and framed by this Christmas.

My in-laws are coming over for Sunday lunch today, I’m doing roast chicken and am making a steamed syrup sponge pudding for afters, I made one for the first time a few weeks ago and it was delicious! 

I can hear the birds chirping outside as I type this, it's a lovely sound and definitely means spring is on the way, i'm trying to enjoy all of these little things more and not take them for granted! I have never been interested in gardening and don't know anything about it, but in the last couple of months i've found myself wanting to watch gardening programmes, read gardening magazines and go to the garden centre - not just for tea and cake! I'm wondering if this gardening bug everyone talks about it slowly starting to creep in! We bought a new build so our back garden is literally just patio and lawn so it is a blank canvas. I'd better get learning about plants!

Treasurequeen it’s so great to hear about all of the communities coming together to help the Ukrainians, it’s all we can do. Oooh your pancakes sounded lovely! I’ve also got some leftover pancakes in the freezer to enjoy another day. The Baileys French biscuits sound interesting, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any Baileys biscuits! I do like to have a Baileys in the evening on Christmas eve when the rush is over, it seems to be my own Christmas tradition.

GTQ great bargains with the Joules stuff, I never think to look on ebay and I really should! Oh there are just no words for what is going on over there and that man’s way of thinking.

princesskitty29

I was just ordering some stuff from Matalan and had a look at the sale and managed to get a Minecraft Christmas jumper for my eldest for this year. It's always risky in case he's not into it by then but I really can't see that happening, I think Minecraft will be on the cards for some time yet!

Spendless

Just having a quick catch up. I should really start a spreadsheet as I've managed to buy more perfume than I realised for presents. However having recently lost my job what I've thought I could do with the same brand perfume & aftershave I bought for DS and DD is to give it instead to my niece and nephew (twins) for their 21st birthday later this month. That would leave the surplus as a bottle for DD's 19th also later this month and then the miniature sets can be divided at Christmas between DD, DS and his gf. It would also mean I don't have to spend any more money on gifts.

Regular readers may remember the dilemma I had about giving DD a suitcase and other gifts I'd bought her for Xmas in anticipation of the holidays she was going on with her then boyfriend, who she split up from (what a t*at he turned out to be!). I'm happy I decided to leave them till her birthday instead as she has now got various trips lined up.

Older readers may also remember DS housemate2 discovering he was coming into a large inheritance whilst camping in our back garden. It was DS birthday on Friday and he  bought DS a very generous birthday present of some items for his computer. (I'm talking several hundred pounds) Our  gift of underwear (DS's request) and some cash paled into significance at the side of it -lol.  
 DS computer is like Trigger from only fools and horses broom. He initially got it for his 16th birthday and has now replaced every single part of it, without ever buying a new PC.  

Apologies I've forgotten the poster with the relative with dementia. It can be a tricky one. One of my Nans has been in a home with dementia for the past 7 years. She's 98 in a couple of weeks (yes, loads of March birthdays in the family, it's even our dog's 3rd birthday tomorrow!) and frequently doesn't recognise as hers new items that she's bought. I think my Mum has just about given up trying to buy her new clothes for this reason. I'd suggest some things she'd use either toiletry or food wise or a photobook especially if you put in it photos from an earlier time of her life.

Can't believe Boots gifts at 50% are still around in March! Wonder if they'll actually do the 70% off to get rid.