Not dropping Santa down the chimney!: 2025 Santa, Shoebox & Life Chit,Chat,Chunter! ALL welcome....

Auti

After a lot of frogging (undoing) and trying several different stitches I have settled on this - still need to finish and will close bottom by dc or so together so no sewing at all!  It needs refining but that’s ok as I can see and work out how to make it better/how I want which is exactly what this item was for - it will also hold money for child when we go to arcade  

Happy_Kitties

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I am looking forward to 2024, I feel like the last 3 years have been very challenging and hard work.

Auti- really looking forward to seeing the finished purse.
Katiehound-no car issues I hope!

I hate shopping but do like a little wander to the next town every so often. Do the same three shops I need to do and home unless there is another shop I need to do and yesterday I needed to do Arg@s. Never got to it, I have never seen the town so busy. It was like pre Christmas.
Wanted to look in Tesc@ as they have a big store to see if they had any bargains for the  charity auctions (have first box of items ready to send this morning). I managed to pick up items for the shoebox hub and for the auctions so need to pack a second box ready to send. I did give up after awhile as I become fatigued quickly and it was just too much. Need to pick up items from Arg@s by tomorrow so I will take a trip back in early this evening when it should be much quieter. I’ve plenty of food in to last me well into January so no food shopping (got a few extra bits yesterday).
when I’m feeling brave in the New Year sometime and hopefully much quieter I will go back to see if I can pick up more bargains

Weather has been terrible here, I have fence damage and last night I thought there were issues with the boiler. Turns out the air fryer had knocked the boiler off but I did think not another thing at one point. 

Happy New Year everyone, let’s hope it is a good un……and as soon as the sweets are in a practical date…..my first shoebox will be done!!!

chanie

Hi everyone,

i hope you all had a nice Christmas and are looking forward to the new year. 

We had a nice Christmas, but i felt so disorganised with lots of last minute gift buying, Christmas eve wrapping and forgetting to put the children’s Xmas eve hampers together.

I’m hosting next Xmas, so i’ll have to be more organised.

i bought two reduced stocking fillers in Sainsburys and i had a spare gift for my niece (had already for her something) so i’ve already made a start on Xmas 2024.

 

Happy_Kitties

Its great to hear from you Chanie and that you are doing okay. 

Now Christmas I seem to always be organised for (I think it’s bec I hate wrapping so much and would pass out if I had to do it last minute) and I can’t cope with the amount of bargains I’m coming across in the next town. I have a few birthday and Christmas presents for next year. Christmas Eve wrapping you are not alone there Chanie, I had to redo one present the cats had destroyed this year. 

The thing I am always really disorganised with is birthdays. It’s my Dcousins bday today…..card still here, a good friend’s  sons birthday tomorrow…..card still here, a friends birthday just after Christmas……present and card still here. I can never get to grips with birthdays, I’m always late or wrapping last minute. 

Have a relatives birthday coming up soon, have card…..must make sure I post it and DDs birthday. That’s taken some thinking about for ideas but I think I have cracked it. I would like to think I would like to be better in 2024 but have misplaced my birthday book somewhere which doesn’t help and is driving me crazy. Log all presents down in it.

it’s good you have made a start, I always feel like I am half way to being organised and even sorted out what was for presents, charity auctions and the shoebox hub last night…..I even surprised myself. 

I did miss your present ideas this year Chanie as I always pinch them!

Have a great night tonight everyone, quiet night for me tucked up with Jools Holland…..last year I forgot completely and woke up to the fireworks going off!

Katiehound

Happy New Year everyone!
best wishes for a happy, wealthy & ..... wise year as well as peace in the world.

If you want a snigger I am trying hard to get rid of my  junk so today 3 large bin bags arrived on the doorstep- 3 x duvets, bedding , clothes: all need sorting & most need washing! needless to say no clearing own junk. I'm too busy saving the planet!!
Sadly nothing in there for the shoe boxes but plenty of bedding for doggy duvet covers & 'second' quality clothes for a cheapie charity shop.

I realised I hadn't organised my friend's birthday present- the £5 challenge. Spent another £ and bought her a subscription to Prima for 6 months for £6. Must remember to cancel the DD!

Over last week & week before I was given 2 shopping bags full of bandages & dressings- these are all boxed ready for a trip to the PO tomorrow. They are eventually off to an animal charity in Nepal.

I am still getting to grips with the car, if I haven't driven it for a few days it is like getting into a cockpit with all the knobs & a screen. As a friend said if we had had a newer car in the intervening years we wouldn't be so shell shocked! he's had his new car for over a year and still isn't totally confident!  Last week it got the old registration number back as it was a funny plate & I'd had it for 16 years I splashed out the extra £80. That was a drop in the ocean compared with the cost of the car!!

Would you like a shiny new thread for a shiny new year?
That can be easily arranged unlike all the stuff here!

Auti

I like the thread continuing as I like rereading bits for ideas but will follow if you start a new thread. Child and I have enjoyed the holiday and played lots of games and done fun stuff for none or very little money and it has been good. Have not done any more of the crochet as it is something I tend to do when child is at indoor bowls and gymnastics (not at the same time) and I am waiting. I am going to attempt a shoebox this year and I have the empty shoe box - life around the world is scary for more and more people through no fault of their own and control - I wish people would be kind and think before they act. 

I wish all a calm and more gentle 2024 with less uncertainty and friends to help. Child and I will carry on with random act of kindness and sharing a smile - the smallest thing is just as important  Remember to also give yourself random acts of kindness - smile in a mirror, cup of tea in your favourite mug, ten mins of doing nothing - something for you. You are as important and equal as everyone else. A smile from us to you

Katiehound

Hello Auti. Glad you had a good time with low expenditure: that's surely the way to go

Before you commit to a shoe box do just check that someone collects in your area as the postage could be ...rather  a lot.
 I remember when we delivered my boxes to a collector 2 boxes in a shopping bag weighed what seemed like a ton!!
You can always donate a whole lot of the same items- like the knee blankets for example- rather than a box.

Katiehound

Well, we could have had a new thread but I have just changed the date to reflect the new year! Wish everything was as easy as that!!!

hope everyone is well.

chanie

@Katiehoundi quite like the idea of continuing this thread for a bit longer as it’s not long.

@Happy_Kitties maybe you should treat your January birthdays in the same way as Christmas, so get it all ready with the christmas presents and sent out at the same time.

i managed to buy some reduced wrapping paper today - 5 rolls for £2.  Since lockdown, i haven’t seen any reduced wrapping paper in the big supermarkets, but i found some in a local supermarket petrol station.   

I also bought a couple of tree decorations from Accessorise in the sale, reduced from £8 to £3, so a great price.

i definitely feel like i’m getting my Christmas mojo back, after a few years where i’ve lacked motivation.  

Happy_Kitties

I’m going to have to hide my bank card somewhere, have picked up loads of bits in the sales, there is too much tbh and to store for the whole year including for the shoebox hub for their extra projects, I’m going to struggle. I must have half my Christmas presents bought……birthdays😬🙈

Chanie - great to hear u have ur Christmas mojo back and great bargains with Accessorise. If you have a Card Factory near you they have just gone 75%, I picked up a Christmas jigsaw for £1.50 instead of £6 for the charity auctions yesterday and two children’s Christmas bobble hats for 70p each to go in the shoeboxes

You are totally right regarding January presents and cards. I had one present bought ready for the middle of the month but bec it wasn’t wrapped I forgot to take it to Duncles. If I had wrapped it and put it under the tree I would have taken it with the other presents. It was extremely frustrating on Boxing Day to suddenly remember I had the present, not wrapped it or remembered to drop it off. Aim for this year……must do better with birthdays and be more prepared!

Katiehound- great idea just changing the date on the thread, much easier. So is one of your aims to declutter this year? That will be a job and a half with the doggy bed production line you have going🙂

Auti- glad you have enjoyed the holidays. We are a big card game family, my grandmother taught me a lot. Over  Christmas at a friends house I got stuck into the games with them as no one else would play but I love a good game. I’m big into random acts of kindness. I’m trying to be better with myself this year, as friend said, sometimes I am much too hard on myself and they are right,