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

Happy_Kitties

I think that’s a brilliant idea Chanie, at least you know the items will get used and you know what she likes.

Do u mind me asking how old your niece is? I might pinch that idea for cousin’s DD.

I’ve managed to pick up quite a few bargains despite vowing I wouldn’t this year. I’ve picked up quite a few Lush sets and  candles in the sale, some have already gone off to charity, the candles will be fab presents for family I only get a token present for that are due to age out.
The list goes down by one this year.

I’ve got DD birthday next month. I’ve got lots of things that build up her make up things. I always find it hard after Christmas for ideas but she has given me a couple of pointers aswell. 
i must be storing at least 20 hot water bottles, most of these will go to the shoebox hub for local projects and I’m trying to build up a toiletry stash as I used quite a few bits in my bags of Joy last year. Boots messed up my sale order I did on Christmas Eve, I did eventually get it sorted but only yesterday. 
Im itching to do a couple of shoeboxes and it’s only January. I think it’s because I have items ready, but no shoeboxes. I find it quite relaxing doing a shoebox if I’m in the mood
I hope everyone is doing okay….i don’t think Katiehound is off dancing yet on one of her cruises!

chanie

my niece is 8, so a great age for a hamper.  One of the things i like about doing hampers is that i can pick up bits and pieces little and often- like my children’s xmas stockings.

@HappyKitty i find it fun doing the boxes, but i struggle with getting the boxes to my area rep through my lack of organisation and then it feels stressful.  That’s why i have stopped, but maybe i’ll get my mojo back at some point.

For now, i’m focussing on another project.  One of the primary schools i work with is in a deprived area with many poor students.  i have already donated a load of small toys for fundraising.  my latest project is making some small filled jars.  i buy yummy yoghurts that come in glass jars so im saving thr jars and am going to fill them up with small toys, sweets etc for fundraising.  i think this will be a fun project for me.

im also collecting items for my children’s school xmas hamper donation.  As we approached last Xmas, i saved up the free items i got from the Lidl app and that went towards the donation.   This year, im starting early and have already got a free deodorant from Lidl as my first donation. i have been put off putting items in the Lidl donation point in store as on more than one occasion, ive seen customers taking items from the boxes.

Happy_Kitties

I think a hamper for cousins DD would be brilliant @Chanie, a fab idea thank you.

i have been lucky in that I pass my shoebox rep most weeks and is a regional hub. It adds about 20 min onto the journey but we have a set up where she will come out to the car, grab everything and then I’m off again so before Christmas it was very easy for me but before that, what a nightmare.
With the hub even when I had done a last minute box but didn’t have an official leaflet for it, I just lightly stuck the list of contents and the rep did the official one for me and finished it off. 
I think @Katiehound is going to have the issue of even trying to get the shoeboxes to a collection point, it is going to be a nightmare for them this year, 

i think what you are doing is great working with the school in a deprived area and the hamper donation and the items you are collecting for the school Christmas hamper…..everyone loves a Christmas hamper, you cannot beat it and winning one is the dream. They always go down so well. 
I’ve found the same with donation points. The community worked hard to save the local animal sanctuary from closing. They have collection points where I shop and in the next town. The collection point where I live, the staff admitted that they couldn’t keep an eye of it, people were taking things and or moving items from the animal sanctuary collection point into the food bank and you find yourself having to move things back. Nothing against foodbanks but unfortunately where I live they are so abused by people that don’t need that the genuine don’t get. I live in a small community where everyone knows everybody and everything. When I mentioned it to the foodbank lady her only response was they are highly abused everywhere so I removed myself from the discussion. 

But in the next town the collection point is in a superstore, it is always full as people would rather drop off at that store as security is much tighter and things monitored better. In my own store staff have even said the best time to drop off so there is less chance of things being moved or taken. Such a shame that it happens, I fully understand why you don’t put in the collection point.
i think that is why I like supporting the shoebox hub with their local projects as their due diligence is high, the items really do go to those in need. 

chanie

i bought DD some slipper boots today as she has been eyeing up my ones. i told OH they were for her birthday in the summer but he thinks i should just give them to her now.  i don’t want to give them to her now as i think it’s nice to have a big pile of birthday presents. 

chanie

DD wanted me to place an order for her as she had been given some vouchers for Xmas. i added a few extra stocking fillers since i was placing the order. The package arrive today and DD opened it as she wanted her stuff and she saw a present i had ordered for her, which i was going to put away for her birthday or Xmas.

she knows it’s for her and asked me if i was buying Xmas presents 🙊.

Happy_Kitties

@Chanie that’s frustrating that DD opened the parcel but not surprising when she asked you to place the order for her. It must be frustrating that she found the extra for her, do you think she will have forgotten by Christmas or have you given them to her early?
Ur DD will be on red alert now like a sniffer dog if she suspects you buying Christmas presents early😬🙂🙈

Have picked up quite a few items cheap from Asda George, have more to pick up. Picked up 10 hot water bottles with covers for the shoebox hub, £1.50 each.
Also by chance while going in for a prescription, landed on the Boots 70% sale. Store has quite a few bits, picked up what I wanted, some for presents, some for charity. Also have two parcels to pick up from them, they’ve put them to one side for me to pick up as I need to get the car closer. After buying what I was after today there was no way I could manage my prescription and the parcels aswell.
Also bought some more items in the Lush sale that will also go for Christmas presents and got free P+P.

I feel like I’ve made a good head start but felt like that last year and then it turned chaotic nearer Christmas as I wrapped much later last year. However I am pleased with all of the bargains I have picked up and have some great items for charity.
if I get more organised this year, things will hopefully run much smoother.

Did start to put my first shoebox together even though I haven’t got the registration leaflets yet but the cat decided to knock it over. So will repack and just leave it to one side as it’s obviously not meant to be yet!

chanie

DD knows its for her, but has the good sense to not mention it. OH said i should just give it to her. But DD has enough stuff and so it’s hard to think of decent gifts, so i’m not wasting an idea!! i’ll probably give it to her for her birthday.

@happy_kitties you’ve picked up some amazing bargains and you are so kind to be donating as well.

Happy_Kitties

I would be the same, any ideas with presents are precious and I keep for birthdays or Christmas.

I’ve still got one batch of Christmas presents to drop off, parts to two of the presents need to be changed as they won’t be the same if they get them now, but can be carried forward for this Christmas. It has meant looking out for items to make up the two presents.

I also need to wrap DD presents, I’ve tried to keep them together but there doesn’t seem to be a lot. I write everything in a birthday book so I might have to hunt items down.

Its very kind of you to say about the donating @Chanie.
storage is abit of an issue and things need tidying as I now have 40 hot water bottles I picked up stupidly cheap with covers and some fleece blankets that always go down well in the Bags of Joy. If I can give back I always try.
I also put the shoebox back together. It’s a good job the cat did knock it as I found I had doubled up on some items so repacked and all it needs is a couple of items and then it is done. Will need to do things much earlier this year as at some point I’m going to need surgery that will knock me out for a few months.
My aim over Easter is to wrap what I have got rather than have the chaos of last year, it was too last minute last year!

chanie

i bought a few bath bombs for DD’s stocking, plus a couple of items for her beauty advent calendar, all of which i go from Home Bargains.

i got a birthday ideas for MIL and SILs 2 and 3, which is make up of mine and DD they have tried and liked. i’m hoping it goes on offer between now and their birthdays.

Again, all 3 are quite difficult to buy for - OH doesn’t have a clue what to get them and their tastes are very different to mine.

Just had a thought off the back of another post…. i’m going to try and shop more locally for gifts. i go to a lovey boutique and the owner said the local High Street is suffering, so im going to try and buy more from independent shops if i can.

Happy_Kitties

I do like Home Bargains, it was brilliant at Christmas when I did a friend a hot chocolate and coffee hamper.

I used to get a lot of bits for DD from Home Bargains, she likes particular brands of things now so if i can pick it up in Home Bargains cheaper then I’m there. They do fab birthday cards aswell.

It’s good you have some birthday ideas for MIL and SILs 2 and 3. It’s hard when you have very little clues.

I’ve lost one of the Christmas presents, I cannot find it anywhere. I can put an alternative together but it is frustrating.

It’s funny you should say about shopping more locally for gifts @chanie. Our little high street is shot to pieces, I can’t tell you how many nail bars, hairdressers and barbers we have, but very little else, we’ve lost a lot, you have to go to the next town. The main post office is still in town, I find it hard to get to unless I can park close. I go up to a garage in the next village 5 mins from me, they have a small post office counter. I said this morning I prefer coming here because if we don’t use it we will lose it. It is so handy, I can park, pick up milk, I’m always running out of milk. Have had a few cracking yellow sticker bargains from there aswell!

It is a very popular and busy little post office counter and really try to use it as mcuh as I can and it’s nice catching up with the staff