Xmas Food Shop Intentions

Rosa_Damascena

angieb15edin said:

PLRFD said:

There isn’t a none of the above option for me we don’t do Christmas we both hate it but it’s hard to ignore when the one day a year that it is starts before October.

Thank goodness I’m not the only one 
can’t stand the fake enforced jollity of it all never mind the endless pressure to spend spend spend on rubbish you neither want nor need 
we will have a Chinese or Indian takeaway or maybe a steak dinner 

Are your local takeaways open on Christmas Day?

tealady

Clowance said:

tealady said:

I dont buy anything extra as I dont celebrate. No family, just me. Staying with friends for a few days.

Don't you buy anything to take to friends to contribute?

They do the shopping, I pay my share of the bill (and bring alcohol). That works best for us.

Jimifan

Tesco

HotDog2020 said:

I regularly shop at Sainsburys, and I love the build up to Christmas, also I have a lodger here so they may join in with the celebration, although he likes keeping himself to himself so maybe not! My shop will be done in sainsburys, and I will have sprouts as I like them steamed then fried with onion and chestnuts delicious...if you don't like sprouts it is because you are cooking them wrong!

I read many years ago that there is an enzyme which some of us have and some of us don't so sprouts don't taste the same to everyone.
I love 'em; partner hates them.

Jimifan

Tesco

We won't get a lot of extra stuff in but just a bit more luxurious than usual. It's what we save our Tesco vouchers for.
My partner and I have had for many years a rule that all our prezzies for each other except for edibles have to be found in charity shops. We've found some great things for each other (and some very silly ones!) and it's nice to know that your spending is helping someone else too.
Children and grandchildren are a different matter, unfortunately, although one year I bought a HUGE box of Duplo very cheap second hand. (Yes, I washed it!)

Murphybear

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Clowance said:

Murphybear said:

I read an article a few years ago about Harrods selling Christmas decorations early.  Harrods gets visitors from all around the world and their Christmas decorations are very popular so they make them available in late summer/autumn.

In the USA  and in Prague and probably elsewhere they have Christmas shops all year, I quite like that as I have cut my souvenir shopping to the bone and buy only a Christmas dec or two now to remember holildays.

Very near to us is a lovely garden centre.  Every year they have an amazing themed walk through Christmas grotto.  Everything is either made in England or Sweden/Germany.  They have won the prize every year for years for the best Christmas display in the country in their size group.  You need plenty of time (and money) to get the best of it.  The children in particular love the big animatronic animals and every year the huge talking reindeer has a different speech.  There is a different theme each year, last year it was Narnia.  I try and limit my purchases to one new tree decoration each year 

Murphybear

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Clowance said:

I always check the Good Housekeeping taste test xmas foods and choose my things on that. However some of the things seem never to be available which is frustrating.

Lots of other magazines/newspaper and even Which do the same thing. Unfortunately they rarely agree which is the best in most categories as it’s all down to individual taste.  

One year one article said Asda mince pies were very good so I bought some.  They were pretty awful so I stopped reading the taste tests.  I bought some mincemeat, added some chopped satsumas and a slug of Cointreau * (one bottle lasts years as I only use it about once a year ) and make my own.  

* idea courtesy of a celebrity chef, can’t remember which one 

Rosa_Damascena

Murphybear said:

Clowance said:

Murphybear said:

I read an article a few years ago about Harrods selling Christmas decorations early.  Harrods gets visitors from all around the world and their Christmas decorations are very popular so they make them available in late summer/autumn.

In the USA  and in Prague and probably elsewhere they have Christmas shops all year, I quite like that as I have cut my souvenir shopping to the bone and buy only a Christmas dec or two now to remember holildays.

Very near to us is a lovely garden centre.  Every year they have an amazing themed walk through Christmas grotto.  Everything is either made in England or Sweden/Germany.  They have won the prize every year for years for the best Christmas display in the country in their size group.  You need plenty of time (and money) to get the best of it.  The children in particular love the big animatronic animals and every year the huge talking reindeer has a different speech.  There is a different theme each year, last year it was Narnia.  I try and limit my purchases to one new tree decoration each year 

Garden centres have really come into their own over winter, in South Essex we've had big Christmas launches since the August Bank Holiday (and I would imagine that to be a crucial part of the garden centre model, so an even bigger deal in rural parts of the county). 

Food prices will be going up significantly once the NI hike is factored in, so we'll need to tighten our belts (literally) post Christmas.

Suffolk_lass

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PRDMKT said:

As I am starting to think about my next annual shop, I am curious to know where everyone else will be going this year.

Personally, the meat from the butcher, the veg from both the market and Morries. A few treats from Waitrose, and admit to having bought some wine from them already while at 25% off 6. Actually all quite low key as only 6 and one more when they finish work

ShinyStarlight1

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PRDMKT said:

As I am starting to think about my next annual shop, I am curious to know where everyone else will be going this year.

I’m going to get all my Christmas dinner ingredients locally, because I want to support the small shops rounds here. 

During the pandemic when all the supermarkets flailed around uselessly for weeks, the little shops came up trumps in delivering what was necessary, often tailoring what they did to make sure the old and vulnerable had their needs met. 

I noticed that and vowed I would try to buy locally when I could once the pandemic was over. So Crimbo dinner will come from our local fruit and veg stall, and the meat will come from our local butcher.

Ixtis

My wife will be working at a care home and gets meal provided, i will have saysage and chips, provided I bother to get the chip pan out.