Frosty the Snowman - it's the 2025 Christmas thread!

mandco

Abbafan that was my thinking I could add so much a month and have a decent amount saved to put towards the Xmas shop - I do have a Xmas pot which is meant to be for that purpose but is too easy to dip into for other unexpected cost - ended up buying 3 new fans this week as our old ones just weren’t cutting it and it’s ridiculously hot internal house temp is hovering around 30 despite have windows open keep curtains closed ect 

Picked up a cherry print fleece £4.50 in Primark for dd’s Xmas eve hamper 

need to make a start on the kids birthdays as again not even started yet - 

Spendless

Nan is struggling in the heat too. Shes not drinking enough water and becoming dehydrated.

I am thinking of getting her a water bottle for her 100th though her bday falls mid Sept and by then it'll be cooling down (I know this cos my bday falls at the end and since Ive been an adult its been warm on that day twice!).

Im torn between getting her one that measures how much she's drank or one with robins on (her fav). I cant find one that has both.

No refunds, sub letting or short tenancies mandco - landlord doesn't allow. It was accept the 12 month tenancy or not have it at all. 

mandco

Spendless that’s incredibly frustrating I get the landlord doesn’t want to be out of pocket but you’d think there would be some leeway - honestly what’s the harm in sub letting as long as they get paid?  Any news on an interview date yet? I did hear a load got cancelled this week due to the backlog but hopefully dd won’t have to wait too much longer.
i hope your nan is ok - dehydration can be a major concern and there’s been quite an increase in hospital admissions because heat related conditions the last few days 

this heat is relentless I love a nice pleasantly warm summer day somewhere in the low 20’s but it’s way too hot right now - dd is off on holiday next week and it’s currently hotter here than where she’s going 

fionaandphil

@Spendless does she like jelly or fruit cocktails? FIL was dehydrating last year and I spotted a sign at the docs which suggested jelly. At home we would make our own but we bought a load of ready made ones and he liked those. We also got him some of those little fruit cocktails pots in juice which helped with liquid and more fruit in his diet.

Spendless

Oh that's a good idea @fionaandphil thank you. I'll tell my parents (who do her shopping) to get her some. I think she'd find those easier to consume than having to tell her to keep upping her water intake.

Interview appt booked @mandco unfortunately 1st date is 2 weeks later than her flight and after course starts. The US institution will be understanding because they know it's caused by circs beyond their control and thankfully we booked a flexible airline ticket so got to see if that applies to flying in not just flying back, but further on than we were. We're on the waiting list for any cancelled appts that are earlier.

Parents went on a trip out to an outlet retail park yesterday. Dad said he saw a toasted sandwich maker and thought 'How Much'!  to the price - it was - wait for it - £9.50!!!!! He then said they'd paid £7.40 for 2 coffees so I asked him why he was considering the sandwich maker expensive considering it was around £2 more than the coffees! At least I have an idea of what to get him for Xmas though! Parents are getting a huge amount of enjoyment out of a bird bath they have they get a number of birds coming to take a dip/bathe in it. They don't want a feeding table (I asked) as a neighbour has one and is getting issues with bird poop. I am considering getting parents  a book on them though. The birds are mostly pigeons/doves. The doves are owned locally where as the pigeons are wild. Just thought I'd mention this for anyone with older/harder to buy for relatives.

 

Coxy11

Just a quick one from me as on a WA call with WI committee and they are faffing about with something in person.

For bird lovers who don't want a table, how about something like this:
https://www.gardenbird.co.uk/meripac-classic-window-feeder.html?prodid=702357&msclkid=d621f85c068e1cd240c0903834904668&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pMax%20-%20Bird%20Feeders%20(2024-06)%20-%20gAds&utm_term=2332613918882312&utm_content=Bird%20Feeders

sammy_kaye18

Hello All
Sorry for the delay in getting in here. 
I seem to have been one of the ones who had log in issues and after a very turbulent year last year was not feeling Christmas at all but here we are in July and I find my head is already turning towards it again.
We lost my FIL in October last year so everything has been very solemn and last year was not celebrated at all. Then we lost a cousin a few months later, and at the minute I have two family members in hospital but Im not sure that will be the case much longer either and it seems to be just as family gets their head above water and into a routine another curve ball gets thrown. 

How is everyone doing? 

I have had an idea this year that instead of giving junk to people that they don't actually want or need, I am going to try and give either practical gifts or recycled gifts meaning I am going to try and find some bits and pieces in thrift / charity shops and re-purpose them. 
So I went out yesterday with my sister and we went to a few stores that I didnt even know had opened in our town.
We have 8 charity shops in my little town so this should be do-able.
I found a very sweet little crystal acorn with a separate lid which was £1.50 so I think put some matches in it and stick the strike pad to the base of it then gift it with a nice candle (possibly home made) to my best friend who has a love for all things woodland themed. 
I also found a leaf shaped plate which looks very pretty but I am trying to think of what else to add to it to turn it into a gift and for who but I am sure I will think of something for it. 

@Spendless I hope your nan is ok. Dehydration is horrid and even in the hot weather I struggle to remember to eat let alone drink and I know certain meds make things hard too. I was going to send the jelly pots, and maybe flavoured waters instead of plain water. Would a water bottle with time increments on the side encourage her to drink a little more too? So she would just have to drink a small portion in that hour? 

@mandco bizarrely I sat and counted up a penny pot today after I brought one of those sealed tins - so far I have £40 saved towards Xmas dinner but then I realized that I had filled the pot so I now have some leftover coins in a small food bag and will need to buy another one. I figure if I can get it to £100 then that takes the majority of our dinner worry away with treats etc so its one less thing to worry about but we kept dipping into it - hence why I brought the sealed tin! 

PennysIntoPounds

Sorry for your losses and family health worries @sammy_kaye18 Those sound like gorgeous gift finds, excellent work!

mandco

@Sammy-kaye18 sorry to hear things have been so tough it’s hard enough losing 1 loved one or family member with serious health issues life can really suck. Hope you’re doing ok 
love the sound of the woodland themed gift such a unique idea - what kind of leaf is the other plate?   

It’s all to easy to dip into the savings if they are easily accessible- we‘ve used the sealed tins in the part for holidays ect but I rarely use cash now so it’s something I stopped doing but might actually be a good thing to restart. I’m hoping to have enough saved to cover all the main Xmas food/extras this year as oh pay day falls after Xmas ( one of the few employers that don’t pay early) 

@Spendless great news she has an appointment obviously not ideal timing wise but definitely a step in the right direction 

brought dd a jellycat for her birthday - I’d looked at it and debated overnight whether to get it or not as they are expensive but by the next day it was oos and has been ever since. I regretted not just getting it when I saw it so when I got an email to say it was back in stock this week I ordered it. Also seen there are some new Lego botanical sets coming out soon so might get her one of those too unless she mentions anything she’d like instead. if not it’s an idea for Xmas. 

Dgd1 birthday next so need to work out what else I’m getting her I have couple of small bits but not a main gift. Debating giving Money as they are going away for her birthday but not sure sdd will actually spend it on her - I gave them money at Xmas as they went to Lapland so they could pick something there as a souvenir but she didn’t actually buy the girls anything for themselves.

sammy_kaye18

@mandco
Thanks. It was expected of my FIL passing due to the big C but my OH cousin was a shock and a freak motorcycle accident. The two family members both in hospital both have ill health and have been poorly long enough that when the time comes it will inevitably be sad but might be easier to accept if that makes sense. 

Im glad you managed to get your DGD a Jellycat. Im not 100% sure on what they are as both of mine are older now thankfully and we are more on the clothing / mountain biking / make up stage now. 

I will have to upload pictures of my little finds from the other day but at the minute I am holding out for the Amazon Prime Days to see if I can get some more gifts to put away and looking on vinted for smellies sets. I got 3 bayliss and harding brand new sets last year for £11 so they went towards my MIL, Step mum and grandmothers gifts