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

mandco

@sammy_kaye18. Makes total sense it’s always hard but knowing it’s inevitable and having time to say goodbye makes such a big difference.

jellycats are basically ridiculously expensive soft toys with a large adult following - a lot of the designs are specifically aimed at adults and they seem to be very popular on tik tok ect but they are often impossible to find in stock.  Ive found the older my lot get the more expensive the stuff they are into gets especially dd I miss the days when she was happy with generic make brands/toiletries now it’s all super expensive high end brands - I’m trying to boost & save my boots point for this reason.

Coxy11

Hi all,

Hope you’re all doing okay. Welcome back @sammy_kaye18 and sorry for your family losses. I hope your relatives are soon well enough to leave hospital x

I tried to source CS or secondhand gifts for a while and was quite successful. Particularly for Mother’s Day/Fathers day which particularly irk me as feel they are just another excuse to spend money. Your acorn pot and leaf plate sound lovely. 

Our niece in Eire was 18 a few weeks ago. She is coming to study/live here this week, so we will gift her £’s in person when we see her or when she’s set up a bank account. Her mother is notorious for taking money off her so didn’t want to chance it. 

BIL’s MRI showed no spread of cancer but consultant wanted to check lymph nodes which has resulted in 51 stitches and a facial skin graft. Looks horrendous but slowly healing. We are awaiting the results of that procedure. 

Next birthdays are FIL, SIL, BIL and younger niece in Eire. All in the first two weeks of August. They are all on DH’s side of the family so will set him a budget and see what he suggests. We have lowered our budget this year so it’s game on! 

Beshki

Hi Everyone. With the spring/summer birthdays out of the way my thoughts have turned to Christmas. I’ve really got on top of finances this year and budgeted properly for Christmas, so the challenge is staying within that. I’m also keen to shop small independents as much as possible, and to buy as intentionally as I can too - so no buying for the sake of buying. I’ve got a long list of ideas for people (I find this the hardest part!) and have started picking bits and pieces up here and there. I also overbought last Christmas for the children of the family, so kept half back to give them this year which will help no end ☺️ Looking forward to (hopefully!) no money stress this year for sure! 

sammy_kaye18

@Coxy11 sorry to hear about your brothers resulting surgery and I hope he makes a quick recovery but good news that there has been no spread with the MRI. 
Thank you as well but I think one of the relatives is being moved to a care home to continue receiving her palliative care there and the other has gone quickly downhill with dementia and heart issues so sadly it is just a waiting game now. 
Is your niece coming to live with you or just live in the UK? 
I have found some lovely things in the charity shops lately but agree with you that I get really fed up of buying for the sake of buying for things like mothers day/fathers day etc. I was actually looking on vinted earlier for reusable advent calendars for my two kids (they are 14 and 21 but they still like them) and Im thinking of doing some chocolate and some small gifts they'll use (aftershave/perfume samples, chocolates, bath bombs for daughter) and making them a present in themselves for them and just collecting free samples throughout the rest of the year to fill them.

My birthday is this month and I have asked for a bread maker and a teppanyaki flat grill all with gift giving etc in mind. I like cooking and baking so things to make it easier always go down well. I make a lot of flat breads and tortilla wraps etc but Im also thinking this year of making a small hamper for some family members and including things in it that I know they'll use and like - so making a fresh loaf of bread, welsh cakes, cake, shortbread, homemade jams, maybe a nice tea/coffee and mug depending on recipient. Id rather give a gift that will be well received and used than a gift that's just shoved in a cupboard and doesn't see the light of day.

Current hunt is for giant gnomes for my MIL. She loves them and they seem to be making her happy after the passing of FIL. My sister has seen a lady at a local car boot sale selling two giant Christmas gnomes that need a touch up so Im hoping she will get them for me and I can paint them gradually over the next few months and surprise her with them.  

Did also grab a few bits from MIL that she was going to throw out during a clean she was having so grabbed a small cafetiere and two spray oil bottles (there was another two that my sister has asked for) but I think I might put one towards a coffee hamper for husband and the two (probably four as my sister will likely forget about them) spray bottles I might fill with homemade oils for my father and gift them as a nice set since he is a keen cook. Although he keeps hinting at a pizza oven......

Ive figured out how to attach pictures.....just not sure how to resize them now!

Spendless

The crystal acorn trinket is gorgeous @sammy_kaye18.

Sorry to her about everyone's relatives ill-health. Nan is  doing ok now the weather has cooled down. 

How are you getting on with the reducing amount of people on your gift list @Coxy11. Just wondering with you mentioning BIL and SIL birthdays. 

Fortunately when I received a request for a jellycat, it wasnt a specific one, so I could hunt on Vintd. 

fionaandphil

Those are lovely gifts @sammy_kaye18, nice on there own but with a few finishing touches could be even better as you say. For the leaf plate what about some nice soaps/toiletries or some truffles or chocolates? Once they're wrapped in some cellophane they would look fab. Much nicer when presents are thought through and really personalised

Coxy11

Ha @Spendless, we are still buying but budget much reduced and gifts for the adults are token only. So books or a plant, something like that. Niece will be 17 so will get cash and she’s here for 10 days around her birthday so I know she will receive it! 

Older Niece (her sister) will be living with their Dad (DH’s brother) and stepmom @sammy_kaye18. Sorry that the news for your relatives isn’t more positive xxx

mandco

@Coxy11 good to hear your Bil mri came back ok but the lymph node testing surgery sounds incredibly tough to deal with.  

If you can’t reduce the list reducing the budget is a good choice.

@sammy_kaye18 I’d also consider going with some soaps/toiletries or chocs /edible gifts to go with the plate 

@Beshki sounds like your Xmas planning is going well and you are off To a good start with gifts having realised last year you’d brought too much so kept some back. I think Xmas is one of those occasions where many people get caught up in the moment and buy way too much - I know I’ve done it in the past. 

Brought taz an adidas tracksuit top off vintd bnwt for £9ish so might put that way for his birthday? Also got him some starwars slippers 1/2 price in the George sale which I think I’m going to keep for Xmas as he’s going to need new pjs this year too.
i also picked up some stitch hand towels 2 for £1.98 in the George sale which I’m thinking could go towards making up a little toiletry gift set for dgd2? 

Spendless

Im another that thinks the leaf plate would look even more fab than it already does with mini soaps/toiletries or chocs. 


I went into B&M today and picked up a Toasting marshmallow kit. It has the sweets and 6 long bamboo toasting sticks. It cost £2 and BB date is Sept next year. I know we've discussed in the past stocking gifts that might appeal to older boys and how it can be more difficult than finding stuff for girls. This is long and chunky so would bulk out a stocking. You could also add the mystic fire sachets we've also discussed before and a large bar of chocolate to make smores, also for the stocking or as a 'bonfire hamper' 

sammy_kaye18

@Spendless I always struggle with my sons hamper (hes 21 to be fair ) but he still likes ones but its so difficult to fill it with things he likes - he always says its not christmas unless he gets a lynx set so I think I might have to look into the marshmallow set for him now that hes driving and has his own van and likes to take himself away for the night - at least then he can have a nice snack over his campfire. I think you can also buy campfire candles or a candle with a crackling wick and you could have your own mini indoor campfire and sleepover with little ones. 

I like the ideas of soaps etc on the plate. I may have to look into it. Possibly for my Step mum since the plate theme doesnt really go with my nan or mums decor. My mother is more nautical so if it had been a shell etc then different story.