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

mandco

@Spendless hopefully my b&m will have the marshmallow toasting kits in stock as they’d be ideal for dds birthday - they’re going camping for the weekend with a bunch of mates. 

@sammy_kaye18 boys can be so hard to buy for at that age my ds usually ends up with bunch of practical/basics stuff in his stocking like toiletries & chocolate where as dd is really easy to buy for I usually end up with too much and taz is still young enough for the more fun/novelty type bits.

Boots have 20% of select premium beauty so ordered dd a Fenty beauty lip care set for her birthday - she hinted this week she’s running low  why is it they’ll happily spend your money but when it come to parting with their own cash everything is suddenly too expensive paid with points so it was “free” puts me down to about £40 worth of points but plenty of time to bump them up again before Xmas- I already have 2 lots if recyclables ready to drop off once I’m feeling up to getting out and about again - I’m definitely finding my post op recovery a lot harder this time.

mandco

Bought a couple of bits off vintd got a Xmas jumper for dgd1 and a dress for dgd2 ( think it would look great with a pair of winter boots so will look for a pair closer to the time) both bnwt less than £5 each including postage- used money from my balance so money neutral too.

Spendless

I need to get to grips with the Boots recycling scheme to up my points. It would be really useful in paying for items both as gifts and also when DD is home in the hols as she uses additional/different stuff to myself.

I also think Ill repeat the 'basic toiletries set' for at least one child at Xmas if not both, since neither lives with me full time. It proved useful in meaning they didnt need to buy the boring stuff like toothpaste and handsoap for a while. 

mandco

@spendless the basics hamper is a great idea - I do myself a similar type box where I try to stock up on the household basics/toiletries in the run up to Xmas so I have less outgoings in Jan/feb when money tends to be tighter.
The boots recycling scheme is definitely worth giving a go - I find it quite easy to meet the £10 spend by picking up items I’d have to buy anyway so I’m not spending anything extra to gain the points either. Even if you managed to do just 1 a month till xmas that’s £30 to spend.
The recyclables don’t have to be brought from boots either they just need be brands/products they sell.

Xmas wise - ordered ds a nightmare before Xmas Sherpa fleece blanket and a stitch floor cushion for dgd2 both on sale @ George 

princesskitty29

Hi all, gosh I've been MIA for ages because I haven't been able to log in, every time I tried I got an error message! I think the site had a few issues for a while. Anyway I tried again this morning and I'm finally in! 🥳 I haven't caught up yet, I've got a mega busy week as we're going away on Saturday but I will try to catch up as quickly as I can. I hope you are all well.

mandco

@princesskitty29. Good to see you the forum has has a few issues lately but hopefully it’s sorted now
hard to believe the boys are breaking up for the summer already - last week of term is often busy enough without holiday packing & excitement to deal with too.  Have great trip 

Spendless

I must admit Ive become so attuned to Uni hols over the last few years, which finish in May, I did a double take when I drove past the Secondary school today and noticed pupils playing football. Not sure why I was surprised I live near a primary, I know when schools are on by looking out the window at school run time!

Putting it down to tiredness cos have had 1 hrs sleep since 2am following a 111 call and eventual appt at urgent treatment dept at hospital. NHS worked well in being seen, its just how long it takes (8 hrs from inital call to appt) probably same as attending A&E! 

Anyway Mr S who drove thru the night to return home from working away, did give me some info concerning next time I accompany him with a work trip. He hasnt got exact dates yet, but it will be between Nov-Dec and fortunately avoids a wedding Ive been invited to - which Im happy I can attend as Id already bought my dress as it was the style that suits me,  abided the dress code (lots of colours to avoid) and was half price - so I took a chance! I'm excited about going away this time of year because I went a couple of years ago and enjoyed the combo of a hotel  pool in the sun and Xmas gifts in the shops - bliss! 

mandco

@Spendless hope you’re ok.  
The nhs is struggling the staff are doing their best but the wait times are ridiculous as most places are severely understaffed especially out of hours and people often go to the emergency room as they can’t get seen by their gp - last time I was in a&e half the people checking in before me were repeat visits - they’d been seen in a&e within the last few days and were told to follow ups with the gp but couldn’t get an appointment and felt they weren’t getting better so came back- wastes so much time & resources especially when they literally don’t get any actual treatment anyway -just the basic triage & bloods ect then discharged again.

great news re dh work trip double win. It’s so hard to find a dress at the best of times let alone when the bride puts a strict dress code in place so made sense to grab one when you found it even if your weren’t sure about the date even better now you know you actually need it.
I assume dh trip is somewhere it’ll be sunny/warm? It’s such a weird feeling being warm & chilling by the pool when the Xmas decks are up but I’d love to do it again one day.Great chance to grab some different/unique Xmas gifts and/or some duty free too. The thought of a few day of sun when the weathers pretty bleak at home does wonders for morale too. I love Xmas but the uk weather can definitely get you down.

Ordered dd the Lego sunny petite bouquet for her birthday on offer £15.99 in smyths cheapest Ive seen it since it came out in may also ordered a stitch lexibook Bluetooth speaker reduced to £5 (normally £25ish) for for dgd2 to make up the minimum spend for free delivery as it would have been £2.99 otherwise.


I saw Tesco have released info on their Xmas food offerings- there’s not a lot that really stands out but the tricolour carrots could make a fun change 
and I can see the choc hazelnut Frangipane Tarts & gingerbread s’mores tarts getting added to our shop. I think the deserts are bit disappointing this year as the Panna cotta star is a repeat as is the salted caramel wreath which they’ve done versions of previously and the banoffee star doesn’t really appeal or seem overly Xmassy.

mandco

Argos have added new stock to the toy clearance section mostly items in the £5+ range but worth a look. Ordered sushi go ( £5.40) & 13 beavers ( £9 )board games for taz both cheapest I’ve seen and a couple of 1000 piece puzzles £5 ish each 

Spendless

Exactly mandco - Due to bodyshape A line dresses suit me best, I need long sleeves as without them in cooler weather I get easily cold  and round neck necklines  dont compliment me. To need all that in a dress is hard enough without colours being prohibitive beyond what youd not wear to a wedding anyway. Im glad I bought mine, not only is it now OOS in my size even if it was still for sale it now costs £5 more. 

The trip is to Tennesse (Nashville) which will also then be repeated late Spring next year. Between now and Autumn next year we have 4 planned (but not booked yet)  trips to US/North America and then we will be taking a step back for a while whilst we explore more European countries as we're getting older and I dont think we've seen enough of what is practically on our doorstep. 

Still illness in the household, some improving, some not as much. Silver lining that Im not currently working and can rest as much as possible.

Exciting that the supermarkets are releasing info on their Xmas food.