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

mandco

Asda have cadburys pouches on offer for £2.98 rrp £4.50 most places (Tesco is currently £3.95 clubcard) they had heroes, roses , quality street, quality street  fruit creams, quality street golden & freddo & friends. With the current price of chocolate its not a bad deal I picked up some fruit creams & a freddos for ds1 stocking to help pad it out.

PennysIntoPounds

The Sainsburys near us have just stopped the promo deal on tubs and they've gone up to £7 😲
But Tesco had Celebrations tubs for around a fiver today, and possibly more variety in larger or better stocked stores

Edited to add 'at clubcard price' though what deal isn't these days! 

lazysheep

Argos also have up to 1/3 off some lego sets - https://www.argos.co.uk/list/up-to-1/3-off-selected-lego-sets/?tag=ar:events:toy-offers:lego-sets

mandco

PennysIntoPounds said:

The Sainsburys near us have just stopped the promo deal on tubs and they've gone up to £7 😲
But Tesco had Celebrations tubs for around a fiver today, and possibly more variety in larger or better stocked stores

Edited to add 'at clubcard price' though what deal isn't these days! 

Chocolate prices have gone crazy this year The tubs rrp are expensive especially considering they’ve shrunk in size again too. I’m going to keep an eye open for any offers but unless theres a Really decent discount not sure if I’ll bother this year as we always end up with ones left over that no one eats. 

I did see that iceland and are doing Terry choc truffles this year so might have a look at those if they go on offer.

Spendless

The prices of everything are shocking. After I finished work today, we called (ok at the co op) for 2 pies, a tin of peas, a paper (want a voucher thats in it) and 2 choc bars = £16!
When did a 'handful of bits' become a £16 spend! I feel for anyone struggling financially. 

Coxy11

Thanks for the heads-up re: chocolate offers. I usually gift smaller 'kiddie' chocolate to the younger two nephews and aim for the little selection packs or Ma!teser reindeers as Christmas Day excitement and chocolate overload are a dangerous combo especially for my 9 yo nephew! 

Thinking I need to visit Home Bargains - we have one in our town but the parking is shocking (tiny spaces) so I'll go tomorrow. They have this online: Dr Pawpaw Glowing Trio Collection | Home Bargains which would be fab for DD's stocking. Will also look for said kiddie chocolate to put away.

I have just ordered 2 x Ora! B electric toothbrushes for DD and DS2 for Christmas. The ones they have I purchased in 2012 when I was a Christmas temp at B00ts and got all of us one using my discount! Replaced mine and DH's this year as both stopped holding charge, so guessing it won't be long for the others to konk out. DS1 got a new one from DDIL last Christmas.

Have made a list and am starting to fill in ideas for people. My budget for gifts is £1830 if I stick to it. This is money we save all year and does not include food or drink, however we have a quarterly wine box delivery which is absorbed into our grocery budget, so it'll just be the food that will be extra. This is for 21 people ranging in age from 6 to 83. The only people we don't now buy for are my DSis and BIL, plus my Dad who lives abroad. I have no idea who will be with us for Christmas Day this year. Last year DS1 and DIL plus Mum were here, it was 4 weeks after we'd moved in and I put the cooker on defrost instead of cook. Dinner was subsequently delayed and rushed as DS1 and DIL had to go to her Mum's for tea. Was mortified. Will start putting feelers out to DSis to see if she is having Mum or not. I'm easy but do know that her DS will be with his GF's family this year so her table will be depleted.

One thing I'm going to try to do this year is not buy any scented candles. Usually gift one or two, but I read a survey where people were voting on the naffest Christmas gifts and they were pretty high up the list! Along with socks and Bay!iss and Harding gift sets...... 

Spendless

Was thinking thats a big budget coxy and impressed that you save all year round for it. That's something I need to do now its limited what I pick up during the year due to age range I buy for. Then I noticed how many people you still buy for. Any plans to reduce the gift list further next year? If so Id make sure that its said before the clock strikes midnight on Dec 31st in order  to catch any beginning of year birthdays.

Oh my goodness to you putting the  cooker on defrost in error, can imagine your stress when you realised. We once broke the k nob on our oven on xmas eve as we knocked our heavy table into it whilst moving it to clean the floor. My Dad had come out of hospital that day, we were meant to be hosting  because of it   but due to the now broken oven we  had to switch it back to  going to my parents. I recall just crying my eyes out when it happened We will potentially have my parents here this year  but it very much depends on how my Nan is.  Nan would struggle at mine as we have steps to our front door and 2 dogs to get under her feet as we do have a doggy guest coming  as relative is going abroad. I can imagine the stress you were under to get the meal on the table too before your son and dil needed to leave. Years ago before kids me and Mr S accepted a Christmas dinner invite from his Mum and Christmas tea from mine. With a week to go till the big day MIL announced her meal was at 3 and Mum announced tea was at 4. One wasnt happy that 'we'd be rushing straight off after eating' the other that 'we'd be too full to eat her food'. Think the Vicar of Dibley episode. The following year we declined all invites and stayed home just us two.

Some people do adore candles and others dont. My Mum wont light one because shes scared she'll start a house fire. She says she likes them to display but I  wouldnt get her one as I think she has enough stuff she doesnt use other than as  ornaments. A few years ago I bought my  difficult to buy for Dad a mug which had the (painted) pics of the (5) dogs parents had had since I was a kid right up to their last one with the dogs names underneath. He adored it and was told welled up when he saw it. Then it was considered 'too nice to use in case it breaks' put on the kitchen windowsill as an ornament and has remained there ever since, unused. Sigh! I bought it to be used! If possible Id just do some gentle probing to see if any recipients do love getting a candle.  Socks made me smile too. Youngest is in a production with the son of a famous actor (sorry, not at liberty to give names) and she said  that for a group exercise they needed to take their shoes off, she noticed actor's son had 100% cashmere socks on (she noticed the label - lol) which did have me googling how much they cost - gulp - lol.

Today or early next week I need to sort out Nan's bday present. Im still considering a water bottle and some edible treats.  Might take a look in M&S see what they've got in chocolate etc wise. 

Beshki

Couple of small wins here this week for my Grandads gifts. In buying a gift for someone else I fell upon the idea of a luggage strap, brightly coloured and with his name on. He holidays fairly frequently and the number of times I’ve stood at the airport carousel wishing he had something other than the usual black case that everyone else has lol! Well, now he will have Also a book I saw for him and noted down that has always rrps for around £11-12 dropped randomly to £4! I’ll pop a £10 voucher in for his favourite cafe which I will buy closer to the time & he’s done for around £20 - very pleased with that  

Coxy11

Some great wins there @Beshki x

In terms of reducing the list of gift buying - I would love to and think my side of the family would be easy to do. Currently have niece (35) and nephews of 26 and 17, plus Mum. Would definitely continue with the younger nephew.

DH's side is MIL, FIL, 2 x SIL, 2 x BIL, nephews of 25, 17, 9 and 6 and nieces of 21, 18 and 17. This side is trickier as DH knows his parents would still continue with gifts for everyone else even if they stopped for us, and they already treat his siblings and their children very differently (particularly SIL's). It's very annoying and he won't have the conversation. 

We save £350 a month which is into a separate account and covers Christmas and our car insurance (due in May). We've done this for a number of years and it's just another 'bill' when payday comes around.

I am going for a road trip today to Home Bargains and B&M. My list includes the Paw Paw set for DD, plus a magnetic dartboard for nephew (9) - thank you whoever planted that idea(!), and a little greenhouse for nephew (6). It's a few ££ cheaper online at the big river store but I loathe lining Mr Bezos pockets. I will also look for Christmas chocs for those two nephews plus need a new ironing board cover - the glamour!!

DD is writing a list of ideas for her birthday in 3 weeks time, so anything we don't get for that will form a basis for her Christmas gifts. Need to give DS1 a nudge about DIL's birthday as it's the same day as DD.

jaybee

At what age do you stop sending gifts / money to children? Do you tell them that you won't be doing it anymore?