Santa Baby - it's the 2026 Christmas Chatter Thread!!

Coxy11

Yes I thought it a good deal @Spendless - the freebie offer only available on the white/mother of pearl colour option - shame as the green option is stunning. Hope DD and you feel better soon xx

CE friends - we are now meeting up for dinner earlier in December so we will see them. Might book a Travelodge or similar depending where we go.

DS2 has said he'd like the LEGO Joker wall art which is £150 and not released until 01/01. May be an idea for his birthday at the end of January instead.

mandco

@Coxy11 switching to a meet up earlier in dec will hopefully be easier than the Xmas eve open house - bonus if you can tie it with an overnight stay so you can relax and enjoy yourself rather than be the designated driver. If we’re going some relatively local for a night out we often uber now so oh can have a drink
Thanks for the heads up on the warren James offer - it’s really pretty I’ve ordered a set for dd.
I totally get considering the Lego set for his birthday in Jan rather than Xmas as at least it’ll be a physical gift by then. Lego’s become really popular with younger adults and they do some great sets but they often aren’t cheap. Dd really likes the botanical/flower sets which tend to be more reasonable price wise but she has most if them now.

@Spendless hope dd is feeling better soon. We’ve all had some flu type lurgy and felt absolutely awful the last few days ( both me & Taz have had flu vaccines this year so could be Covid we’ve not tested) which has been challenging as Taz doesn’t do being ill very well at the best of times.
it’s surprising how repackaging an item can change some people’s opinion on something

Finally got a decision and I’m splitting the cost of a more expensive item with dd for her bf again so I’ve sent her the money to get that ordered. Im happy with that as I’d rather put money towards something he really wants but couldn’t afford to get himself anytime soon.

princesskitty29

Hi all, DS1 has gone for his weekly visit to my in laws so I have a day at home to myself, lots of jobs to get done! I managed to nip out for a couple of hours on Tuesday and picked up the following pressies:

DS1 – Lynx Africa duo pack (£3.99 Home Bargains - can’t believe we’re at the stage of buying Lynx gift sets! :D), Match 2027 annual (£2.99 HB), Coca Cola Japan bottle for stocking (£1.59 HB), 3pk Nike Socks (£13 Sports Direct)

DS2 – 2027 Minecraft calendar and Skibidi Toilet figure set (don’t ask! Both £3.99 from HB), Harry Potter chocolate frog for stocking (69p HB), 2 x mix and match robots (£4.99 each from local petrol station)

Mum – 3pk thermal terry socks (£3.50 HB)

Auntie – Handbag (£12.50 Matalan)

Friends – 2 x coconut oil foot masks (they are £1.99 each but got them free with Boots points)

DH – pack of earplugs for stocking (free with Boots points)

I have started my Christmas wrapping, I’m going to my parents on 7th November for the weekend so I have to take as much Christmas stuff as I can as we won’t be able to fit it all in the car at Christmas time. I must also remember to write some cards for the family to take to save on stamps!

Spendless we have joined a nationwide group set up by a mother of three autistic children and attended some online group calls which have been helpful and comforting so far, I am also looking into local support groups. I attended a parenting course at the start of the year and we are currently looking to arrange a reunion which would be good. Sorry the lurgy has hit your house, I hope everyone feels better soon!

mandco don’t be hard on yourself, I don’t think you gave up too easily at all, you did what was right for your child. I would be receptive to homeschooling DS1 but with his autistic burnout and PDA profile it is impossible to get him doing things at home which is a real shame. He does like to be part of something and the school we have identified has the perfect approach for him and apparently most of the children there have very similar struggles to him. It’s stressful though because if they refuse to send him there and we have to go to a tribunal the wait is 12mths+ so he could feasibly be out of school for another two years and not get a place until Y10.

Coxy thanks for your kind words. That bracelet is lovely and a really good deal too.

mandco

@princesskitty29 hope you managed to get a little me time today while ds was out and didn’t spend the whole day trying to catch up with the endless list of jobs that seem to pile up. Sounds like you had a productive week buying wise - it’s a milestone I don’t think were ever quite ready for when they hit the tween stage of wanting Lynx sets & branded items and you realise how much they’ve grown up - starts getting expensive too.

Thanks for the kind words - i know it was right thing at the time but i still worry he’s missing out. Taz was very similar when we first started so overwhelmed he refused to do anything so we did a bit of unschooling to let him regulate before gradually introducing official learning but we still, have times when it’s really hard work to get him motivated. The school your looking at sounds like it would be a great fit for him but absolutely ridiculous to think he could be missing out on nearly 2 years of education if they push you to tribunal to get him in. The system is still failing so many kids

My homebargains order came today - I did pay the extra £2 for priority shipping as last time i ordered from them it took ages. The dr paw paw sets are pretty decent value for £5.99 I got the larger 25ml original multipurpose balm small size spf, peptide & shea butter lipbalms plus smooth & curl cream hair care -though all the sets I’ve seen online included the 7 in 1 spray which I would have preferred. Rrp Value £31.89
i ordered 2 and they both had the same content though they were quite different items to the ones I’ve seen being opened online which mostly contained tinted balms but to be fair the one I do prefer the ones I got. Also the items were just loose in the box whereas others I’ve seen the items were wrapped in tissue paper inside the box

I was tempted to get dgd1 a karaoke microphone I saw online which I know she’d absolutely love it but don’t think sdd would actually let her use it

amber03

I used to work at a secondary school and all you could smell going passed the boys changing room was Lynx Africa.

Rosa_Damascena

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82177556#Comment_82177556

At least they used something!

mandco

the bracelet & necklace set from warren James arrived today it’s very pretty & delicate - it did come in a tiny clear packet so I will need to sort a gift box but I’m sure I can do that for a lot less than the £7.80 they would have charged me.

Ohs have teddy fleece coverless duvets on offer I ordered on the other day to try and it’s lovely and warm so I’ve ordered the kids one each.

I also got them pocket scarfs for wearing indoors @ £3.50 Taz was impressed he can fit his iPad on the pocket. I got them the plain black ones but they definitely need a wash before use as the fluff moults on opening https://www.onlinehomeshop.com/ohs-teddy-pocket-scarf-black-one-size?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21428992746&gbraid=0AAAAADDkGVSzzpwQE77lvmWgzArpy4yZ2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIveTFlODSlwMVKJeDBx3iNQ6xEAQYAiABEgLJT_D_BwE

Spendless

Loads better idea to go earlier in Dec and get a hotel coxy.

I meant to mention current Cosmopolitan mag has a free eyelash serum. I spotted it in M&S foodhall and DD pounced - lol. The mag is boxed as it comes with another one, womans health maybe and costs £7.99. I understand good brand eyelash serum can be pricy.