OS Christmas Support thread & timetable

Bargainloverbec

Hurrah! I'm glad I'm not the only one who starts on next Christmas as soon as the last one is over. Christmas cards and wrapping paper bought in January sales (now where did I put it?). I have been knitting scarves for friends' presents, very quick with fluffy wool and big needles and relaxing to do in the evenings.

Other ideas for home made presents if anyone is interested:

Buy a pot/tub for the garden, fill with compost and plant bulbs - cover with cling film and tie a ribbon round it - when the bulbs come out in spring they will get a lovely surprise!

Cushions - a good way to use up scraps of material and dead easy to make they are literally 2 squares sewn together. Lavender bags are also really quick and easy to make but need to be done a bit nearer Christmas so the smell doesn't fade.

Last year I collated all my favourite poems, typed them up and made them into a nice book for my sister. It cost literally a couple of pounds to do but she really appreciated the thought.

I'll let you know if I think of any more - I'm getting quite excited about Christmas now!!

Loadsabob

Wow - everyone's doing really well!

I'd forgotton to mention cards and wrapping. I think I have this sorted. Last year I bought several packs of multi-coloured tissue paper, and plain raffia-type twine. This can then be used for birthdays, too. And it seemed to me cheaper than giftwrap. I make tags from last year's cards, and I have loads to choose from to go with every colour of tissue! I also bought little silvery star stickers last year, to make the pressies look even more festive. I thought they looked lovely and quite uncommercial.

And I have loads of cards donated to me by colleagues last year. Any I can't use, I put in the recycling, but this means I get such a range of images to use in my cards this year (I use the fronts, mounted on re-claimed grey cardboard). I leave the making of them til November, as it's something I find gets me in the festive spirit, with Christmas music playing in the background.

I have LOADS of jars collected, so some marmalade is going to have to be among my pressies I think!

Lillibet, sounds as though you have a lot done already, which should stand you in good stead for when Spud arrives!

rchddap1 - there's no such thing as TOO organised where Christmas is concerned, surely?!!!

My Mum collects Asda Christmas stamps, I'll have to make sure she knows when best to use them!

rchddap1

My family are always telling me that I'm far too organised where Xmas is concerned...hence the worry about me being too organised.. I however have always thought that they are a bit strange for not trying to sort somethings out earlier.

I do like the tissue paper and twine idea. I will have be on the look out.

Loadsabob

rchddap1 wrote:

I do like the tissue paper and twine idea. I will have be on the look out.

For some of the pressies I scrunched the tissue up first, and smoothed it out a bit to wrap; I found that made it look even more "rustic", if you know what I mean? Gave it a nice texture.

nicki_2

Don't forget to keep your eye out on QVC July 25th as they start having their Christmas stuff days, also if you are into cardmaking I know that there are some rubber stamps in the clearance section on the QVC UK website

I'm planning on starting Xmas cards and shopping over the summer holidays. We're at my IL's for Christmas day this year so no big roast/pudding for me to make BUT I have to make a Christmas Cake which I usually do at the same time as my mum so we can share the ingrediants and keep the costs down.

I'm also partake in another website (https://www.organizedchristmas.com) where they plan for Christmas all year around :eek: As thats too much for me to cope with I visit there from October onwards when they start a "Christmas Countdown". With it being an American based site, they have everything organised in time for Thanksgiving which gives me a few weeks free time to relax, plan the packing for when we're going away, and pick up any really last minute gifts. I've been doing it since Christmas 2001 and I actually get teased when I start talking about Christmas in September. BUT this year my Nana actually asked me a few weeks back "Have you started getting ready for Christmas yet?" so I wasn't the first to mention the C word this year :rotfl:

There is also a Holiday Grand Plan at https://www.Organizedhome.com which starts in September where you deep clean a room a week so the whole house is decluttered and "sparkling" intime for Christmas. I do that as well, but since I have fewer rooms I can allocate a week here and there for Ebay things or spend two weeks on a particular room

I'm saving money on an Asda Christmas Savings Card that I used last year and putting my PIN money on it £5 at a time. I'm off to look for preserving things on ebay to get an idea of their price and some ideas for gifts for DD

MATH

AAAAARRRRHHHHHHH:eek:

You lot are sooooo scary.

Stop it...Stop it...Stop it...

La la la la la la la. I'm not listening.

Have they stopped yet?

Rage_in_Eden

Nicki: I love buying early on QVC - especially the bits and bobs of jewellry you can get.

Can i revise my presents bought list to 4 - the book man has just been in work and I now have OH's aunties presents - £5 each for one of those birthday books with cards!!! sorted :j

eyeopener

We save £20.00 a month to one of those high street shopping voucher things. Saving till Oct. so thats £200. also saving tesco clubcard vouchers. The plan being that we don't spend anything more than this.

For years i've fought against Crimbo in July but then I was always skint in January, Febuary.....................

Loadsabob

eyeopener wrote:

For years i've fought against Crimbo in July but then I was always skint in January, Febuary.....................

I know what you mean, but what I object to is the commercial nature of all the early Christmas things in stores. It feels different to me when it's old style - starting to think ahead and get organised from now on means to me that I have more time to actually enjoy the season when it arrives, rather than running around trying to find things I've forgotten, or relying on the post for last minute things that should have been ordered long before! What a lovely thought that I won't have that this year!

eyeopener

Loadsabob wrote:

but what I object to is the commercial nature of all the early Christmas things in stores. It feels different to me when it's old style - starting to think ahead and get organised from now on means to me that I have more time to actually enjoy the season when it arrivesthought that I

Yep. How many times have I charged around on Christmas Eve buying rubbish, stupid boy. Any shop that has decorations up in October should be petrol bombed( a little extreme maybe but punishment must fit the crime). Small things do annoy me. :rolleyes:

the thought of just chillin' with my new family and not worrying about how to fund the thing is great. Me and OH put a limit of £10.00 for each others presents last year. Amazing how inventive you can be and that was the start of Old Style living although we had been living like that already and not realised it. :T