OS Christmas Support thread & timetable

Queenie

pavlovs_dog wrote:

i know one of the supermarkets (im almost certain it was asda) did a free letter to santa scheme last year, dont know if it will be repeated this year

Asda has done it every year - the replies from Santa are put on a noticeboard in the store

JC67 - I suppose it's a pot luck thing? .. if you have an Asda nearby, try that instead.

BWZN93

Im all xmassy excited again! Ikea had decorations in there last week (ive already decided what im buying on payday) and I also found some rather lovely snazzy decorations in Tesco (finest - glass balls with hand decorated holly on them, they look rather swish) which I bought myself this evening.

Im still on the lookout for lights, I dont want to spend an immense amount but the bulbs must be white, replaceable, and and I dont care if they are static or flashing etc, but I dont want them to look cheap either. Any ideas?? Im also looking for a fake tree as I hate needles in the carpet, but fake ones can look cheap - I want a decent looking tree (about 6foot but not too fat) and costs less than £50 - again, does anyone have any ideas??

As I worked myself up into a frenzy - I realised I could get my friends free xmas prezzies - pigsback do cd vouchers - I can order the cd's and wrap them up - so genious, but I never thought of it before. I also spotted a double xmas CD, so that might take priority tbh!!

Anyhoo - Im all excited - and tesco have some lovely xmas pot pourri that I might get next time I go shopping.....

SO - If any of you wonderful peeps know where to get nice xmas tree's, lights and decorations that wont cost the earth but look nice enough for me not to throw them out of the window (xmas is a big deal for me!) then let me know!

Jo x

nicki_2

Well our Christmas cake is cooked and has cooled overnight :drool: I'll have to wrap it up and store it in some greaseproof/foil today.

Today I'm going to work on budgets for people, I've already got an idea of how much I want to spend so it shouldn't take very long at all. Then I have to print out a Christmas card checklist to make sure we have everybody/change of situations (deaths or splits) /addresses noted so I don't go sending a Christmas card to the wrong person or to someone who has died :eek:

Chipps

Im all xmassy excited again! Ikea had decorations in there last week (ive already decided what im buying on payday)

I have to confess to having bought loads of decorations in Ikea - in January - for 10p each! Actually, I think I paid 20p for some of the sets, but still a pretty reasonable price!

Loadsabob

jw1096 wrote:

Im still on the lookout for lights, I dont want to spend an immense amount but the bulbs must be white, replaceable, and and I dont care if they are static or flashing etc, but I dont want them to look cheap either. Any ideas??

Jo x

Hi Jo,

I hate Asda (and all the big supermarkets!) but I did get some lovely lights from them two or three years ago. Good price. They're little round red ones, I think they called them "Cranberry lights", but they're plain, nothing fancy about them, no gimicks. Static not flashing, dancing or musical! I really like them, and I think only one bulb has gone so far.

bonnie_2

i have done some organising and have enough to do 9 baskets for all the ladies, apart from mums and dads who get £10 spent on them and nannas who get 3 things each from £1 shop. i am doing incence, candles, herbal teas and homemade soap and bath salts in little straw baskets what to do for 6 men 2 of whom are little men. i have some freebies which i am going to use for mums, dads and childrens stocking fillers.The kids are only getting £20 each this year arent i mean.i have also made 31 cards and got another 57 to go plus the cake, pudding ,mince pies and sausage rolls.plus i need something to make for the craft fayre at the school.any ideas for men.

sallypurple

"The kids are only getting £20 each this year arent i mean"
No, I don't think you are. It's a relief to hear someone else is only spending £20 on their kids for christmas. I find it really hard at work when everyone else is spending hundreds. One woman has already got her child a bike, PS2 and her stocking fillers are bigger than my main presents. I know my kids will be really happy with what I've chosen though, they're not at all materialistic.

Sweet_Pea_2

Jo,
A couple of years ago we redecorated our lounge and I had saved up all our change all year to buy a new tree to go in it. Our old tree is actually quite nice, although its probably 20 years old now, buts its only about 4 foot tall and I had always wanted a big one. I had about £75 to spend in all. I went to Matalan and bought a fab 6 foot tree, with pine cones in it. It cost £35, and it looks really realistic. Our decorations were quite nice, (mainly red and gold) but we didnt have enough so I bought some gorgeous ones, also from Matalan, a couple of types of sparkly gold stars, a some beautiful red beaded ones, (they look like they have come from India!) I have gold chain and loads of red ribbon, it looks a bit like chiffon, in red with gold glitter edging, its wired so it stands up and you wrap it around the tree (like tinsel) I also bought some red "berry" lights, also from Matalan. When we were on holiday my holiday present to myself was a lovely delicate gold wire star for the top which glitters in different colours.
In the end I spent around £60, and we have a VERY posh tree, everyone comments on how beautiful it is, although it takes me hours to do.
I put the old tree in the porch, and I bought purple and silver decos for it for a change, but I dont like it as much as the red and gold.
After all this waffle, my actual tip was to try Matalan!

jlw_3

Home Bargains have some Santa Letters. They had letters for sending to Santa plus they also had a letter from Santa including envelope for I think 39p. Last year I made my own on the computer but the ones in Home Bargains are brilliant value for money.

Lillibet_2

sallypurple wrote:

"The kids are only getting £20 each this year arent i mean"
No, I don't think you are. It's a relief to hear someone else is only spending £20 on their kids for christmas. I find it really hard at work when everyone else is spending hundreds. One woman has already got her child a bike, PS2 and her stocking fillers are bigger than my main presents. I know my kids will be really happy with what I've chosen though, they're not at all materialistic.

Sounds most reasonabel to me, espeically if you can make Christmas abotu teh occasion & not about the presnets. In my very humble opinion too many families christmases are abotu opening the presnets in as gultonious manner as possoble then watching TV all day whilst eating too many sweets!

On the subject of stockign fillers, is it me or are shops & cataloges advertising lots of "stocking fillers" at £5 or even £10 + punds each? £10 on a stocking filler? You've got to be joking!