Christmas planning and chat

[Talisman]

We have booked our Christmas delivery slot from Sainsburys (there is NO WAY I am going there in person in the midst of a pandemic) and started to think about what we might want for our main course. We put the tree up yesterday and will hang the wreath on the door later on. We had a Christmas shopping event at work a week or so ago where I got some bits for my sister and I have bought a bottle of Amaretto for the Polish guy who works for me. We have another new cleaner starting in a weeks time but I want to get him something small so he doesnt feel left out, so I will probably get him a chocolate reindeer or something. We have got some Christmas treats for the cats too so they are all sorted.  

Edited December 6, 2020 by Talisman

[muggle not]

We may put our tree up tomorrow, if not then hopefully on Wednesday or even Thursday.  Tuesday we are driving to Charlottesville for an appointment with our dentist and then stopping on the way home at an Orchard to get the final bit of apples this year which will be the Pink Lady.

 

[Madeleine]

Trees all up, most cards written and posted, couple of presents to parcel up and go to the Post Office, not looking forward to that! 

[Chrissy]

I LOVE Pink Lady apples! That hill top certainly looks frosted up.

 

Our little tree is up and decorated. Had a lovely time opening up the bags and boxes that hold our Christmas bits and pieces. Husband became chief battery finder / sorter, while I threw things at the tree in a haphazard manner.  We have lots of lights up and bits that make us smile because they are either daft or poignant.

 

I dread being anywhere near the shops in the coming weeks, so I will stick with my 6 am shopping trips, while batch cooking meals for the freezer, so I can just completely relax in a fortnights time. 

[Brian.]

21 minutes ago, Chrissy said:

I dread being anywhere near the shops in the coming weeks, so I will stick with my 6 am shopping trips, while batch cooking meals for the freezer, so I can just completely relax in a fortnights time. 

 

Im with you there. As much as I love Christmas, the one thing I can't stand is the insane amount of people buying insane amounts of stuff.

[muggle not]

We finally decorated our tree today. Also a photo of a poinsettia we bought for Christmas. It is a new one this year and is supposed to be the whitest of all white poinsettias. Its name is Alaska. 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2020 by muggle not

[Marie H]

Wow, Poinsettia Alaska looks to be HUGE! .

[Chrissy]

Gorgeous, muggle not.  

 

As soon as the sun starts to disappear each day husband switches all the lights on, and gives a satisfied sigh. 

Last week I cooked lots of different dishes to freeze, so that if I'm not in the mood to cook over the Christmas couple of weeks I can do freezer-oven-plate dishes. The kitchen had a wonderful range of aromas for a day or so. 

[poppy]

On 12/10/2020 at 2:45 AM, Chrissy said:

I dread being anywhere near the shops in the coming weeks, so I will stick with my 6 am shopping trips, while batch cooking meals for the freezer, so I can just completely relax in a fortnights time. 

What a good idea (both 6am shopping and freezer meals)!

Our shops don't open that early and the times I've gone quite early, a lot of stock hasn't arrived for the day 

 

19 hours ago, muggle not said:

We finally decorated our tree today. Also a photo of a poinsettia we bought for Christmas. It is a new one this year and is supposed to be the whitest of all white poinsettias. Its name is Alaska. 

 

The poinsettia is gorgeous Muggle and your tree is always beautiful 

[Raven]

20 hours ago, muggle not said:

 

 

 

That looks like it should rotate... 

 

I'm doing a dry run for Christmas Day, and currently cooking a roast (yeah, I know, a bit late in the day of that, but the Grand Prix followed by His Dark Materials have conspired for late eating).

 

It's quite warm in the flat right now!

 

[Raven]

7 minutes ago, Raven said:

 

That looks like it should rotate... 

 

 

And this is the music I'm hearing in my head:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EC-339GuUg

[Marie H]

Yahoo, finish the Christmas shopping this morning, and quite a lot of people thought the same, as it was busy at 6.20am. No queuing outside Sainsbury's, thankfully. 

[Brian.]

2 hours ago, Marie H said:

Yahoo, finish the Christmas shopping this morning, and quite a lot of people thought the same, as it was busy at 6.20am. No queuing outside Sainsbury's, thankfully. 

 

Same here. The carpark at my local Tesco was busy and I feared the worst but they had plenty of staff so there were no queues at the checkouts.

[Chrissy]

My final shop of the year took place this morning,  and I was happily back in the car by ten past six. Phew!

Over the weekend I thought it would be better to get it done earlier than usual (I usually go in around 6am). From the numbers going in as I came away, I made the right decision. I only had a little 'topping up' shopping to do, so it was pretty painless. Now I can relax. 

 

[Madeleine]

We went to our local large Sainsbury's on Saturday and surprisingly it was fine - around 3.00 in the afternoon, no queue to  get in and only a brief wait at the checkout.  That was, of course, before the big announcement.  Hopefully we can get any other stuff locally in smaller shops or the Co op round the corner. 

[Hayley]

I’ve just caught up on this thread and it is excellent 

 

Muggle not I think that’s the biggest poinsettia I’ve ever seen, it’s beautiful! (And I love your tree!)

 

I’m planning a very Christmassy day for the rest of today. I’m going to try to finish all my wrapping, listen to Christmas music, have a nice bath and drink hot chocolate. 

 

I had a really lovely early Christmas present yesterday. My boyfriend tricked me into thinking it was something we were keeping for his dad for Christmas, but he texted me yesterday to say he really needed a picture of the ‘cabinet for his dad’ so could I take the wrapping paper off it and send him a picture. Well, it was not a cabinet, it was a writing desk that had been partly painted with books and partly covered in real book pages under a kind of resin (there’s a word for it I can’t think of now... decoupage maybe? That might be the wrong thing...). I got my phone to ask him what was going on and he’d just sent ‘Merry Christmas’ . I’ve always wanted a proper writing desk! 
 

[Madeleine]

Sounds gorgeous - post a pic!

[Chrissy]

1 hour ago, Madeleine said:

Sounds gorgeous - post a pic!

 

 What a lovely gift, and yes, we really do need pics!

[Hayley]

The position I’ve put it in makes it really hard to get a good angle for a photo! As you can see I’ve already been experimenting with where I want my books on there  

[Brian.]

That looks great Hayley.

[Madeleine]

It's very clever, wonder how long it took to make it.

[Raven]

On 12/21/2020 at 3:04 PM, Hayley said:

 

I’ve always wanted a proper writing desk! 
 

 

Looks like a reading desk, to me!

 

*get's coat...

 

[Marie H]

Ooh, Hayley, that's a lovely writing desk!! 😍

[Chrissy]

Love it!

We expect great things to be written at this desk, Hayley! 

[Lau_Lou]

What a lovely, thoughtful gift the writing desk is 

 

 

Just wanted to wish everyone of you a Very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. (And a wonderful couple of days anyway for anyone who doesn't celebrate) 

 

Here is to to a happy, healthier, brighter and more outdoorsy 2021 where hugs with loved ones are encouraged.