lol...funny.

Nope, he's just invited to share the food I'll be preparing.

Regardless of our differences in the past, we've tried at all times to maintain a friendly relationship for the sake of the kids. It hasn't always come off as we'd have liked, but that's life I guess, and a symptom of why we didn't stay together in the first place.

It's nice for the kids to have us all together at Christmas though. That way they don't have to feel guilty about the parent they're not sharing the day with, and I know my boys do and I suspect there's lots of other kids that feel that way also.

Or maybe for the boys, it's like guys watching girls kissing.
Ya never know when it might become entertaining.:D

As much as I understand your analogy, I don't think they ever like it when things blow up between us, even though we try and keep it away from them when we do have a disagreement.

Some people's arguments can be entertaining, but I don't think there's too many kids out there who find the ones between their parents funny. :(

Oh and...it's only...

46 days to go!

I'm baking my christmas cake tomorrow...and maybe some fruitcake muffins...which may very well become my SS gift if they're looking alright. :)

45 days to go!

Today is Christmas Cake day! Soon my house will be filled with the sweet smell of rich dark fruitcake baking away in my oven. :)

44 days to go!

A lot of people are starting to talk about Christmas over here. It's on the tips of the lips of everyone's tongues.

Have you ordered your ham yet?

Order?

America is the land of plenty. I can walk into a supermarket after midnight on Christmas Eve and buy my ham if I want. Should I choose to go with the specialty ham store ham, I do have to walk in before close of business on Christmas Eve, but I'll still walk out with a ham.

So, how do you folks without Thanksgiving mark the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season?

OH yeah, you can walk into any supermarket and get a ham right up till Christmas Eve and after, but if you want a really nice one from the butcher (if your butcher happens to smoke his own meat for example) then you need to order. I usually choose this option because I don't like the preservatives they use in the mass produced hams.

There's no official start to the Christmas season unless you observe the religious ones. It mostly just starts creeping up around the end of October and by mid November we're in full swing.

and also...

43 days to go!

42 days to go!

That's only 6 weeks to those of you who're arithmetically challenged. ;)

So have you even started your Christmas shopping?

nope - first one I gotta get is for my ss early deadline and all.

Oh wait - I got one gift already, months ago - forgot about that. Duh.

I haven't started shopping properly yet, but the end of next week I hope to mostly finished except for the surf ski I want to get for Aden.

40 days to go!

Do you like fruit mince pies?

39 days to go!

Who's having roast pork this year?

What is it with pigs and Christmas anyway?

38 days to go!

I'm getting a surfski for my oldest boy this year. Mav already got his BMX bike a while ago, so just something small for him.

What are you getting your kids?

Lumps of coal.

lol...really? You're not going to be very popular are you?

Are you kidding? Rocks that burn? I'll be the most popular dad on the street.

If you say so...

37 days to go!

My MIL rang yesterday and she's going to come for lunch on Christmas day. She's bringing her carer which is a shame. He gives me the creeps. I think he's an arsehole. He's sitting at the other end of the table.

Who do you have to see at Christmas time that you'd rather not see?

relatives, Christmas decorations, piles of disposable gifts, me sober

Oh yeah...I was the driver last year so I was sober...and now this year I'm preggers, so I'll be sober again! That really sux.

I can't imagine why you wouldn't like the decorations though. I love them. :) They're all so pretty and sparkly warkly.

You're right about the disposable gifts though. It shits me when people can't think of something to buy, so they just get you soap and moisturizers and that sort of thing. Do I fucking stink???? What is WRONG with you people. lol

36 days to go!

So, who hasn't got their SS gift ready to send yet?

Anyone?

Oh you're the one huh?!?

Get thee to the shops today!!!

I am the ONE! Haven't even shopped yet. I normally start with a good idea of what I want before I go out. This recipient leaves me so many options that I haven't decided which to get yet. It'll happen this weekend.

LOL...I like your little blue tagline.

I hate you for starting this thread! Except every time I see this, it reminds me that I haven't done SQUAT yet for x-mas. :3eye:

Well, I did start it as a reminder thread, not just to annoy people. lol (although of course that's always a side benefit)

I haven't started shopping yet. Need to have a paycheck or two under my belt so I have MONEY to go shopping!

35 days to go!

You know what that means right?

Only 5 weeks till the big day. :D

Ok. Now you're making me anxious. Mrs. Dar is not one for a lot of "stuff". So shopping for her is a skull-scratcher.

For those of you who had small children before internet shopping really took off, I would just like to ask: How the fuck did you get Christmas shopping done? It's hard enough just to browse, click, enter my credit card information, answer the door for the UPS guy, and get everything wrapped with the carpet monkeys clawing at me all the time. If I had to go to physical stores during business hours, without even knowing for sure if that store carried the item I was looking for, assuming I even had a good idea of what it was in the first place... well, everyone would be getting their presents from the same damn store, for starters. My family would be so thrilled with their Wal-Mart gift certificates, let me tell you.

I used to put the kids in the trolley with a few toys and they'd sit and play and 'have a ride around the shops'. I'd go to a big shopping centre with various shops to choose from and I'd have an idea of what I wanted to get for people on my list before I left the house. If a shop offered gift wrapping, I'd have that to save me having to do it at home and I"d just have a packet of gift tags in my handbags to put on the gift in the store.

It actually wasn't a big deal for me.

I have been accused of being a bit OC about being organized though...so maybe that's it.

I think that's really more my problem, I have a snarly toddler who won't put up with being in a trolley (I'm assuming this is Aussie-speak for a stroller.) He'll do a grocery cart though, because he gets to stand up inside the basket and have a little bit of room to move. That's currently the litmus test for whether I can go to any store or not: do they offer carts? But for hypothetical olden-days Christmas shopping, this would eliminate books, which is usually a large portion of my gift list. And still there would be the issue of buying gifts for the kids themselves. I think we'd have to hire a babysitter. Thank God for the internet.

A trolley is a grocery cart. Fits two midgets in quite nicely. ;)

34 days to go!

I bought my new tree yesterday. I couldn't believe the price of them! We don't have real trees too much over here because the right sort of pine trees don't really grow well. You can just use an ordinary pine tree, but they're not very lush, and some people use sheoaks, which is what we did when I was a kid. They were nice, but getting the needles out of mum's loop pile carpet was a bitch.

I want to put my tree up today, but Mav is telling me it's too early. He could be right, but I still want to anyway.

33 days to go!

I put the tree together yesterday. Maybe I'll decorate it today. :)

32 days to go!

I'm going to ice my cake this week. Have you baked yours yet?

31 days to go!

Oh and btw, Happy Turkey Day to you merkins. :)

Thats not till Thursday ya damned Aussie!

Jews don't do either of them?

Well bugger me. I thought it was the 25th. lol

I guess I'll just say it again in a couple of days.

The kidlet's first birthday is on Thanksgiving this year :D Double holiday!! ... and no one to celebrate with. Who wants to come out to central Tennessee for a Thanksgiving/first birthday party??

30 days to go!

Well I'd come except I'm a bit far away to make it on time now I think. ;)

So it's only 1 calendar month till Christmas. I hope all you slackers are starting to take me seriously now. You know that's only 4.3 weeks don't you?

OMG - freaking out - I hate this thread... HATE IT!

This thread is for the benefit of all. :) Perhaps you should stop visiting if it stresses you out too much? lol But then, how would you know how many days till Christmas?

29 days to go!

Oh, and I almost forgot...

Happy Thanksgiving!

That's for you yanks when you get up tomorrow. :)

28 days to go!

That's exactly 4 weeks to those of you who haven't started shopping yet!

Ok now that Turkey Day is over, I approve of this message.

Like me????? Stop it Ali - you're freakin me out! The only gift I've gotten is for my SS.

I'm so glad I have your approval Merc. :rolleyes:

27 days to go!

You'd better get started then classic. :)

We got presents for my Dad and his wife and my brother and his wife yesterday. Kids are taken care of more or less, so all we have to do is get our camera and we're more or less done. :)

It is now December (my time) so I am willing to acknowledge the approach of the merchandising season.

It is still November here - Geez - You almost gave me a heart attack!

In case you didn't notice, the merchandising season has well and truly started...with very poor results. Hence all the 'pre-christmas' sales on atm, which I admit I'm enjoying. :)

25 days to go!

Sales are up here in the U.S. or so I heard on the telly this am.

There's one group that're spending money this year, and they're the ones with no mortgage, no kids and no other financial commitments. Generally 20 - 30 yr old singles or couples with decent jobs but no investments.

The 20yr olds here are, I believe, typically debt laden with a propensity to have overextended themselves with student loans and Credit card debt.

So, Ali,
Is your changing color scheme like the Terror Alert Level? :worried:

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/writing/terror-all.jpg

Very funny Pie. :) But no, I just thought I'd use a different 'christmassy' colour every 10 days. As people catch on they realise there are less and less days to go. ;)

In fact, there's only...

24 days to go!

23 days to go!

Pretty soon I'll be onto the next colour. I think it'll be silver.

So, any of you other slackos started shopping for anything other than Cellar SS yet?

Three weeks left means dear ol' St. Nick is looming near...

GAH!! And I have no Christmas shopping done, other than for my SS!! (which reminds me, since I can't drive I need to send Ted to the post office...)