60 Days
Till Christmas! Yay!!!
This is the official Cellar countdown.
Of course, we time superior beings in Australia and NZ, and also our asian friends, will be a day in front of you yanks and poms...and other assorted varieties. :)
Its NOT time yet! stop that till after Thanksgiving.
Oh thats an American holiday - as you were.
At least wil til Bonfire Night!
Oh, that's an English celebration...
You're going to have to change the thread title every day.
Gag me. We have not even had Halloweenie yet and I saw some Xmas stuff in the store the other day. There should be a law, no Christmas displays or goods can be displayed until the day after Thanksgiving (which I don't think you Brits celebrate) but that should be the rule in the US dammit.
Thanksgiving (which I don't think you Brits celebrate)
:lol: Think about it, Merc :lol:
Although the cruel amongst us might suggest we give thanks for gettig rid of those troublesome colonists...
Christmas is technically a religious holiday. The Advent season is the religious time that anticipates Christmas, starting 4 weeks (roughly, depending on the calendar that year) before Christmas. Advent doesn't include any celebrations or major decorations. It's a time for quiet reflection, and in years past even included fasting like in Lent. Christmas itself isn't celebrated until Christmas eve. It lasts until the feast of the Epiphany, which marks the visit by the wise men. This is on January 6th.
So just to recap. The "official" religious Christmas season is Dec. 24th through Jan. 6th.
I know that virtually nobody follows this schedule, (including me) but it's worthwhile to post the "official" schedule while comparing practices.
I thought Australians had Christmas in June?
Glatt - actually, growing up Catholic we did follow that schedule in our religious life.
Advent at school and at church every Sunday were given over to quiet reflection, at least as far as they could rein in excited kids. We lit the advent candles every week at both church and school (I still know most of the verse to "Light the Advent Candle") and although we opened an advent calendar, they were full of bible verses and pictures of the story of the Nativity - not Pwer Rangers and Barbie and chocolates.
But in our secular life, we laid by food for the feast. Christianity is a relative newcomer in the life of men after all.
:lol: Think about it, Merc :lol:
Although the cruel amongst us might suggest we give thanks for gettig rid of those troublesome colonists...
Ya, but you guys have that "burn a dude in a bon fire" night, I think you are secretly burning those pesky Splitters. :D
Oh babba, we had people to burn before you'd even started killing Native Americans :)
No, I refuse to deal with Christmas until at least December 1st. I am not a big Christmas fan. I hate the commercialism, the crowds, the non-stop playing on the radio of "Grandma got run over by a reindeer," etc., etc. You can call me Scrooge, but I vastly prefer a quiet celebration of the solstice and the return of the light. :p
At a party on Saturday, I heard about
this amazing sale that National Geographic holds each November to unload discontinued items and stuff like that. One of my friends ends up buying hundreds of dollars worth of stuff at this sale every year, and uses them throughout the year for various birthday presents. I actually end up buying one or two things from the National Geographic store anyway each Christmas for my father-in-law and others who are difficult to shop for.
With 90% discounts on much of their stuff, I think I'm going to check out the sale. National Geographic sells nice stuff. Not just maps and books, but crafts from around the world, educational toys, and clothes.
I'll go to the one in the DC Armory, but they have them in other cities around the country too. Maybe near you.
Hmm... thanks for the info, Glatt. Will have to check that out... especially since I got three birthdays in November, as well as Solstice coming up...
I went into Lowe's last week and had to wade thru christmas decorations to get to what i was after. mid october. they used to wait until after halloween at least.
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And I realise that lots of you get annoyed by Christmas preparations and decorations being about too early, but I have only one word for you...
...scrooge. :)
I admit I've already bought 2 presents and decided on 3 more...
I haven't bought any presents yet. I'm only thinking about food right now. lol
Actually, I have thought about getting my boys surf skis for Christmas this year. It's a perfect present considering where we live now, and I know they love paddling them.
I don't know what to get Dazza though. I'm hoping there'll be some divine inspiration on that one. lol
I've started bookmarking gift ideas for the kids. But I won't even start thinking about food until we've finished the harrowing travel/schedule negotiations with the rest of the family.
*covers ears and sings loudly* Can't hear you. Can't hear you.
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What about Boxing Day?? People forget it and it makes me sad....I love Boxing Day.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Day_of_ChristmasYou mean cricket day of course. :)
Why, did the Australian apprentices collect their pennies in a cricket box?
Nope, we all just watch cricket on Boxing day. Unless of course you don't like cricket, in which case you go to the beach or just be generally lazy. ;)
It is way to early to even think about talking about Christmas yet.
But, ahh, boxing day ... feast-bloated belly, stinking hot outside, stretched back on the couch with a few mince pies and maybe some leftover Chrissy dinner / beverages, six hours just kicking back .... nice.
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Almost time to start stocking up on Christmas lights!
Oh and ZenGum...it's never too early to talk about Christmas! Shame on you!!!
Well, I bought around $700 bucks worth of new computer parts, Does that count??? NO?
Now no funds for even stamps, much less the cards. :smack:
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Now I wont be posting again till at least sunday night but most likely Monday, so I'm going to miss a couple of days of the countdown, but I'm sure Zen will take care of it for me...knowing how much he's into thinking about Christmas early and all. ;)
Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg...
[SIZE=1][COLOR=Silver]humbug.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
Ok.....tell you what, guys, I'll grab her you bonk her on the head....ready?
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I just thought you should all know. :)
*bangs head on giant typing*
For fuck's sake Ali!
What, you think I should make it smaller?
[SIZE="1"]not likely...[/SIZE]
btw
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I just got all my table ornaments for Christmas today. Have you got yours yet?
Ali, are you normally insane even when you're not pregnant? :p
Some people would say that I am.
I'm just surprised that there's not one single other person here who's looking forward to Christmas as much as me.
Maybe I am preparing a bit earlier than usual, but that does have something to do with being pregnant. On Christmas day, I'll be six calendar months pregnant which is almost 7 months if you go by weeks. I'm figuring if I leave stuff till the last minute, I'll regret it because I wont feel like going shopping in the heat and crowds here in the last few weeks before hand.
So anyway, just get bloody excited or I'll have to come down south and kick you up the clacker! ;)
I'm just surprised that there's not one single other person here who's looking forward to Christmas as much as me.
I'm pleased that for once I'm with the majority. Have your fun though.
I'm just surprised that there's not one single other person here who's looking forward to Christmas as much as me.
No discussions of Christmas, decorations, sales, or other references to Christmas until after Thanksgiving!
I'm pleased that for once I'm with the majority. Have your fun though.
Thankyou Griff, I will. :) btw, you're not the only one around here who's often in the minority. ;)
No discussions of Christmas, decorations, sales, or other references to Christmas until after Thanksgiving!
I was talking to Dazza about this last night, and in the end, I decided I don't care about thanksgiving. :) Christmas is far more important to me. Sorry if I that upsets you yankies (well not really but it's the appropriate thing to say right?) but TG has no relevance in my life as an Australian.
Oh, and...
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My fruit has been soaking in brandy for a week now. One more week and it's time to bake my cake. :)
Thanksgiving has no meaning for me either.
Clocks have gone back, Halloween is done.
BUT
I have my child mentoring interview on Friday
The I find out my Secret Santa recipient on the Monday after
I go to see Monkey on Tuesday
and if I get to be a child mentor I have my training the weekend after that
So I can't start the countdown until at least the 11th and possibly not til the 16th. Mmm-kay?
You can do that. I'll be sure not to say anything you might be interested in through the course of this thread till after then. :)
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Time to start looking in that decorations box and find out if anything needs replacing or repairing.
Time to start looking in that decorations box and find out if anything needs replacing or repairing.
Absolutely. In about 50 days.
haha...very funny.
You're not much of a boy scout are you? ;)
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How exciting! Have you thought about what to cook for lunch on the big day yet?
We're having cold seafood and possibly a roast pork with veges. (depends on whether my crazy MIL comes or not)
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It's getting close now.
Have you thought about who you're spending Christmas with yet?
I'll likely do what I always do: have a leisurely breakfast alone with my dog, then meet up with ma and her dog for a woods walk, then leave the dogs at her house and stroll down the hill to my brother's house for christmas dinner with him, his wife and the two girls.
That's as much planning as I require. In the unlikey even martin's not doin the bi family thing, me and mum will eat together.
Christmas in my family doesnt really get 'arranged'....it sort of happens. The meal gets planned, I presume.
[eta] fuck. fuck fuck fuck. you bitch, you wore me down and made me think about Christmas. Fuck fuck fuck. That's it now. The first little tinselly glimmers of christmassyess. FUCK OFF.
I should think I'll be going home.
I have a feeling the office closes over Christmas. So if my landlady & son are here, I'l politely ask them to feed Diz for a couple of days and head back to Bucks.
Otherwise I might go up for a night, then spend the rest of the time here, but I'll def do a London Walk (Christmas Eve or Boxing Day) to mark the season.
I knew it. I KNEW it! I knew I'd crack you sooner or later Dana! ;)
btw, did you know that it's only
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We're going to have a nice quiet Christmas this year. Just my Dad and Step Mother and Dazza's Mum and probably my boys natural father for lunch, then a quiet night at home to rest and recuperate. :)
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That's less than 7 weeks.
How much christmas shopping have you done?
snip~ and probably my boys natural father for lunch ~snip
Roasted? Broiled? BBQ'd? :unsure:
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...
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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. :)
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Today is Christmas Cake day! Soon my house will be filled with the sweet smell of rich dark fruitcake baking away in my oven. :)
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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?
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...
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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.
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Do you like fruit mince pies?
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Who's having roast pork this year?
What is it with pigs and Christmas anyway?
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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?
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.
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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
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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!
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You know what that means right?
Only 5 weeks till the big day. :D
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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. ;)
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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.
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I put the tree together yesterday. Maybe I'll decorate it today. :)
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I'm going to ice my cake this week. Have you baked yours yet?
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Oh and btw, Happy Turkey Day to you merkins. :)
Thats not till Thursday ya damned Aussie!
What is it with pigs and Christmas anyway?
Jews don't do either of them?
Thats not till Thursday ya damned Aussie!
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??
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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?
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Oh, and I almost forgot...
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Blue"]Happy Thanksgiving![/COLOR][/SIZE]
That's for you yanks when you get up tomorrow. :)
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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:
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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. :)
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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!
It is now December (my time) so I am willing to acknowledge the approach of the merchandising season.
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. :)
[COLOR="Orange"][SIZE="7"]25 days to go![/SIZE][/COLOR]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:
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...
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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...)
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I'm going to have to check back on this thread. I think I've somehow gotten a day behind.
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That's only 3 weeks folks. I hope you've got your shit together by now. ;)
nope - not even remotely close.
Okay, I will now endorse the holiday season. I'll start and finish shopping tomorrow.
I've ordered a couple of shipments from different websites for the kids, and have plenty more bookmarked that we're prioritizing and making sure we don't stumble on anything better. But I am stumped for Mr. Clod. I know what he wants: he wants a PS3. But he readily admits it's too expensive and won't get enough use. He still has unopened videogames for our existing systems (for the record, we have a PS2, a GameCube, two Playstations--one stock and one mod-chipped--two Gameboy SPs, and a Nintendo DS.) AND he just spent a bunch upgrading his PC so it could play Fallout 3. So no PS3, no freaking way. But I can't come up with anything else he wants, at all. We already skimp on presents for ourselves pretty viciously in favor of stuff for the kids, and we didn't even go out on our last anniversary. I need to get him something good, but I don't have any idea what.
I still haven't iced my christmas cake yet, but I finally picked up the last few bits and pieces I need for it yesterday, so I might get to it on Monday. Besides that, we're going to decorate the tree today, and then this arvy I'm going to wrap presents. :)
It's all very exciting really. Specially since there's only...
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Ooops...I missed a day! you know what that means right???
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Sorry about that folks. I guess life does get in the way sometimes. :)
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That's not long.
Are you organized yet Classic? lol
Still don't have any idea what to get the FIL. Everyone else is covered, as far as I know.
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Glad to see there's at least one dwellar who's got things sorted. I recommend a gift certificate for the FIL. That's always a good fall back when you really can't think of anything good. At least that way he can go get himself whatever he likes from his fav store. :)
Yeabbut, he still gets us gift certificates, along with "real" gifts. He's retired, we both work, but he still feels like "Dad has to provide" or something.
So a merely reciprocal gift certificate wouldn't really fit, I think.
ETA: Badger is thinking of getting him a hammer drill, whatever that is. :confused:
Also known as a masonry drill. If you want to drill into concrete or bricks for example. It hammers while it drills. ;)
I regret not getting one when I purchased a drill a while ago. I really should have. It'd be much more useful.
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That's just two weeks to finish all your shopping and get all your preparations organized.
Not long now folks!
Parents and in laws are taken care of now. Just gotta buy for kids, husband and niece.
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Yep, we're down to the last two weeks (including today)!
I wrapped all my pressies yesterday and will get the last couple of little ones today then I'm all done.
Next week is cake icing and sweets week! Yehaa. That should be fun. :)
I started wrapping today. But I'm not going any further until I have proof the toddler can leave the presents under the tree without tearing into them. (If not, I'll have to come up with another place to stick them all until Christmas.)
Right now the big item on my to-do list is make all the necessary phone calls to organize which side of the family is coming to my house when. But I can't, because then they'll ask me what food they should bring, and I won't have a good answer because I have no plan about what to serve yet. I hate organizing social events.
I love organizing that sort of stuff. Give me the numbers. I'll do it for you Clod. ;)
ETA: When my boys were that age, we didn't put the presents out till Christmas Eve when they were in bed. That way it helped us keep up the Santa myth. It really worked too because I'd get the kids to leave cookies and milk for santa and a carrot for rudolph along with a card. In the morning the cookies would be gone along with the milk, and the carrot would be mostly eaten (by me of course, rudolph doesn't really exist) and there'd be a card for them from Santa.
I swear they loved it and it made their day so special.
Wha wha what? No Rudolph????
Yes, it's true. Santa has been lying to you this whole time. The real Rudolph died decades ago, and he just keeps replacing him with a new reindeer that looks the same. Just like Lassie. Santa is a lying bastard, is what I'm trying to say.
-sniffles- No... no Rudolph? He's... are you... My Christmas is now RUINED :(
There IS a Rudolph* - she was here visiting not too long ago.
*Rudolph happens to be the last name of a friend of mine. This time of year she gets the "Where's your red nose?" bit quite often. Swears she can't fly, too.
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Yep, I've definitely lost/added a day somewhere. Sorry to those of you already panicking, but now you have even less time to get your shit together. :)
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We're making rumballs today. Yummy. :) Might get around to making coconut ice too or chocolate fudge.
ok ok, I actually spent a couple hours today - got the tree, got it up and the lights on, got all my kids done and decorated the house some more. The impending year and the financial negativity that is coming has sucked a lot of the merriment outta me.
The house looks nice and smells wonderful. Perhaps I'm starting to warm up to it a bit.
It's about time Scrooge. ;)
GAH!! Okay okay, Trea, don't panic, it's still more than a week away... presents? Check. Wrapped? Damn, nope. Tree? Fuggit, gotta get Ted to lug it out of the cabin, and there's no ornaments for it. Cooking? Screw that, we're going to be out of town. OH, damn, I forgot to get the animals Christmas presents. I KNEW I was forgetting something.
Yes, it's true. Santa has been lying to you this whole time. The real Rudolph died decades ago, and he just keeps replacing him with a new reindeer that looks the same. Just like Lassie. Santa is a lying bastard, is what I'm trying to say.
That's cool. Venison steak and a
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The rumballs are good. Finally doing my cake today and hopefully getting the fudge and coconut ice done. Maybe even the white christmas.
We'll see, but I'm finally getting there anyway. :)
See, I told you all I wasn't starting too early!
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Orange"]9 days to go![/COLOR][/SIZE]
I've finished my sweets now and put the first layer of icing on my cake.
Today I will make a start on the top layer which will (hopefully) be the pretty layer. :)
Oh...I finished the last of my wrapping yesterday too. I think I'm almost ready.
No further progress till the weekend. I'm so far behind I think I'm ahead.
How do you get in the Christmas Spirit when it's the middle of summer?
I guess when it's what you're brought up with it's summer that brings on the Christmas spirit. It seems a bit weird to consider snow and cold at Christmas to be honest.
It's just different. :)
Does your Santa arrive on a surf board pulled by sharks, then?
Which leads me to something else ... if you don't have Thanksgiving, how do you know when it's time to put up the Christmas Decorations?
It's time when it feels like it's time. Usually some time around the begining of December.
Santa comes on a sleigh pulled by the
six white boomers.
Thank you. I love Rolf Harris. He used to get some airplay on Dr. Demento.
Looks like the boomers are stronger than reindeer. It takes eight of them (nine if it's foggy) to get the job done.
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Silver"]7 days to go![/COLOR][/SIZE]
Yes it's all very confusing, but I was right the first time so...sorry guys, you lot have just lost that day you gained for a few there. ;) (I think I was looking at the date on the non-logged in screen or something which comes up with the US date not the Australian so if you want, you can just add a day for yourselves to my Australian countdown...which is really where it all starts anyway. :) )
Today I'm doing some more of my Christmas cake. I think I might even post a couple of pics later if anyone wants to see. :)
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Red"]6 days to go![/COLOR][/SIZE]
Finished the cake yesterday!
Today my ham arrives, as does my turkey. I guess i'd better make some space in the fridge!
How are you going with your arrangements now?
There are no arrangements.
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Orange"]5 days to go![/COLOR][/SIZE]
My ham arrived yesterday. It looks and smells delicious! So did my turkey.
What the hell? All along you've been reassuring me that there are 60 days to go to Christmas. Now I find out it is less than a week? Lure me into a false sense of security, damnit. Lucky I checked in here.
Yes, very bloody lucky huh? Specially since now there's only...
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Silver"]4 days to go![/COLOR][/SIZE]
So I went shopping today and was in the hardware store looking for other things when I found these awesome rechargeable spotlight torches, 2,000,000 candle power. I figured my brother would love one, if only to fool around with. I already had planned a present for him but this was perfect.
I bought it ($10 super clearance special cause they don't stock them anymore), brought it home and figured that I should give it to him fully charged, so I plugged it in. Then I tested it.
Problem.
I want it.
Damn.
They've probably sold out.
Damn.
I could get him the original planned present.
What to do, what to do...
Just keep it. lol He'll never know unless you tell him, and besides, next time he comes over you can let him play with it at your house. ;)
[SIZE="7"][COLOR="Red"]3 days to go![/COLOR][/SIZE]
Cards posted to nearest and dearest today.
Presents wrapped for husband yesterday (we opened ours this morning, the first of three family Christmasses we're involved in); for my mother and his relatives this evening; for the rest of my family on Christmas day I expect.
The whole dinner thang requires another thread - suffice to say that this year I'm managing to do the turkey backwards (:blush: ) i.e. soup earlier this week, cold turkey on Boxing Day and hot roas turkey on 28th December.
[COLOR="SeaGreen"][SIZE="7"]2 days to go![/SIZE][/COLOR]
Yehaaa! Only two sleeps to go!
And guess what? I've made a brilliant start on the babys room during the break too. I'll post pics of that somewhere else soon. :)
:xmashat: :gift: [FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="7"][COLOR="Red"]1 DAY TO GO!!!![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] :xmashat: :gift:
It's so exciting! My ham is in the oven baking with it's coating of cloves and red currant jelly. Mmmmmmm...Smells delicious! I will stuff my turkey next in readiness for tomorrow morning. The gifts are all under the tree and soon the mad house cleaning will begin. :)
Oh I do love a merry Christmas!
Ugh...I'm with zen...up at 8am...to go out and hand out some shoves and elbows to masses of people, for the people I love.
One left to get and I found where it is. I will attack this last task with all the excitement I can muster. Then its on to bake cookies, finish wrapping, clean the house and whatever else I forgot to do before heading into the glory that is Christmas.
I have kept my budget and hope the offspring understand. (nervous)
:hugnkiss: [SIZE="7"][COLOR="Red"]MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL![/COLOR][/SIZE] :hugnkiss: