Countdown to Christmas (2015)

[SiHart]

Hi everyone!

Christmas is coming you know... maybe you hadn't heard? So I'm here with the festive countdown!

This is the thread for you to tell us all about how your preperations for the day are going. You can discuss your present buying quandries, gloat when you've got everything wrapped, sent your cards and put up your decorations! You can even share the gossip from your Christmas Do if you like!

So come on folks, lets Countdown to Christmas!

Si xx

[Alex]

I'm surprisingly almost finished with my christmas shopping, normally it's around the 23rd that I pick up the final bits and pieces, but all I need to do is get something for my friend Sarah and that's that. It's quite a nice feeling knowing I've done it all so early on, I might even have to do this each year now I've not written any xmas cards though, I'll wait till next week to do that, even though a few have already arrived in the post...

[Dirk Gently]

Well thanks to Angela most of the presents have been bought & thanks to both of us they've nearly all been wrapped.
Half the cards have been written out & I've posted the stuff that needed to go to to the States. The dec's will be going up soon, in about a week or so.

No party to go to, no work colleagues you see.

[Wayne]

My Christmas will begin on Dec 24th & end on Dec 26th at midnight sharp.

[Stephen Morgan]

I feel a bit like Scrooge atm. Viv's been on to me to dec up, but I just haven't had the time, or the inclination. It's my day off on Friday so I've said I'll do it on the weekend. It will look like Santa's Grotto come Saturday afternoon.
We've almost finished buying pressies, we've got our food shopping to do, but that will come in the week before Christmas when I've finished work.
Christmas, as ever, will be a busy time visiting all the family, we'll be in Monmouth for Christmas Eve till Boxing Day then we'll be at my mother's for tea, maybe we'll get a few quiet days between then and New Year, but something always seems to crop up to keep us busy.
Looking forward to it all.

[Captain Tancredi]

We get our December salary (and bonus) on the 20th, which means that I have to get a fair amount of my presents in November if I'm to avoid a mad last few days. I've pretty much bought all the presents I need to take back to my mum and dad's for Christmas itself, and I'm having an experiment this year and using a Lakeland kit to make some of my own cards. A little bit more tidying and I'll be able to put some decorations up at the weekend.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm not feeling at all Christmassy yet (although maybe listening to part 1 of T'Gnomes this evening may change all that). We have got some presents sorted out, although I think it's going to 'go to the wire' this year. We're sorting out my cousin's two little girls this week, and I'm hoping to get some DW figures ordered for little nephew. There are certain things we can get locally for Little Miss (ie, clothes, CDs) so that'll probably be done out of the last payday before Christmas, plus we've ordered something for her which is due to arrive by 21st... leaving not much time if it doesn't!

So, to cut a long rambly story short, I think we're sort of organised, but I'm looking forward to sitting down Christmas Eve knowing that all that can be done is done, and just relaxing. I don't know what Zel's getting me; she's asked for some ideas but to be honest what I'm most looking forward to is (a) the holiday from work; (b) some good laughs with family; and (c) Doctor Who!!! That'll do me.

[Stephen Morgan]

...what I'm most looking forward to is (a) the holiday from work; (b) some good laughs with family; and (c) Doctor Who!!! That'll do me.

Sounds good to me Andrew.

[Pip Madeley]

I can imagine Wayne on Christmas Day, sitting there wearing a paper hat and roaches piling up around his boots.

[WhiteCrow]

I'm most looking forward to Boxing Day

No I'm not a Scrooge, but we've got a tricky Christmas Day ahead of us, spending it with my brothers rather tempramental in-laws. So Boxing Day we can spend it properly as a family.

[Michael Mills]

Being a poor student I'm keeping my present buying to a minimum this year. Having said that, I found myself with a bit of spare cash so could spend a bit more than I'd planned on my sister's gift - and the kind (albeit sour faced) lady at the Disney Store even put it in a lovely box with glitter 'n' stuff for an extra £1.50. Yes, I'm exactly the sort of clueless bloke with absolutely no idea of how to wrap presents that these sorts of offers are deliberately designed to pray on.

I've been rereading A Christmas Carol in an effort to get myself into the Christmas mood. So successful was this that when I reached the Cratchett's Christmas dinner I was quite moved to text my mother and find out whether we're having turkey or goose for Christmas din-dins. Turns out we're having goose. Happy days.

Let it snow.

[Larry]

just about done my christmas shopping theirs a few more things I need to get then that's it we might be going over to a local garden centre tomorrow to get the tree.

[P-Bal]

I'm going to do all my Christmas shopping this year at Tesco.

[Simon R]

I'm looking for some Christmas presents to surprise some girlfriends.

[Dirk Gently]

Mini I-pod Madam?

[Simon R]

I'll take four!

[P-Bal]

Need a hand with your packing madam?

[Larry]

well we got our tree yesterday and ordered the turckey from waitrose.

[Stephen Morgan]

We're all decced up now, it looks like Santa's grotto, and it's making us both feel a bit more Christmassy,wish the weather was suitably so, it's absolutely pouring down and not at all Christmassy.
As for pressies, we've only got a few little "stocking fillers" to get and we're ready to go, that all important food shopping will be done in the week immediately before Christmas.
Nine shifts at work and I'll be done til January 2nd.

[Simon R]

We're putting it up now.

[WhiteCrow]

Ouch - just been Xmas shopping, loads still to get and cost a bit more than we'd figured.

Still we're spending to keep the economy boyant right?

[SiHart]

I had the first of my Christmas Dos last night. I have to apologise for not popping onto Planet Skaro and doing my traditional "I love you all" drunken posts... can you just accpet that I do and move on? Thanks.

Anyway, we had a fab time, especially after the damp squib that was last years. The meal was ok (not as good as last week's Christmas meal at The Clifton Sausage in Bristol) but the live music on the dancefloor was ever so much fun. We were up dancing from 10pm until 12.30! Great fun! The ladies from Bracknell Library still put me to shame with all their dancing energy!

Anyway, the next Do is on Thursday!

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

I feel bad now because I've cut back on the number of Christmas do's I'm attending this year.

I swear it's getting like the whole of December is an excuse to eat out now ... (hiding yesterdays receipts).

We've bought Cameron a load of LEGO stuff for Christmas. But no, LEGO is now old hat, and he wants Warhammer type stuff. He's asking for a trebuchet for Christmas.

At least it's a model this time - last year he wanted me to download plans to build the real thing, so we could level the house of someone he doesn't like. When you add to this he did his favourite person in history and did Julius Caesar, I'm a bit worried about what kind of despot we're grooming.

We did Laserquest yesterday with his football team. You could hear him, ever the general barking orders to his team. He sent them all over the top, to get slaughtered one at all, using them as a diversion so he could sniper back.

[Jonno]

I've not done any preparations yet, bar buying some cards! It'll be an unorthodox Christmas this year, because for the fourth time in my life and the first for 28 years, I will not be spending it in the UK! I'm going to France with my sister and her partner to visit our parents - making it our first Christmas with them for six years after they moved out there 5 years ago. We've both managed to get time off work and are going there on Sat 22nd and back on Thurs 27th.

Mum has told us not to bring presents with us due to weight limits etc. on travelling and that they will not give us any for the same reason. I expect they'll give us money as they have done since they moved there, and we'll have a chance to get things like flowers, booze and so on when we get there. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to take them out for a meal.

The nice thing about it is that it gives us a chance to get away from the crass, commercial feel of Christmas and spend quality time with family, which is surely what it should be all about?

I'll still put up my decorations next weekend - this weekend feels too early still. And I'll get started on writing the cards soon, and that should be me done!

Do wise, I may be going to the rail industry one this Wednesday (though I won't know for sure until tomorrow or even Tuesday!) but I'm looking forward more to our office do the following Wednesday - exactly one week before Christmas!

[Wayne]

I've now accepted that xmas is approaching. I spent most of today visiting my home town of Mansfield delivering cards to various Aunts & Uncles & Cousins & the like. And i went to visit my Grandad in the Nursing Home. He seems ok. Well as ok as it gets when you're 91 have to get around on a zimmer. At least it's got wheels.