Open the selection box- Christmas Forum Chat Thread

Dolbert

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Dolores if I can give you a word of advice, other than prepare as much as possible in advance, it'd be to ask your guests to bring a side dish or dessert. When I'm coming for Christmas dinner I love to be asked to do this. Makes life so much easier and everyone feels invested!

Awesome idea! Desserts are mostly an afterthought for me so this could work out *very* nicely

SarahLil

Dolbert wrote: »

I just realised it's probably our turn to host Christmas dinner this year! I've never done a full Christmas dinner before, best get planning the menu, no presh! 7 adults and 5 children, should be manageable enough*

*I'm grateful for this safe space where I can openly say that I'm planning the Christmas dinner menu in October

My first year doing dinner this year, they may be only 3 of us, maybe 6, sticking to traditional of what my late aunt would have done for us for all my life, I will prep prep prep, write all my times down too for the turkey

I like the idea of people coming to you bringing a dish or dessert

Loughc

I'm getting impatient now waiting each day for an announcement on when the Christmas lights in town are turning on, when ChristmasFM is back and when the Toy Show tickets are ready to apply for.

I think we knew all those things at this stage last year, and people say Christmas gets earlier each year

Toto Wolfcastle

That's true. We're nearly halfway through October and we still don't know anything!

Loughc

October is my least favourite month in the build up. It's so close but it almost makes things seem so unbearably far away. I love November between the Christmas ads and songs on tv it really feels like the buildup goes live from Nov 1st.

Jude13

Yeah November is the panic pressie buy month for me. I also spend half my time looking at the emriates site to see how packed the plane will be, like it won't be full.

That plus white Christmas watch.

December I am unapproachable except for Christmas related talk.

Loughc

Jude13 wrote: »

December I am unapproachable except for Christmas related talk.

I need to get that made into a sign for my desk.

Loughc

Well christmasFM just announced their charity partner for the year. The return date can't be too far away so.

leahyl

Can't wait for 13th November - 4 weeks from Sunday and the Christmas lights will be on in Cork City

French_Girl

Hi fellow elves!

Got some fantastic news today.
Finally, it's something I've been anticipating for quite some time now and actually couldn't even sleep past couple of nights because of it.
It was the only thing stopping me before I could fully start embracing Christmas spirit!

I'm just sooo incredibly happy now and glad I can finally put this behind me and start concentrating on Christmas and Christmas only!

Full Christmas mode ahead. 😊
Bring it on!!!

I wish everyone a wonderful day full of Christmas cheer!

Jude13

Joyeux Noel build up.

Toto Wolfcastle

There's an ad on the radio for the Glenlo Abbey hotel that starts with 'It's Christmas Eve...' and whenever I hear it (4 times today!) I get all excited.

lycan238

Greetings fellow Christmas Forums members. I wish to inquire about the availability of fellow members on Thursday morning. I intend to make a trip to Dublin to once again enjoy the delights of the Christmas Market in Brown Thomas. If any of my fellow members notice me feel free to say hello. I will be the man with the black coat and green tie

Jude13

It has taken year but I have eventually brain wash my OH. She woke this morning humming a Christmas tune and said we should have a Christmas dinner here before we leave for Christmas, have the tree up and all. She suggested the last weekend before her brother, who will be visiting flies home 18-19 Nov!!

miamee

lycan238 wrote: »

Greetings fellow Christmas Forums members. I wish to inquire about the availability of fellow members on Thursday morning. I intend to make a trip to Dublin to once again enjoy the delights of the Christmas Market in Brown Thomas. If any of my fellow members notice me feel free to say hello. I will be the man with the black coat and green tie

Arnotts also have a Christmas shop open in the basement if you happen to be nearby

iguana

So it turns out it's a big thing to film your kids on Christmas morning as they wake up, find their gifts and then open them. And post the videos on youtube. I'm alternately appalled at the idea of filming Christmas morning for manetary gain and sort of tempted to stay up all night tonight watching them.

(We do film S on Christmas morning for ourselves and for close family to watch if they want.)

OldNotWIse

iguana wrote: »

So it turns out it's a big thing to film your kids on Christmas morning as they wake up, find their gifts and then open them. And post the videos on youtube. I'm alternately appalled at the idea of filming Christmas morning for manetary gain and sort of tempted to stay up all night tonight watching them.

(We do film S on Christmas morning for ourselves and for close family to watch if they want.)

I get why you would want to record it for preserving the memory but posting it on social media is crass and inappropriate imo.

RentDayBlues

I always have to go down first on christmas morning to "check if santa came". Really I'm going down press record on the ipad and turn on the lights/fire. It's not for anyone else but us to watch but I adore seeing their faces when they see their gifts and hear their exclamations of joy when they unwrap them

iguana

I get up first on Christmas morning too. A quick lightening dash into the sitting room to hit the Christmas lights and feed the dogs so their barking for their breakfast isn't the main sound on the Christmas video! I love to watch Christmas mornings gone by. My favourite is when S was two and only had a few words. What I adore is that sometimes I watch the video and I can pick up on things he was saying that the me in the video didn't catch. He got some Paw Patrol toys (that my brother in law had brought from Canada as they weren't on sale here yet) and he must have excitedly said 'patch-oh' about 5 times before I realised he was saying Paw Patrol. And eventually I cop and realise he's just said a new word and I'm so excited.

Last year my husband took the video and for huge chunks of the video he hasn't filmed our heads. He's a professional tv and film editor and photography is his hobby but he can't manage to film his own child's head while he opens his Christmas stocking!

iguana

Urgh! I just took a look at a couple of the videos and they are sooooo staged. Imagine being a child on Christmas morning and having to perform for a camera instead of let loose with excitement at your gifts! That's horrible. And half the fun as a parent is seeing your child have free reign and what they love best out of their gifts. Last year I'd bought a train set in the January sales and was regretting it a bit as the year went on as S didn't play with trains as much as he used to. I specifically said to my husband when we put it out on Christmas eve that it would probably be completely ignored the next morning. But S got up, walked right past the toy he'd been wanting since April. Right past the toy that he'd been torn between asking for and sticking with his first choice. Right past his stocking and just wanted to see the train set. Then after that he saw a toothbrush sticking out his stocking and took a while to admire it. It was so funny and real.

RentDayBlues

Just did the halloween decorating, minus the spider webs are they don't last as well so will do those next week. I really had to restrain myself from taking some christmas stuff down!

But it's got me excited for decorating the house in a few weeks!!! Going to take the halloween ones down, give everywhere a fresh coat of paint (that's the plan anyway) and then put up all my lovely Christmas ones in around 6 weeks

Toto Wolfcastle

I'd love to see some pictures of people's Halloween decorations.

Today I had to do some Christmas-related research in work. I was very excited.

SarahLil

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

I'd love to see some pictures of people's Halloween decorations.

Today I had to do some Christmas-related research in work. I was very excited.

Never really been into Halloween that will probably change if I am lucky to have children, my pal loves both Halloween and Christmas any excuse for her to decorate, she did pick me up my first Halloween decorations last year really cute pumpkins for my fireplace that you put tea lights in

Yeah I keep mentioning Christmas in work, I always give our customers a gentle reminder on the last postal dates for Christmas

RentDayBlues

Toto Wolfcastle wrote: »

I'd love to see some pictures of people's Halloween decorations.

Today I had to do some Christmas-related research in work. I was very excited.

I'll try to take some non identifying pics once I get the spider webs up this weekend

baby and crumble

I have to say I can't stand Halloween. I'm pretty much the only one of my friends like that though, so I just have to put up and shut up! I don't get decorating the house for Halloween though. Seems like so much effort (and yes, I know, you could say the exact same about Christmas!!)

Loughc

I don't get Halloween either. I like horror movies but that's about it. Halloween isn't a season so decorating the house for it makes no sense to me.

Where as Christmas is a full season/period of the year so it makes much more sense celebrating it and decorating for it.

Jude13

I love Halloween but we never put up decorations for it. If we produced some halloween 'art' at school it would be put up but apart from that. Actually a skeleton on the door.

Im the estate I live now the residents association has sent a circular around telling kids to only knock on doors that have a decoration on them an no later than 9pm.

baby and crumble

Jude13 wrote: »

Im the estate I live now the residents association has sent a circular around telling kids to only knock on doors that have a decoration on them an no later than 9pm.

That seems a little scabby. I don't mind kids knocking, we moved into a new area there a year ago, it was fun seeing all the little kiddies dressed up. And the teenagers with binbag capes trying their luck!

OldNotWIse

Felt very Christmas-like last night. There was a cold fog in the air and the smell of lit fires I love it

OH will be in her home country this year but I don't mind for a couple of reasons. I couldn't bear to be in a different country to my family at Christmas so I am happy for her and also when she stays here she can be a little sad and I end up having to entertain and cheer her up. So I'm happy she will be happy so to speak but most importantly, it means I get to go to Mam and Dads and eternal batchelor brother will be there and we can have the kind of Christmas we had as kids where we all dash into the sitting room on Christmas morning to see the presents lol Overgrown kids

iguana

baby and crumble wrote: »

That seems a little scabby. I don't mind kids knocking, we moved into a new area there a year ago, it was fun seeing all the little kiddies dressed up. And the teenagers with binbag capes trying their luck!

When I lived in a 'nice middle class' area of London the residents' association sent around a newsletter with a drawing of a pumpkin and instructions that people happy to receive trick or treaters should stick the pumpkin to their door and switch a light on. And trick or treating should only happen between 7 and 9pm. I thought it was the most po-faced thing I'd ever read and it was taking all the fun out of the holiday.

But on the night, I was in home all dressed up in my big cloak with a cauldron of sweets ready to hand out and I could hear the trick or treaters outside. They were actually having great fun searching for houses with pumpkin pictures and every time they came near my house there was great excitement as soon as they saw it. So I actually think it's a pretty good guideline as it means that the kids are pretty much guaranteed a good reception at each house they go to. And all the kids being out at roughly the same time gave it a good communal atmosphere.

That said where I live now is amazing. I thought I was big into Halloween until we went trick or treating last year. There is an estate behind my house and so many of the residents are hugely into Halloween. The houses are super decorated, some even have their whole gardens done out like spooky graveyards. Many of the residents have tables full of treats set out by their doors with 5 or 6 bowls of different treats and the kids get one or two of each thing. Some people have basins full of latex gloves stuffed with sweets, so they give each kid a 'spooky hand' to take away with them. Some even have freshly baked muffins for the adults. Or others spend the night hiding in their gardens ready to jump out and scare the kids a little before treating them. We only went to handful houses last year as S's leg was broken and he had to be pushed around in a buggy but we had to empty his basket into the bottom of the buggy a couple of times so it wouldn't collapse from the weight of the treats!

And what's better/worse, because we don't live in an estate nobody bothers coming to our house even though it's all decorated and lit up because they all just stay in the estates. It was a relief last year as I had only anticipated giving out one thing to each child and had just bought a bag of spooky sweet bracelets. I'd have been considered the stinge of the neighbourhood!