It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Off Topic Chat

freshpopcorn

When my grandmother died we did the no Christmas cards and we had a white Christmas candle instead of red but that's mainly because we couldn't get a red one.

Every family does there own thing tough.

freshpopcorn

This time next week everybody will be saying it's dark!

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121269411#Comment_121269411

My father died on 21st December 12 years ago and even though he had dementia it was sudden so we were quite shocked. We had the funeral on 23rd too and had to carry on through Christmas like things were normal as we had quite a lot of people coming for dinner. It was a very surreal Christmas.

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121271820#Comment_121271820

My deepest condolence's Cork Lass, you hit the nail on the head when you said it was a very surreal Christmas. Can remember we had to have the funeral on the 23rd or wait till into the new year so it was a real blur to be honest.

Christmas has always brought great joy tinged with a little sadness since. I'll think of you on the 21st 💙

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121271840#Comment_121271840

Thanks @BK5 - I'll think of your family too.

Loughc

i saw this on TikTok today and I kinda love it and hate it at the same time

Loughc

The link didn’t show for some reason but it’s an animated tree topper from the range. Santas sleigh circles the tree.

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121272312#Comment_121272312

I think that's nice but it might get annoying after a while. I'd say kids would love it.

Jude13

Stock is in the shops now so I need to start taking snaps. We bought two Reindeer hobby horses, we had great fun in summer slagging my brother in law as he said Flemish people are mad for hobby horse as a sport. (He's from Belgium).

The store assistant said they had just put them out that day and there were only six left.

CheerLouth

I'm just thinking that it will be December 3rd before we get our decs out. The Toy Show is too early for me, although I might put up our garland in the sitting room. We normally put up our kitchen & bedroom trees on the first Saturday in December but this year, we are going to see Santy in Tayto Park that day, so it'll have to be the Sunday. We don't put our main Christmas Tree up until the week before Christmas as we get a real tree & we learned our lesson the hard way on our first Christmas in our house when it was dead by Christmas Day 😥

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121273460#Comment_121273460

I actually saw that hobby horse thing ....they take it really seriously. Different length "sticks" for different disciplines.

It looks absolutely bat sh*crazy but each to their own 😂🤣🤣

XDivaX

Any recommendations for nice Santa letters? I know An Post send them if you pop the letters in postbox but I'd rather personalised ones and we put our letters in the fire and the ashes is brought out over to North Pole :P

Jude13

There s a Belgian comedian/youtuber who got us into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z4gNr7mN3U

freshpopcorn

Getting closer!

XDivaX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121273460#Comment_121273460

Haha be some craic on the big day! :D

freshpopcorn

Has anybody seen the Boots Christmas gift guide yet?

XDivaX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121274143#Comment_121274143

Didn't see the actual guide yet so far but it is online- not the same though.

tscul32

Got my first assignment of the term submitted today and next not due for another 2.5 weeks and I've already started it. So I've a bit of time over the next few days to think about Christmas and maybe get the cakes baked. Have a few little bits bought but nothing major. Eldest wants computer parts, he's also turning 18 in Dec so will let him choose it all himself. As usual the middle elf hasn't a clue what he wants and he's also turning 16 2 weeks before the other fella's birthday. He also just fleeced the OH with his Junior Cert results so has plenty of funds for anything he wants. Even the youngest hasn't given it much thought (and he'll be 12 the week after New Year, our timing is shite). Either they're so spoiled they want for nothing, or we've managed to raise non-greedy kids. I'm hoping it's the latter😁 Once they don't leave any special requests to the last minute.

BK5

Nice post @tscul32, it's good your ahead with your course work. With having teenagers/older kids does your 11 year old still believe in Santa?

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121276970#Comment_121276970

Last year I was sure he didn't until he hid his santa letter from me (which of course i managed to get my hands on without him knowing). But this year I think it's all over. We've deliberately not been watching what we say, although subtly. And earlier in the year he was with us when we picked up a lego set for the eldest and told him not to say anything cos he'd get it at Christmas. We just left that thought with him to work out what he will. 6th class is full of non believers and didn't want him getting caught out. I think he was at the "I know, but dont want to say it out loud just in case" stage so we just gave him a little nudge. He did have a bit of an "I knew it" look and took it in his stride.

It'll be a little strange this year after 18 years of it, but I don't really think it'll be too different except that we'll finally get the credit and the hugs 😁

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277015#Comment_121277015

We had that last christmas with it being the first year the kids 'knew'. In the end it made v.little difference TBH, in fact I think I was more disappointed that we had that reached that point more than the kids were. We did have a moment earlier in the year before that though when we were convinced they knew & let something slip to get a shocked reaction of sorts, but they admitted afterwards they had more or less worked it out.

We were partly relieved too as we knew the majority of their class knew so didn't want them being slagged off by classmates or suchlike, having stood up for their beliefs previously when challenged on it in school now at 11yo going on 12 thought they may get a bit of a harder time if they tried to defend it.

The way I look at it we had 11 fantastic christmas's and whilst a little part of me regrets that those 'believe' years are over we'll just progress to a newer type of christmas but with as many of the old traditions in place as possible.

pigtail33

My niece told my sister a few weeks ago that her friends were just writing Christmas wish lists this year, instead of a letter to Santa and that she was going to do the same. She will be 12 in 2 weeks. My sister asked her if she still believes and she says that she believes in science, not magic! She told her she can't remember if she believed last year or not.

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277081#Comment_121277081

My 11yo has a tshirt that says "Science. It's like magic, but real"

Cork Lass

<MOD SNIP>

I'd say you've stumbled into the wrong thread - no Christmas negativity here.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277403#Comment_121277403

Agreed! Post has been deleted now!

loving this posts this morning. My eldest isn’t even 2 yet and I’m already fretting about the believe years ending haha. Gonna soak them all up while we can!

XDivaX

Just realised that it is 4 weeks this week until we put up our Christmas tree! :O :D

My parents had to tell me about Santa as I just turned 12 in first year. I didn't see any difference as I still have 5 younger siblings and I was delighted getting to help continue the magic :)

antimatterx

Halloween in a week then we're officially in season. Wild tbh, not sure where that year went. I finish December 8th so honestly living for that date.

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277477#Comment_121277477

That's a great time to finish up for Christmas - nothing like having the time to soak up the atmosphere in December.

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277521#Comment_121277521

Yeah nothing materialised for me over the summer so I just built up the leave for winter. Buzzing for it. I think the latest I ever finished for Christmas was December 23rd and it was miserable

limnam

Wood arrived for the stove. Always another marker for me and started to light up the odd stove as temps drop. Love the smell of wood in the house and always reminds me of Xmas.

Andrew93

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277477#Comment_121277477

I thought I was an early finisher with my last day being the 15th... I can only dream of having that much time off to really soak in the build up!

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277663#Comment_121277663

It's only this year I'm afraid. I have a few trips planned for next year so will be using it throughout the year. Just lucky this year with how it worked out.

Princess Calla

My 8 yo announced Santa wasn't real Infront of the 5yo whose face absolutely crumbled.

I've no idea where the 8yo got it from...it was the morning after tooth fairy visited so I'm thinking he was on the sceptical train . He doesn't mix with older children and leads a very sheltered life ...so yeah a bit of a balls

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278051#Comment_121278051

Can you still turn it around for both?

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121277459#Comment_121277459

Likewise, I'm the oldest so Santa came to me until I was about 19! And in fact, a few years later when one of my siblings found themselves, unexpectedly, in the family way, my Dad's response was "Well, you know what this means...Santy's back"

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278051#Comment_121278051

Feck, disaster! Does his friends have older siblings who might have let the cat out of the bag? Should hopefully be able to turn it around for both no?

ClaudeVercetti

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278051#Comment_121278051

Ah God! Hoping your 5yo can be convinced otherwise!

Something similar happening with my nephews, the 11yo doesn't believe anymore and he recently made a threat his Mother to blab to his 6yo brother after being punished for something unrelated 🙈

Princess Calla

I tried to turn it around by saying remember in the film elf Santa couldn't fly cos people didn't believe.

Then weeks later myself and youngest were looking through photos and there was one of him with Santa and he pipes up "he is real" 😂

The youngest will happily go along with what I tell him. The eldest has always been a thinker not much gets past him.

ClaudeVercetti

Not to wish life away but I'm kinda just dying for next Wednesday so we'll finally be "in-season". Did an order of a few decorations off Veritas of all places as they had some surprisingly nice bits in!

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278216#Comment_121278216

That's kinda funny ...best of luck to them in the teenage years .. they've got a live one there 🤣🤣

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278228#Comment_121278228

Only a week to go!! It’s so exciting. The season is almost here.

pigtail33

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278243#Comment_121278243

It's hard to believe there will be Christmas ads on the TV tomorrow week!!!

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278161#Comment_121278161

Best reaction your sibling could have got. I love it.

There were 3 of us and then 9 years later we got a new sibling, 3 weeks before Christmas. So santa was on the go for about 26 years in my house.

Loughc

Just a little reminder that today two months time is Christmas Eve.

BK5

There is 8 years between my two boys and the younger one has always been really laid back. I'll always remember one Christmas morning where the 16 year old came in asking at 6:00 in the morning could he wake his 8 year old brother up as he was too excited to sleep to see what they got.

We said no as it was going to be a long day anyway and he then came back in at 7:00 and in the end we had to relent and let him wake his younger brother at half 7, the one who still believed in Santa gave out that he was woken up ha ha

Heroditas

Think this will be the last year of Santa for the 11yo. She doesn't seem has as pushed about it this year but her 8yo sister is still as excited as ever.

It's a funny one because the 11yo had an absolutely group of kids in her class, it's a toxic group and they were like that even back in 3rd class. However the 8yo is in 3rd class and they're still the sweetest hyper fun-loving group you'd ever hope to meet. 🤣

The 8yo announced she wanted her "dream bed" from Santa. It's the bunk with a desk under it that they have in IKEA. I asked how Santa was supposed to deliver that and she said he could assemble it in the living room and then bring it up to her room. Either that or she said she wants two pairs of "bubble runners" now, i.e. Nike Air Max 🤣

Loughc

Dream bed!! 😂😂 that’s the cutest Thing ever! So sweet.

SCOOP 64

Just back from the fireworks for the opening of the Wexford opera festival go every year this is the start of it all for me it will be christmas before i know it.

taxAHcruel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121278051#Comment_121278051

We do not do the Santa thing at all with our kids so thankfully not a problem here. But I reckon a good dose of the Polar Express movie will probably put your 5yo back on the track you want. Hell that movie almost gets me believing in Santa :)

XDivaX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121281398#Comment_121281398

I do really love that film! Santa is real!! :) Might actually order a wee bell this Christmas