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

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121581080#Comment_121581080

We keep the Christmas mat at the hall door and kept the Christmas towels and tea towels in rotation also. The kids keep their Christmas pj's in rotation as well. At the rate they grow makes no sense not to.

freshpopcorn

Decorations all still up and lighting and currently watching Love Actually.

Candles and outside/window lights iit for the last time tonight.

Loughc

And with that the Christmas 2023 season for me comes to a close. Wreath is boxed away again until Nov 29th.

Posy

Switched off my tree at the stroke of midnight. 😩

Cork Lass

Took down everything indoors including the tree and the house seems so drab 😢. Outdoor lights were left on for the last night and will come down tomorrow. We had Chinese takeaway for dinner, might do what @Posy suggested and stick some money with the decorations for next year, it’s a great idea. Went for an early morning swim this morning and it was glorious, beautiful and sunny and no rain 😀.

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121581080#Comment_121581080

We do the same with the tea towels and mugs @BK5. I have a Christmas mug that I bought in Budapest almost 20 years ago and it’s still in use on a daily basis, I just love it and even though it’s really faded I can’t bear to part with it. No one else would dare to use it 😀.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121581080#Comment_121581080

Christmas cushions out all year as they are really comfy.

Himself got "curtain lights" last year, they stay on the wall all year, I'm not a fan of them but he loves them and I can't be arsed arguing over it.

The kids Christmas PJs stay in rotation but I will take the eldest ones out of rotation and put them up during the summer....the youngest ones are worn until they fall apart/too small.

The tree is still up and neither of us has mentioned taking it down. It has often stayed up all January as January was my busy month work-wise, including weekends etc. I'll probably do it when kids are in school, during the week. It will take forever otherwise.

The tree is the MIL so I'm thinking decades old rather than years ....still standing 😂

I had a couple in my old house I know I definitely left one behind in the attic (huge with flocking not ideal with young kids) not sure if the others came with us 😂😂

SarahLil

Another frosty one this morning, coming downstairs this morning the house looks so bare

I keep my Christmas mugs and plates out all year

I only said the same to my other half yesterday that our Christmas tree is going strong I actually bought it in Superquinn when we lived in an apartment, it was always too big for an apartment but there was no telling me

Thats a great tip @Posy boxes are quite handy in the attic so might grab a nice festive envelope stick €50 in it for a November treat

DvB

Just home from our junior park run which was cancelled at the last minute as the course was too slippy. Its baltic out this way... well minus 3 anyway... May just go for a walk now as I'm up.

Smell the glove

Only a couple of little items not packed away. One year old has taken a real liking to a musical snow globe so might leave it out for her. Other than that everything will be packed away today and waved away until next Christmas.

Smell the glove

Back to work proper tomorrow but absolutely no fear or depression here. After being off since December 15th it's time to get back to some normality. I have a day booked off in two weeks and then the bank holiday two weeks after that, two weeks after that another day booked off and then 3 wks later is Patrick's Day weekend so it's a nice broken up start to the year for me.

SarahLil

The New Bank holiday is great it really helps lift the spirits

Trying to gear myself up to head out I need a trip to the chemist to nip this cough in the bud Manuka honey not working so far,

Think we will get the stove lit shortly, roast beef today with all the trimmings

Heroditas

Definitely a day for the fire later. Left the house in Lucan and there was a heavy fog, ice and the temperature was -0.5c.

Over in my Mum's now near Dun Laoghaire and it's blazing sunshine and 6c!!!

Loughc

So icy this morning. Trying to get the little lad to soccer stars this morning was a challenge.

Love the fresh mornings and the clear skies at night are magic. Nothing better than on a cold night looking up at the stars. Very peaceful.

DvB

Was clear, crisp and cold when we went for a walk earlier, over in my inlaws in Baldoyle now and it's lashing rain. But warmer than home.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121582336#Comment_121582336

My old haunt Baldoyle although I only moved around the corner from there 😂

Love Baldoyle tho.

BK5

Wife's from Coolock and a lot of her family still live around that area of North Dublin. Worked on sites in Baldoyle, Swords, Malahide, Glasnevin and near the airport so for a Meath man, I know it well.

Going to bring the family out to a nice restaurant in a couple of hours. 5 adults to feed, so Dad will be giving out about the cost of eating out in Ireland on here in a few hours time :)

pigtail33

I made a big pot of soup earlier for my work lunches during the week. I love eating whatever takes my fancy over Christmas, but I do miss my healthy food, so I'll be kinda glad to get back to my normal eating. Looks like it'll be the weather for soup the next two weeks anyway. Love these cold crisp but bright and sunny days. They're my favourite winter weather days.

Posy

Waaah, my house is horrible and bare, and there's glitter and pine-needles everywhere! 😩

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121582396#Comment_121582396

That's where I live now 🤣

DvB

Just putting the bins out and noticed 2 houses on our Street with their decorations up and lit.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121583439#Comment_121583439

Ours still going strong and I can see at least two other houses with theirs going too!

Beechwoodspark

On the way home from services this morning - smally number 1 started - “mom and pop, I know we have had the Feast of the Epiphany and Christmas is technically over but once the weather is wintry can we PLEASSSSSEEE keep the decorations up???”

Smally Number 2 (bit young to get it) joins in. PLEASSSSEEEEE???

I look over at Mom - we say in unison “Oh...ok then!!!”

Cue cheers from the back of the car !

So, all down to Met Eireann now !

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121583356#Comment_121583356

I’ll be around in 10 mins for a cuppa

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121583439#Comment_121583439

Good few still up here too. I imagine a lot will take them down when school restarts tomorrow.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121583479#Comment_121583479

Well we've lost one, not sure about the other as curtains have been pulled!!!

Loughc

God my driveway is so dark without the outdoor lights. People who still have their lights up are saints!

BK5

Live in a circle of about 35 houses around a green space and only 1 house lit up this evening. 😒

jellybear

Met my best friend for dinner this evening and the dessert menu still had Christmas pudding and mince pies on it 😁 Saw about 3 houses with decorations still up on my drive home.

We put ours up in the attic this afternoon...sitting room looks so bare!

DvB

Just polished off the last of the baileys whipped cream with a heated mince pie... last of the rum stollen gone too... 😢

Other than the pudding, half a dozen mince pies, and an ordinary marzipan stollen we're nearly done with the Christmas treats.

Loughc

One layer of Teacakes left, full box of snowballs, a mini bag of quality street strawberry cremes, and a couple of tubs of smarties and that’s all my treats gonzo.

Smell the glove

As always, I have bucket loads of chocolates to go through. Happens every year, so much so that we only buy a tub or two in the lead up. We get gifted everything from Belgium biscuits, ferreros, lilly o Brien's to Reese's, shortbread biscuits and tubs of heroes etc. Every year we have to pile it in order of best before date. Can take us months to get through. One year I think we got until September.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121584580#Comment_121584580

I also have a box of Cadbury mini Yule logs

dubstepper

All we have left is a full box of roses composed of orange and strawberries. We merge them from other boxes and I bring them into the office. Used to love them but no takers in ours now.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121584755#Comment_121584755

I’ll take them 😂😂

Loughc

So dark out there this evening without the Christmas lights to shine the way.

Winter lights should be allowed until the bright evenings comeback.

Loughc

With the rain earlier and the cold weather now it goes with out saying the roads and paths tomorrow will be lethal! Be safe out there folks and take your time.

Posy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121584755#Comment_121584755

Loads of complaints this Christmas that roses didn't have the orange creme in them due to supply issues, so you must be one of the lucky few!

Posy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121585163#Comment_121585163

Can't wait for tomorrow's dark icy Monday morning! 😬

tscul32

Most of the inside decorations are down but the tree is still up, lights not plugged in though and the outside lights are still hanging but friday was the last lit up night. We were supposed to do it all today but we're at my brother's 50th last night/this morning and the OH was not up climbing ladders (or driving😆) today so we left it. Kids and I all back to school tomorrow and the last module of my diploma just started too so I'll be busy for the next while. Took the doggy for a winter walk this morning, real feeling of -4 but it was gorgeous.

Tomorrow my baby turns 12 😕, not sure how I feel about that.

BK5

Always sad when your youngest starts to grow up a bit, the house loses that energy and innocence, no Santy for a while in your house?

Bad news is that it rained overnight so a wet, miserable morning and only good news for that is the ice has been melted and it's a lot less dangerous and the temperature came up a little overnight.

DvB

My 2 turn 13 in a couple of weeks & Santa is most definitely gone from our house, and yes something definitely changes when that happens. Christmas just isn't the same anymore. We enjoy it, but some of the magic is gone.

Wet & miserable out our way last night & this morning, was meant to be dry for a few days but no, lashings of rain, at least there's no ice or frost though, so little victories & all that!!

tscul32

Just a bit dreary looking here. I was hoping for a fresh white ☹️

Santa was on the fence last year (2022) we reckon. But definitely gone this year. Kinda nice though that we finally got the recognition and we may have gone a little overboard just to reassure that pressies are just as good without.

pigtail33

I'm in the office today for the first time since the end of November! Feels a little strange. My computer wouldn't work when I arrived in, I assumed it was just me but the IT Department are trying to fix it now. The machine could be dead.

I thought I would have been out at the crack of dawn de-icing the car, but thankfully there was no ice, or fog, despite the weather warnings. I didn't even have to de-mist the windows!

DvB

In the office myself & with so many WFH nowadays on our hybrid policy I have the entire floor to myself. Think there's one more due in later but they'll be in another room so it'll be a quiet start to the week. But with workload building I'll be busy again, last weeks soft landing is over!

dubstepper

Our youngest is 11 and I fear this may have been our last santa Christmas. He didn't even bother to look at smyths toy magazine. All they want are electronic devices.

CheerLouth

All gone back to school & I am enjoying the sound of silence! We've most of the decs down now, just a tree left in one of the kids bedrooms (on the basis of the room being a disgrace & I can't actually get in to the tree to take it down), plus our hall table & the crib. I'm not taking the crib down just yet on account of the wise men having only arrived on Saturday.

Laughing catching up on the posts from the weekend - I'm also a Baldoyle veteran, having worked over there for the best part of 10 years.

miamee

Morning all! Our tree is still going strong but we may take it down during the week. OH wasn't here yesterday to help me so I decided to enjoy one more night of the tree and take things down when he is back today. Or maybe we'll wait until the weekend! Very frosty morning here in Sligo the coldest we've had in a good while. Even yesterday afternoon some of the roads were icy and slippy when I was out in the car. Be careful out there!

DvB

One thing I noticed over the last couple of nights at home is how much darker the house is with all our internal fairy lights gone. Even with our lamps back in place the level & type of lighting is totally different, the light from the decorations was far better in terms of lifting your mood.

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121585770#Comment_121585770

Lot of people with Baldoyle connections in here. Something I never expected as when I meet new people and they ask where I live, they have never heard of Baldoyle.

My go to explanation is it's near Howth.