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

DvB

Did my leaving 35 years ago... sang 'it's the most wonderfultime of the year' at a karaoke bar tonight too... worlds gone mad folks!

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122224400#Comment_122224400

So happy to read your post this morning, the very very best of luck with everything in your new home.

Won't be long before you're deciding where to put the tree.

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122224990#Comment_122224990

34 years for me lad, not sure it's the most wonderful time of the year if you're doing the Leaving at the moment 😄😄

The people in the karaoke bar must have thought "who is this headcase?", hope your having a great holiday.

DvB

@Smell the glove congrats on your new home, delighted for you. A smashing early Christmas present if ever there was one.

SCOOP 64

Only 40 years for me, I remember walking out of maths early because I was bored, thank god for mobile phones now with a calculator on them

Aisling(",)

@Smell the glove Massive congratulations on the house. Bring on Christmas and all of the other amazing times you'll have there.

God the leaving cert discourse. I did mine twice (sure why wouldn't you) and I still never had the leaving cert dream. Don't think I'd fancy being swept up in the hectic mayhem now. I've a friend who has a junior and leaving cert elf and it seems manic.

jellybear

@Smell the glove Massive congratulations! Delighted for you!

BK5

I think I was in the last year to do the Junior Cert, end of second year exams. I think people leaving after their Inter Cert was starting to really fade out as we were 90% staying to do the Leaving so the old Junior was becoming obsolete.

BK5

Sorry it was the Group Cert we done after second year back in the old days 😄

Smell the glove

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122224589#Comment_122224589

Absolutely ha. Tree has to go at the window and maybe lights around the double doors into the kitchen and of course the garland around the fireplace 😀

Smell the glove

Thank you very much!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122224648#Comment_122224648

Thank you!

Smell the glove

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122225211#Comment_122225211

Thanks a lot! Yes, the wife has already rolled her eyes in jest at my conversations.

Smell the glove

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122225512#Comment_122225512

Absolutely! Roll on the most wonderful time of the year 😉

Smell the glove

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122226432#Comment_122226432

Cheers 🎅🏻

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122227357#Comment_122227357

My wife says putting up the Christmas decorations is the only DIY job that I have any enthusiasm for any more these days :)

gidget

Congrats on the new home @Smell the glove

Watching the D-Day coverage for the 80th Anniversary on the news today took me back 30 years ago to the 50th Anniversary, where on a European School trip, I remember sitting on a ledge at Omaha Beach looking out at that very sea in the lead up to the events. As I was only 13 at the time, I didn't really understand the significance of it at the time, but now that I'm older & more knowledgeable about it all, I'm glad to have gotten that opportunity. I also remember we had to sail from England to France on an overnight sailing & we were surrounded by some of the veterans travelling over for the Anniversary.

BK5

Just noticed on the Countdown that 200 days to go is tomorrow. That feels like it has come around like lightening, surely 300 days to go was only 2 or 3 weeks ago??

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122229078#Comment_122229078

Yep, into the 100s from Sunday... mad how fast that 100 days has gone, and we all know what the last 100 go like (from 99 to zero) so this the last chunk of the year before the madness.

BK5

Are we sure it's not 99 days to go instead of 199 because it sure feels like September out there the last few days 😅

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122236817#Comment_122236817

Dreading going back on Tuesday to miserable cold weather... seems like it's a given though 🙁

SCOOP 64

Cut the grass today it felt like January, coldest I've ever been cutting the grass.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122238501#Comment_122238501

my little boy keeps saying in the mornings daddy I’m cold. He asked for his Wooly hat today so that’s how our summer is going.

Loughc

I’m hanging for a sun holiday anyone want to mind two kids for a week? I promise they’re only semi feral!!

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122229078#Comment_122229078

Same I vividly remember hitting 299 on the countdown and that did not feel like 100 days ago! Flying by!

Jude13

I could do with a holiday, and failing that just some Christmas spirit. I am a deliverable this Friday which I have been working on for months. I am hoping for some down time after that.

DvB

We head home tomorrow,back in work on Thursday, dreading it. Christmas still feels so far away and that'll be my next decent break, so I've a stretch to get through and will be needing all the Christmas buzz this year.

CheerLouth

Work and life hectic at the minute! Can't believe it is the second last week of the school year already! Three weeks tomorrow until we go on hols and I cannot wait!

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244634#Comment_122244634

We head home from ours today, the joys of secondary school time for the kids, normally it would have been July.

At least I'm home now for the euros though, looking forward to that.

Jude13

"I am a deliverable…" I definitely need a holiday! I found out today the next big deliverable for 20th December. It wouldn't be so bad if Christmas went on after the 26th but nowadays is just ends.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244634#Comment_122244634

All the "activities" are also finishing up. Which on one hand is great as you've your evenings/weekends free, but on the other hand you have to actually parent your kids and entertain them yourself now 😂

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122244747#Comment_122244747

Not in my house! :)

No way is Christmas allowed end on the 26th anywhere near me. My sister in law wrecks my head, she is one of the first to have the decorations up, but is taking them by New Years Eve 😡

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122245497#Comment_122245497

None of our activities finish up for the summer - we will still have something on every evening of the week, but sure lookit, will keep us in a routine! Although if the swimming was cancelled, giving me back my Saturday mornings, I wouldn't be devo!

freshpopcorn

@Smell the glove Good Luck with the new house!

BK5

Am off to Slovakia for a few days this afternoon my friends so will report back on how cheap or dear it has got over there and will keep an eye out for anything Christmas related. See you in a few days, all the best.

CheerLouth

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122248878#Comment_122248878

Enjoy! This day three weeks, we'll (hopefully) be in the car on the way to the ferry - definitely on a countdown now!

DvB

Well I can confirm that Lanzarote was significantly cheaper than ireland for the vast majority of things, a real eye opener.

Didn't see anything remotely Christmas related though.

miamee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122248878#Comment_122248878

Lovely, enjoy! I had a lovely trip there a few years ago (2015 I think) when I went to Bratislava at the end of November and was there for the opening night of the Christmas Markets. I loved them, not majorly touristy (that may have changed) and so, so cheap. I remember they had hot drinks/schnapps of all flavours and they were €1.50 each so we tried a lot of them haha. I've just realised 2015 was 9 years ago, holy moly.

tscul32

@Smell the glove congrats on the house, great news.

The LC is going well so far, but now the elf is worried that there'll be a disaster with one of the other exams cos it's all going too well 😂. I'm supervising JC exams and they've all been fine too. Hate to see kids stressing over exams.

Big news, have just booked flights and hotel for Frankfurt for the Christmas markets and I can't wait. Been threatening to go for years.

Smell the glove

Thanks for the well wishes again. Moving in now hopefully on Monday. Can't wait but at the same time dressing the next week or so with the packing/unpacking and worrying about everything and anything!

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122251183#Comment_122251183

Just don't forget the Christmas decorations at everything else will be fine.

DvB

So first few hours back to work after our summer holiday ended, roll on Christmas now!

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122254507#Comment_122254507

Be careful you might still think you’re abroad With the weather out there it’ll be hard to tell the difference between here and Tenerife.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122254573#Comment_122254573

If only! Cant believe how damp & miserable it still is. WFH today & we have the heating on… its a week from the longest day of the year!!

DvB

Happy fathers day to all the dads, step dads, adopted dads, and grandads on here, have a good one chaps!

Smell the glove

Guys I was in unpacking stuff in the new house and noticed hooks at either side of the mantle piece, wife says I wonder what they are for, I said I'm guessing Christmas garland. She was then saying I just think too much about Christmas. Went outside noticed hooks all around the doorframe and stuff, I says I bet they were for Christmas lights whoever lived here before us must have loved Christmas.

We then noticed a white box and the outside wall just under the window. I hadn't a clue what it was, a mate that works in the construction industry was in with me so I asked....his reply?.......whoever lived here before you loved Christmas, it's cover for outdoor sockets for Christmas lights ha!

Vindicated!!

A cup of te

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122265451#Comment_122265451

Well, that's a sign if ever there was one :-) it's meant to be!

Speaking of outdoor sockets, I was thinking of getting that put on the house with a cover like you mentioned. It's either that or I'll need to go for battery powered lights. What do most of you do for outdoor lights and decorations? Any advice appreciated as I'm a newbie to that!

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122267063#Comment_122267063

We have am outdoor socket box with a switch internally that means we can turn thrm off without needing timers or having to go outside. Game changer for us last year as up until then we had battery powered lights on timers and there's no comparison between battery and mains powered lights.

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122267063#Comment_122267063

I have an outdoor waterproof double socket at the front of the house but also have a waterproof extension lead socket box as have too much stuff to plug up. As DvB said, no comparison between plug in and battery lights - plug in all the way.

BK5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122249308#Comment_122249308

That was my fourth time there in about 8 years and have to say it was dearer this time, still cheaper than Ireland but where isn't?

But eating out and pints def gone up especially cause of Covid I reckon. Weather was lovely though.

Cork Lass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122267467#Comment_122267467

We have the same here, waterproof double socket and socket box. Neighbour uses battery and solar lights and there’s no comparison.