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

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.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121585904#Comment_121585904

Yes I’ve absolutely noticed this. Tea lights, lamps and candles are not cutting it. House and outside feels so dark.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121585572#Comment_121585572

Honestly that last sentence gave me the fear!!

Jude13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121584455#Comment_121584455

I wasnt too hungry until I read that.

I am avoiding all treats. I froze leftover mince pies last Christmas and they were grand, going to do the same this year. I have a homemade Christmas pudding to hit also.

We have the door mat in situ and that is survives all year round.

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121585973#Comment_121585973

The really scary thing is that my brain (& motivation) are still embedded in Christmas and I'm struggling for motivation. This was a common enough occurence for me after Christmas but had avoided it the last 3 or 4 years, seems its back this year with a bang!

DvB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121586021#Comment_121586021

Our 'Nollaig' doormat outside the front door to the house will stay in place until the Mrs deems it too worn & decides to get a new one. That or we'll be browsing in homestore & more & she'll simply decide we need a new one & that'll be that.

pigtail33

Although my sitting room seems much emptier and duller, I was prepared for that, but for some reason, it's the mantle piece that really seems to be missing something since the decorations came down. I keep looking at it thinking it's not always that boring, is it? I think I'll have to get some fairy lights to brighten it up until the brighter evenings start.

tscul32

I popped home between classes (the joy of teaching part time) to walk the dog and take the decs and lights off the tree.

Still have to take down the icicles outside but will leave that cols job to OH and elf1. I'm going to leave the ones wrapped around the tree on the verge for as long as OH doesn't grumble. I love driving into an estate and seeing the lights on the trees.

Princess Calla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121585916#Comment_121585916

Haha that's my go to explanation too.

I'm not in baldoyle but close enough and no one has heard of us either 😂😂

SarahLil

Got out for a nice walk earlier with the little one still a few houses with decorations up and one actually had the tree lit up.

I am going to head back out for another quick walk before dinner when other half gets home for the body and mind, I had some diagnosis the end of 2023 after being in a lot of physical pain at times with no answers so just happy to finally know and just be kind to my body

I am the same lamps etc not giving the same brightness about the place

Not much Christmas supplies left here apart from lots of Cadbury selection boxes, I loved the pretzel selection from Aldi this year but none left in a store I visit they were so tasty

How was everyones Monday? We have left over veg and meat from yesterday so doing fresh mash and roast potatoes now looking forward to that

CheerLouth

@pigtail33 I've left my garland on my mantlepiece to keep some twinkle in the house. I didn't take it down till mid Feb last year