A question about : ❄❄ Let It Snow ❄❄ :: Christmas 2012 Chatter Thread
ETA: Hi all 
To save confusion, this is just a thread to discuss general christmas natterings and to whip up festive excitement as there are loads of us who just want to chat all year round about Christmas and don't want to fill the forum up with Christmas threads and annoy everyone else when it's only May 
All Festive discussion for crafts, organising and saving money are available in this forum 
I was searching for a pre-existing thread that would cover nattering about general Christmas-stuff but couldn't find one and didn't want to step on crafty peoples footsteps. I tend to get a little obsessed with all things Christmas 
WLTM: Other Christmas obsessed people to
share ideas, gossip, present suggestions
and all manner of other Christmas musings.
Generally a little Christmas crazy and since January I've been gradually buying presents and other little bits to try and make this Christmas fantastic again (same excuse as last year 
This year has been awful already and it's only April/May!!)
The only people still to buy for are:
Mum
Grandad
My babies (2 dogs & parrot )
Brothers BIL
Brothers FIL
Brothers SIL's dog (I know, I know)
3 neighbours dogs and 1 neighbours cats
2 neighbours present
1 friends dog
The friends/neighbours dogs and/or cats are easy, they'll be a squeaky toy or packet of treats each.
Grandad will likely be some clothing as he tends to stain/rip/ruin everything magically and other Man Utd related bits and pieces like toothbrushes/keyrings/flannels etc. Presents need to be practical for him as otherwise they're untouched and ignored due to his dementia.
My dogs/parrot: Treats and toys and prob a new blanket each.
Mum: She never wants anything big so she gets lots and lots of little things that she wants/needs.
Neighbours present: Usually a large box of chocs from Thorntons when they do the 5 for Ј20 offer. Keep the others as emergency presents and 1 to open and leave for anyone who wants one on Christmas Eve.
Brothers FIL and BIL. These are a little more tricky. Probably something whisky related for the FIL but I'm still pondering over the BIL...It'll come to me 
I've also bought some little die cut boxes to turn into my mums advent calendar. They're not huge so I have allowed myself to place gift cards in the box with 'see present #5' for example. Due to the small size of the box I've been a little lazy and got quite a few jewellery ideas. Being a little more inventive now
We have always wanted to go to the panto so have that booked as part of the advent calendar. If you can book this early I highly recommend it! Admittedly our town is a little quiet place and they haven't announced who it is who it is in it yet - but they have opened tickets. Have front row tickets because of it and noone else has booked anywhere for my date yet according to the seat planner. Christmas Eve and Boxing Day also have front row and everywhere else available too so it's well worth going ahead
I have to admit that this is the absolute earliest I've been planning and I'm really happy with how it's going and I'm still managing to save at least a tenner a week and not touching it to get all these extra bits so - all being well - Christmas should be fab
I'm jealous of everyone who can make beautiful crafty things, I'm far too clumsy to be that co-ordinated and neat It was hard enough gluing the boxes together for the advent calendar
Roll on December 
Happy Christmas, all
Best answers:
- Wow you are very organised!!
I don't like buying gifts too early as people always change their minds and knowing my family, they tend to just buy what they want so I usually start late september/early october which is still much earlier than everyone else I know!
This year, I'm planning on making a few hampers. My granparents will get a large hamper, will do a smaller one for my parents and my fiance's parents to go with their other 'usual' gifts.
My sister is expecting a baby in July and I have bought a few books to keep to one side for the baby for Christmas as he won't have an opinion on what he wants for the next few years so thats easy.
I love Christmas though!!! I'm looking for more cheap gift ideas really, don't wany to spend too much this year! - great minds think alike ! Ive ordered some books today for my mum.
we have decided to stop buying for some family members , we don't see them from one year to the next so Ive written to them telling them not to buy for us as we wont be buying for them.
the people we buy for now are ;
mum-finished
dad-finished
daughter-
husband- - Wow...am I glad to see this little thread pop up
I absolutely love Christmas, and I'm already wondering what to get people and how I can do a beautiful Christmas with at the least expense possible.
I am intending to get a little bit crafty but the majority of gifts will be shop bought I expect as I'm not the most creative of people.
It must be time to get some planning done
xxxx - Im another big christmas fan, not really bought many presents yet apart from a few bits in the sales but did get all wrapping paper, cards, tags etc. Ive been doing surveys online since jan to get vouchers so they will come in very hand towards buying presents
- Hiya - our christmas starts to be planned on boxing day with Boots sales
theres already a similar thread on MSE
This one
and the sister thread
here which makes the money to spend
I have already started making things
here and here they`re easy to make , cheap and fun
having more threads for christmas suits me, I follow all of them. Sounds like you`ve made a great start and nowadays, I find you have to start early to get the bargains. I tend to do some surveys or ebay bits , make some money and then use on net to buy presents. That way it can be money neutral - Wooo hooo I love this forum. How wonderful a new thread I've not been a member long but lurked last Christmas and was so so impressed. Im glad to be in from the start this year. I too love Christmas, it's planning and in particular Christmas Eve.
I made Christmas Eve hampers last year, they were so lovely to do but worked out a bit expensive cos I didn't have time to search for bargains and did it last minute. I started with the Christmas sales this year
As for Christmas pressies, decorations etc I've been squirrelling away since This week I got a Nike bag (SIL) and swarovski element pencils(BFF) -thanks to the OP on the Grabbit board and Freebies board.
Almost forgot sent for a Bear Grylls book (Freebies board OP big thank yous)
This weekend I was supposed to sort out my 'lists' and get a dedicated note book (I'm geeky and love lists!) One of the lovelies on another board is gonna pm a spreadsheet to keep up with who's got what and how much!
This year I will be ORGANISED and enjoy the run up to Christmas, my ideal is to be ready and wrapped etc so I can enjoy the festivities go for coffee and mince pies with my friend, browse the Christmas markets with my DH and aargh oooo at the Christmas lights with my DGDs.
I'm subscribing to this thread and will be watching and waiting to share ideas. Thank you so much. X - we already have a christmas 2012 thread in this section, with lots of ideas posted on it
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=3697655
maybe a pink could merge this one onto it?, we had several threads last year and it got very confusing for a lot of posters - I see what you mean Midnightraven3 but think the idea is general festive chat who can have tooooo much Christmas?
- sorry
last year a lot of posters got very confused where to find something and where they had already posted, it became a bit of a mess - I think by keeping this a more festive chatty type place rather than crafty ideas or moneymaking/saving ideas like the others we'll be ok?
Just general chit chat on what we've bought, seen or planning?
xxxx - My thoughts exactly Gleek and Lizzie-b The thread has a very different name etc I think it's distinguishable so we'll carry on and we how we go. 240 sleeps til Christmas
I love the other threads too but would just like somewhere to enjoy the moment and have a chat with like minded Christmas people like myself. Unlike my DH who thinks I'm crackers. Ha. X - ooh i love Christmas!!! can i join u all?
last year i done well with the prezzies but things id like to do differently are...
have a Christmas day to ourselves as a bit over whelming having everyone here at once and children cant appreciate what they receive as open one prezzie and another one is given (plenty of time between xmas and new year to spend quality time with family
buy non perishables from September! to ease Xmas shopping bill
keep a bit of money spare to buy children new clothes in asda sales on xmas eve it was gr8 last year but didnt have enough spare cash
plan some activity's in dec such as ice-skating, seeing xmas lights etc
making some gifts (i made my first sock monkey this weekend)
open gifts 1 at a time as with 3 children u miss there reactions if there's a mad unwrapping frenzy!!
have a fun xmas eve with no stressing and last min panicking about something! (plz! plz!)
here's to planning a gr8 xmas 2012 - Thought from the title you were hoping it would snow as I so am as my DS has just married a girl from hong kong who has never seen snow and they are coming to me for christmas so want to make it the best ever so that she will want to come again as they live in Hong Kong so I dont see him that often
So looking for pressies already - I love snow, but only when it's falling and new, I don't like it when it's lingering around and stopping deliveries of post and to supermarkets etc.
As long as it's clear up to Christmas Eve I don't mind if it gets heavy after then, just have too much to do in the run up to do.
I guess I want convenient snow - I too love Christmas and always start early. Some people think Im sad but I have managed to get a few friends round to my way of thinking. I made a start in the Boots sale and managed to go to my first 75% sale last year. What an experience. I loved it and managed to get loads of gift sets and perfume sets to put away and also managed to pick some up to pass onto family members to help them out this year. I also look at car boot sales as the local sale I go to sells a lot of new things. I have managed to pick up some bits in Boots on the clearance shelf too over the last week and going to make a couple of hampers for my nieces. I do go way over the top at Christmas but I save Ј15 each week all year and pick up bits and pieces throughout the year but leave bit presents till nearer the time incase my nieces change their mind.
- I LOVE CHRISTMAS TOO!
I love this thread!
I can see we'll all get along
Hav not bought anything yet but hav started saving, and using survey sites
Looking forward to keep on reading this thread - It's already getting exciting on here isn't it
Thanks Gleek you've cheered me up and I'm planning. (sad geeky person never happier than when planning) - can anyone beat me ? i live away from my mum + dad so i plan on visiting them and delivering their cards and pressies at the end of may.
- 272 reads