We're just into December and I see a lot of people have trees and decorations in their homes already.
Ours won't go up before the 23rd December, and will be minimal.
Have you got yours up yet? (perhaps that need re-phrasing on a predominately male forum!)
Pat
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Yup, our decs are up. Mrs B puts them up on the 1st December every year. Hey ho.
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We're slacking. Nothing doing yet, Mrs W hasn't even got the advent calenders out for the children. And don't we know it in here!
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We've got a small christmas tree up a few lighs round the fire place some lights across the window.
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I noticed the street lights had gone dim your side of the city Dutchie :)
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We usuall put the tree up the weekend before Christmas, though with it being a Tuesday this year we might relax that a bit and make it the weekend before that. No earlier though thanks!! We're away for New Year, so it'll probably be taken down the weekend after Christmas - who want to come back from a holiday to face a tired looking tree...
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Our tree is put up later and later every year - probably correlating to the general grumpiness level in the household. We bought an artificial tree some 25 years ago and it has done its job well - I later read a 'Which' report comparing artificial trees, and ours was likened to a glorified toilet brush.
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We have a real tree in a large pot. It normally lives outside, we wheel it indoors for Christmas on about the 23rd.>>
Last edited by: Cliff Pope on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 08:05
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>> We have a real tree in a large pot. It normally lives outside, we wheel
>> it indoors for Christmas on about the 23rd.>>
>>
+1/2
Placing ours on a stand today if/when the rain stops...
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Our faux fir goes up on the 24th and goes back up (into the loft) on the 12th night.
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We just have a tree at home, took me half an hour.
I did the full but at my parents house though as my young nephews are over from the colonies in a few weeks time for a month and my mum wanted her house to look like santas grotto. 40 hanging decorations, 12 sets of lights, 56 stuffed toys, lots of tinsel and the dining room resembles a planetarium with about 100 or so baubles hanging from the ceiling.
It is tacky and OTT - perfect.
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Dare I ask - how many have cribs or anything resembling the real Christmas in their houses??
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SWMBOs currently knitting a nativity scene.............
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Up on the 1st. Wouldn't have it any other way. :-)
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The Grinch here!
Personally I would not bother, but SWMBO is into it all, so I guess we'll root around in the shed for our small faux green thingy. She will put it up and decorate it.
I, to keep the peace, will say how nice it is!
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Anyone seen Easter eggs in the shops yet ?
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>> Anyone seen Easter eggs in the shops yet ?
I saw hot cross buns in LIDLs the other day.
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>> Dare I ask - how many have cribs or anything resembling the real Christmas in
>> their houses??
>>
We used to have a crib scene when the children were younger because they loved making the props and then scattering flour over it. It was a standing joke to gradually add anachronisms over the Christmas period. First some tractor tracks would appear, then a playmobile man would slip in at the back, wearing diving gear or dressed as a policeman.
Then perhaps Bob the Builder with a bulldozer.
Last edited by: Cliff Pope on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 10:43
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We have some fibre optic stable scene that my grandmother bought years ago and was only discovered this year. It is pretty, sort of, but I dont know if it is church approved :-)
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I quite enjoy putting it up actually, in fact if I had my way I'd put it up every day.
:}
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Sort of up.
The family room has a small flashing light thing Christmas tree all set up by her indoors for the kids, some decs on the ceiling beams and 3 advent calendars.
The main living room and dining room are still bare. We'll set up a large faux one later.
If I had my way it would be 23rd Dec only...although I suppose i'd mellow a bit for the kids.
I absolutely detest the endless crappy music played since October and the excessively early onset of Christmas since the wrong seasons(s)...but really enjoy the day itself and the general Christmas period.
When I went through my single phase of life, I had a fully made up faux tree, that i'd drag into the garage still adorned with tinsel, baubles, lights, the lot........and put a sheet over...ready until next year, whereupon it would be dragged out again. Everyone..and I mean everyone, disapproved. I could not find one person who thought it a sensible idea. I couldn't work out why i'd need to waste my time each year...and still don't to be honest...but as I'm a majority of one i'll have to accept it's me that's wrong.
As an aside, Martyn Lewis has a campaign going about not giving adults presents. I'm 100% behind that one.
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>> As an aside, Martyn Lewis has a campaign going about not giving adults presents. I'm
>> 100% behind that one.
>>
Has he just ditched his shares in retail companies? How on earth is the economy supposed to recover if we don't buy stuff?
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>> Has he just ditched his shares in retail companies? How on earth is the economy
>> supposed to recover if we don't buy stuff?
>>
If our economy is reliant on me buying crap on Amazon (who pay very little UK tax) for someone who doesn't need it and probably doesn't want it, then we are down the pan.
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Well of course it is, partly. If we all kept all our money in little biscuit tins under the bed and never had any fun for no particular reason, it'd be a pretty sorry state of affairs.
You never heard it's the thought that counts?
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Was instructed to get the 5 black bags of Xmas stuff out of the loft at the weekend, but that was just so Mrs F could find and put up the advent calendar thing (it's more of an ornament).
Still got to get the tree, and main decorations will be going up a bit nearer the time. We've ordered another CD of songs for the traditional Xmas eve Wii Guitar Hero family band gig - I've bagsied vocals on 'Sultans of Swing' :)
Last edited by: Focusless on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 10:25
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>> Has he just ditched his shares in retail companies? How on earth is the economy
>> supposed to recover if we don't buy stuff?
>>
No, just in his own website. I would imagine he can afford a very nice Christmas this year
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'Everyone..and I mean everyone, disapproved'
Sounds like a good idea to me :-)
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How many wind farms does it take to run the externally decorated council houses ? :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 10:39
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>>As an aside, Martyn Lewis has a campaign going about not giving adults presents. I'm 100% behind that one. <<
I saw him in interview and the main thrust of what he was saying is buy useful things for people who mean something to you, dont buy rubbish that nobody really wants like those shower gel sets and dont take part in the great office present exchange.
I have only bought presents for five people this year, less than £100 all in. I hope Mr Lewis approves.
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We've got a Jehovah's Witnesses advent calendar up this year.
Ever time you open the little door a voice shouts 'eff off'.
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I've got a Mayan Advent Calender, its 4 doors short of a normal one.
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Many families I know have a token present rule between the adults, limit £10. I have given 1/2 my Winter fuel allowance to charities that I support and I live by myself so nobody knows if I put up a tree and decs - I don't!
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Trees went up yesterday as my daughter had a day off school (teacher training in Dec. ?), used the time constructively helping her Mum decorate.
SWMBO wants a garden shovel and fork for Christmas. If I see her out digging on Christmas morning I'm making my own dinner.
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Normally have a fake tree indoors which would go up about 2 weeks before Christmas, however it will be staying in the loft this year as I suspect that the recently acquired cats would be up it like a shot ! Have got a couple of small fibre optic ones to go in the lounge instead.
I have bought a real tree in a pot to go out on the drive with some lights on which will be put out there next weekend probably.
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>>I have bought a real tree in a pot to go out on the drive with some lights on<<
The cats will love that :)
They will sit and look at you with eyes that say 'wasn't us, it was that clumsy reindeer'!
Pat
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Hi Pat,
They haven't found their way out down the side of the house to get to the front - so far anyway !!!
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I put up some plain twinkly lights on one of the magnolias in my front garden this weekend. The tree indoors and other decorations will be going up on the morning of the 15th. This is due to my hosting a large extended family Christmas meal at home that day (15 people). I'd probably have left it until the 21st this year otherwise.
Home made mince pies are in the freezer, ready for baking in due course. Logs for the fire are in the garage. All gift shopping has been done online, now for the nervous wait for delivery.
Quite looking forward to it all.
There you go, Pat, some non-negatives for you.
;-)
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Thank you, it's much appreciated at the moment, for reasons I prefer not to say.
It's that gloomy big black cluod hanging around....
Pat
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What a pain. We will have to find a small spruce tree, cut it down, prop it up indoors and do all that other malarkey. Then undo it all again.
Will all the available nippers come here? I have a ghastly feeling they will. It isn't that I mind the little pets, it's just all that other stuff.
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Just put last year's lights (actually 7 years ago ) on the outside tree and after a little jiggery pokery all went well.. Result. Went to find mechanical timer to switch on and off: found it in bits. Oh yess I recall... it fell apart in my hands last year when taking it all down. Plastic fatigue. (it was at least 20 years old).
Ordered a new timer on Amazon under £4,,,
The inside real tree also erected. One set of lights (white) put on and worked perfectly. The other set (red) failed utterly. All bulbs tested, fuse changed. Still dead.. They were from Woolies about 20 years ago.. Oh well...
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I celebrate Yule, and it`s all over by the 22nd, and I share my Humbugs with everyone!
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This Friday after school were off to pick a real one about 7ft & it's pay day thank god.
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I shall be sent into the loft this weekend to get Christmas bag down. Lights outside will go up as well. LED jobbies along the front of house and old fashioned t.f. bulb set in the rowan on lawn. The twin Santa salt & pepper pots might come out soon too.
Tree, a real spruce of some sort, will be up for 16th as it's Miss B's birthday and even at 20 she likes kiddy tradition to be followed. My birthday's the 17th and it was same when I was young. Other deccys will go up as/when before Mum and BoL arrive on 23/24.
All down again by 27/28 unless we get a second tree cheap on 24th or 26th!!
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2 X faux trees erected here at the weekend. Kids have one in their play room which they decorated as only kids can. Nearly all the decs at the same level and half the tree bald, but they are happy with it :-)
The tree in our room is tastefully coordinated!
Yesterday Mrs B made me place the pair of illuminated reindeer in the front garden. I could do without them, but we live opposite the school so the kids like showing them off to friends, and Mrs B likes hearing the kids walk past and comment
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Artificial fibre optic tree will be fetched down from the loft on the 15th... I seem to recall its stand was on the critical list last year, so the thing may well have to be propped upright for the duration then binned this time around.
I went in the local bargain shop at the weekend to get a new car sponge, couldn't believe that 2/3rds of the vast floorspace (ex-Focus DIY building) was stocked with decorations, trees, toys etc and all the staff were in Santa outfits, handing out mince pies... I don't "do" retail as a rule, nor listen to commercial radio, so the creeping encroachment of Christmas had completely passed me by.
Guess I'd better go and dig out my 24v tree-in-a-pot for the truck now :)
Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Tue 4 Dec 12 at 20:15
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Up in the loft at the weekend, out with the cut price tesco xmas tree. No advent calendars bought. (yet - but that means you get a 4 or 5 day bonus up from to catch up!!!)
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Christmas wreath on the front door and candle bridges in the windows...so far.
The weekend will no doubt see me ferretting into the attic to get down the ( fake ) tree, lights, and the natural twiggy leaf and pine cone glittery type decorations that SWMBO likes ...... and no doubt the usual oaths will fly when the lights do not work...
As for confessions - The local Co-op have 150 grams Christmas Packs of Chocolate orange segments for £1 ,( every bit as nice as and a whole lot cheaper than Terrys Chocolate Orange which is 175 grams for around £2.60....)
Five packs bought for Christmas treats for the kids seem to have been eaten over the past couple of weeks .... just testing the quality of course......
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>>Terrys Chocolate Orange which is 175 grams for around £2.60....) <<
Buy one get two free at the moment at Tesco online.
But we don't believe BOGOFF's are good value on here, do we;)
Pat
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For reasons I've never been able to pin down, Mrs C is always happy to pick up a bogof offer in Tesco, on a product we don't normally buy, but turns her nose up at half price offers, because it's a product we don't normally buy.
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Christmas confession time. - Badwolf
