Christmas 2023 #2

[Pesky Tarian]

When the kids were tiny and wanted to play i would prep dinner the day before otherwise it was too stressful. Now I really like to do it on the day, have people arriving to all the lovely smells. I always have the slow cooker out on the side too filled with mulled wine for guests to help themselves.

For anyone making hampers I spotted these in TK. Nice quality basket with cellophane, ribbon and packing £3.99. (Excuse angle of the photo I was trying to get all the colours in).

 

[Meg78]

Personally I don’t find the Xmas dinner that much of a faff- meat in, peel potatoes and carrots parsnips, parboil and put in oven as well. Ditto stuffing and pigs in blankets. And then it’s just boiling veg…

maybe people are doing fancier stuff than I am?!

We only have a small oven with a single rack so it’s always impossible to get everything done in time

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

For anyone making hampers I spotted these in TK. Nice quality basket with cellophane, ribbon and packing £3.99. (Excuse angle of the photo I was trying to get all the colours in). View attachment 2515336

Thank you, were just looking to buy some. Hopefully my local has some

Started decorating our christmas eve boxes and ended up gluing my fingers together . Omg was so fking painful to pull them apart!

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

Personally I don’t find the Xmas dinner that much of a faff- meat in, peel potatoes and carrots parsnips, parboil and put in oven as well. Ditto stuffing and pigs in blankets. And then it’s just boiling veg…

maybe people are doing fancier stuff than I am?!

I think it depends on numbers too. I always do mine on the day because the most I have for lunch is 8 but I know someone who often has about 20 so even the table gets laid the day before.

 

[knivesnflowers]

Veg prep is a family affair on Christmas Eve for us, but that's because there are 17 of us on Christmas Day, but I do love the tradition. 10am Christmas Eve morning we all gather at the hosts house and do all the prep work, Christmas TV on, someone inevitably opens a biscuit tin that was meant to be a gift to snack on, and of the 7 households there will always be one whose dedicated prep representative will turn up convientiely late just as the last carrot has been peeled...

this has blown my mind imagine going to the UN for xmas lunch

 

[Onthehop]

I think it depends on numbers too. I always do mine on the day because the most I have for lunch is 8 but I know someone who often has about 20 so even the table gets laid the day before.

We usually have 8 but I love to set the table the day before. I like to faff

 

[LifeOfMog]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

 

[Tinkerbell cat]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

The men's baylis & harding ones from boots are quite good - I got my boyfriend one of them last year and he liked the mixture of shower gels etc for him to try. You can also get a Nivea one too. I guess if there's anything he is really into, you could see if they do one to his tastes.

 

[ems1982]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

I’m getting my husband this x

 

[CallMeHollywood]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

Beer ones are always good. A brewery near me - thornbridge - has an advent calendar that’s on early bird price at the moment.

 

[Silverback]

I am going Christmas shopping at Bluewater this weekend and I am SO excited! I’m gonna rinse out the John Lewis Xmas decorations, and hopefully get some lovely present ideas.

By the way, what do you guys put at the top of your tree? Those heavy stars with the spiral bit are too heavy for my top branch.

 

[Honeystar]

this has blown my mind imagine going to the UN for xmas lunch

Hahahahaha the family has just kept growing

 

[FenellaTheWitch]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

What does he like? You can get advent calendars for virtually anything these days. Beer, whiskey, cheese , beard oil .... you name it, there's probably an advent calendar out there.

 

[EnoughAlready]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

I got the father in law a snaffling pig company pork scratchings one last year, he loved all the diff flavour packets behind the windows!

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

By the way, what do you guys put at the top of your tree? Those heavy stars with the spiral bit are too heavy for my top branch.

A picture of me….after all I am the star of the family
But on a serious note a star
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I got the father in law a snaffling pig company pork scratchings one last year, he loved all the diff flavour packets behind the windows!

This is a brilliant idea. Thank you! Mr Lolz loves a pork scratching

 

[kelly123]

By the way, what do you guys put at the top of your tree? Those heavy stars with the spiral bit are too heavy for my top branch.

Scandalously I haven’t had anything on top of my tree the last few years. Must rectify it this year. Nothing really takes my fancy though

 

[calmyourritas]

Finally started my shopping not got too many to buy for this year but started getting some bits for my little girl and I’m soo excited for her to open them already

 

[mindlessness]

Lovelies, I need some help with advent calendars - I'd like to get my dad one, as I've got my mum a yankee candles one, what do you guys recommend?

Does he enjoy jams/marmalades? I've been eying off the Bonne Maman advent calendar for myself! They're such cute little jars.

New Advent Calendar 2026

www.bonnemaman.co.uk

Also the Whisky Shop has lots of advent calendars (gin ones too): https://www.whiskyshop.com/advent-calendars
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I am going Christmas shopping at Bluewater this weekend and I am SO excited! I’m gonna rinse out the John Lewis Xmas decorations, and hopefully get some lovely present ideas.

By the way, what do you guys put at the top of your tree? Those heavy stars with the spiral bit are too heavy for my top branch.

The last few years I've had a heavy star that is too big proportionally and my tree sort of hung a bit lopsided This year my plan is to find a slightly less heavy star.

 

[Megansnarkle]

By the way, what do you guys put at the top of your tree? Those heavy stars with the spiral bit are too heavy for my top branch.

We have a fairly heavy topper from Anthropologie but as we have a plastic tree we put the top branch through the springy bit and then bend it back on itself to anchor the topper in place (it also saves it from poking through awkwardly).

If we didn't have that I'd probably have a vintage style glass finial.

 

[Bizziebody]

I made a star for our tree & put little photos of our long departed fur babies. They were both little 'stars'.