Anyone started planning Christmas already?

Why not don your outfit now and post a pic on here?

Yeahhhhhh I love love love Christmas.... and yes, it is only August but yesterday I got my new Christmas elf outfit out to alter and I ordered some new elf tights ... hahaha.

Believe it or not but I bought the elf outfit in January this year hahahaha, the Christmas tree has barely been put away before I was thinking 2 month ahead.

So, along with that I buy throughout the year all my cards and gifts as I go along and then when it gets to Christmas it's all tickerty-boo
..

If the Covid-19 means we cant go ahead with our usual plans, then I am STILL wearing my elf outfit , no way is THAT staying in the wardrobe... Covid-19 may stop a lot of things from taking place, but it isnt stopping me from wearing ELF OUTFIT ..

Do all the Australians know that Marmight ??

GG13 am sure your DGC will love the book ( I do)?

Lucca I always assume something along those lines for anyone who feels antipathy for Christmas.My festive elf
Comment was just lighthearted.It’s much too early for this thread in any case, but I have been as bad as anyone else in prolonging it!?

No! All I know is that Christmas in Australia won’t happen

Witzend

We’re not wishing our lives away, @Lucca - I’m not sure why you’d think that. I for one don’t want tempus to fugit any faster than it already does.

I did not say anything about wishing your life away, I think you will find that was Bluebelle

We’re not wishing our lives away, @Lucca - I’m not sure why you’d think that. I for one don’t want tempus to fugit any faster than it already does.

I did all my Christmas shopping in January/February inc cards.
I have done so for years as i have a lot of people to buy for and i have a lot of birthdays in November/December so i need to be organised.
With Covid still hanging around i`m glad i do sort gifts early because if we have shutdown i won`t be worried who i may have left out.
As for seeing family on Christmas day,it`s a case of watch this space.
I shall wish you all a very merry Chritmas in December and not before.
I`m not that bad.

Iam64 and Bluebelle. Thank you.

lemongrove

According to J R R Tolkein (The Father Christmas Letters) it’s polar bear who helps FC with the toys, and they have many problems with the bad goblins.Every festive elf is needed to repulse them.

I have just ordered 3 copies of Tolkeins The Father Christmas Letters for GC ??

This thread is so utterly depressing I d rather stick pins in my eyes than think about C at this time of year Do you really wish your life away at such a rate doesn’t it go quickly enough ?
I can quite understand people who need to shop all year round for the ‘big event‘ but keep it to yourselves PLEASE

Totally agree lucca

Lucca - I was fairly sure you had good reason to be a goblin and the way you explained it confirms that.

How are we supposed to plan for Christmas when we don't know what next week will bring? Lockdown, shut in, new tests, old tests, shake it all about...

Just in case anyone thinks I’m being a goblin for no good reason.... a “friend”. Years ago used to go on at me so much when I said I didn’t like Christmas and call me Scrooge, I ended up having to shut her up by explaining why, getting divorced meant having to try and “compensate” to the children. It was really difficult and I came to dread that time of year. Every year I watch and listen to Programmes adverts etc which show big tables full of family and friends and people opening the front door to visitors. Now I’ve have one son In Australia so that’s also sad.

We're one of those weird families, living far and wide, in different countries, and, due to necessity, normally need to plan 'It' well in advance. But, I think this year 'It' is going to be a very different occasion for many of us. I think, realistically, it may be impossible for us to have our usual big family get-together, so I've consigned it to the back of my mind for now, as I'd rather not think about it. We'll make of it the best we can when the time comes. It's all we can do.

Yes I get that Illte x
I'm off to find the polar bear gang x

Actually Iam64, the test and trace info shows that the majority of new cases are from family and friends visiting each others homes.

Your messages were truer than you thought!

Little point planning anything this year ( and possibly next year!) plans have to be kept fluid if you do make them.
I shall just make sure we have plenty of Baileys.?That’s fluid, after all.

the polar bear is lovely ( it’s a great book) we used to read it to our children every Christmas.Tolkein wrote a series of letters with drawings (as if from FC at the North Pole )to his children every year, and the book contains them all.A great present for anyone with young grandchildren.

I'm in the lockdown part of the country, in the wonderful Greater Manchester. We've had great fun exchanging what sap messages about what we are "allowed" to do. My favourite is the list of places you can't catch Covid. In case you don't know, these include The Pub, The Hairdressers, B and Q, John Lewis (thank goodness) a Restaurant, a Beer Garden, a Park. Places you can catch covid - your auntie Pat's conservatory or your mums back garden.
We have already had exchanges about what to do when we get the tweet from Mr Hancock at 9.30 pm on Christmas Eve and the turkey stuffing is made a my house, the turkey at X's home and the sprouts at Y'shome. We have agreed to keep calm and carry on. Who needs all the trimmings if you have a few.

I didn't know about the polar bears lemon grove. I'd like to be on their team and keep the naughty goblins away.

With lockdown being reimposed already in parts of the country, a strong fear that a second wave could be in the offing and no idea how we are going to react when bad weather hits, the flu season starts and we are once again obliged to meet indoors if at all, how can anybody plan for 4 months hence?
4 months ago did any of us have an inkling if where the country would be in July/August?
I think it is tempting fate - but by all means stash advance bought presents in the bottom of the wardrobe or start knitting a Nativity Set, however one thing Covid-19 should have taught us is to be prepared for Plans B, C or even D.

@Lucca, of course I didn’t mean that nobody else should read the thread. I just wondered why anyone who finds the topic tedious or irritatingly unseasonal, would bother to do so.

@Craftyone, that set is lovely. Alan Dart’s patterns are brilliant. Last year I made his Advent Calendar for Gdcs - it’s a Sirdar pattern but I don’t think it’s on his website.

Unfortunately I didn’t find it until well into September, so since it’s huge, and what with all the little pockets and inserts as well as the backing, I was knitting frantically to have it ready for 1st December.
It was certainly worth the effort, but I’d advise anyone else to start it well before September!

I made an alan dart knitted nativity set once, not quite this one but it was very engrossing and turned out beautiful. If you need something to plan and like knitting then have something like this in mind
www.alandart.co.uk/product/all-patterns/nativity-set/

I don`t think I will do any planning this year, the dgc are all old enough for cash gifts and the AC have said no presents please. The dd I am living closest to has done christmas for the past 2 years and I was going to do it this year but naturally now everything has changed. They have booked to go away and we will have that gathering 2 weeks before christmas

Christmas will be another day, not a gloomy one on my own, I already have a project, a lovely self-contained needle felted animal. I will most definitely not get treats and drinks and chocolates this year, it is hard enough to avoid those right now and would be silly to put that weight on when I am already too heavy for my height

The first year I was widowed, I bought a kit to assemble and make a spinning wheel, it took me two weeks and is an absolute joy to use. The needle felting kit looks gorgeous and I may get one more, after all I will have a new empty oak mantle to display the finished animals

So if the dgc were small, yes I would be on the look-out for presents, if I lived in walking distance then yes I would be making puddings and mincemeat and cake for them. Each to their own for the christmas planning, some need the christmas festival so badly, no-one has any right to take the joy from them

This sounds a “first world” solution: should we be in lockdown we’ll do a Zoom Christmas lunch each from our own houses.

Christmas means sprouts - I must have them on my festive dinner.
Cooked, but still firm, sweet not tasteless, and no mucking around smashing them and frying with bacon.
We’ll probably spend 2 days with our children and partners in a hotel.
We don’t have young children in the family so it makes Christmas a bit more special for us.