Don't read if you don't want to hear the C word !

I have a friend who knows it winds me up and starts to send me F B posts in August saying so many days till Christmas, I really don't want to see/hear these things until at least October, having said that because of the costs I do ( and have already) got some gifts put away for family and friends) can't do it all at once due to costs.
Last year I spent Christmas day on my own and will probably do so this year too, my daughter did come on 26th.
I just feel that talking about christmas so early plus the people who put up decorations much to early, Oct or Nov, it stops the holiday being special, Put up the tree and decorations in Sept and by Christmas the children are so used to them it is just like the norm, Just my thoughts and each to his own

I wouldn’t dare buy my grandkids Christmas gifts yet. What they like in August will probably be long forgotten by December!

I will be making my Christmas cake in the next week or so. Before I retired I went back to work at the beginning of September, so I always made it before my return. Christmas pudding is always made on Stir up Sunday. For the two members of the family who don't eat anything with dried fruit it in, I make home-made icecream and chocolate cake.

I started cross stitching Xmas cards in lockdown. I’ve also started shopping for prezzies too. If I see something I think someone would like. I stash it in my prezzie box. I also have lists in my diary which I add whatever I have bought for someone. I’m not a huge Xmas fan hence I start early as the stress closer to the day is unbearable.

oh my! again I admit it, I have not taken in the comments in every post here.

I am running late today

but.. Christmas,, again I admit it, I go to church, with all that entails

and really, REALLY! is this what Christmas is about?

presents etc..
for me, I am dreading Christmas, dh died just before last Christmas I think I was still numbed or worse

so no, Christmas time, other than a small amount of church meetings, so glad when it is over..

sad that we seem to have lost the meaning of Christmas though.

I am thinking about Christmas too. I usually do stockings for my grandchildren, new pencils , colouring books dot to dot, maybe a few sweets, etc. They live about 100 miles away from us . So I am thinking of wrapping and doing the stockings in October and driving to my sons just to drop them off, not going in for coffee or anything. He can store them until Christmas and the presents should be free of any germs by then , at least the children won’t miss out. They are 10 and 7.

Bought my first Christmas present yesterday. Thinking about Christmas earlier this year. Probably just something lovely to look forward to after a difficult year. And hoping things have improved by then and we can look forward to a better 2021. Fingers crossed.

I think our Xmas will now be scaled back. Normally I don't consciously shop for Xmas until later in the year but do pick up small things I see while out high street shopping to put away for presents. However (see the thread on retuning to the office) I have not and will not be high street shopping for the foreseeable future so haven't got anything set aside so perhaps this is the right time to scale the whole thing down. Many of us are now somewhat rounder and heavier because of lockdown (me, me!) so adding Xmas poundage to the burden is another good reason to cut down on seasonal stuffing!

I have started to think about Christmas but only on food. As someone who should have been shielding I have no intentions in either queuing outside shops in bad weather or being inside with crowds so i am starting to collect food for the christmas period so I don't have to worry. We are a small adult family and we don't tend to do loads of gifts.

Will it really matter, forward thinking for Christmas? From the latest doom & gloom from Government there is a very good chance we will be in Lockdown again then! So maybe it will be cancelled this year! How to explain to little ones who still believe in Santa? Oh well there is always next year, maybe!

This just makes me sad. I usually spend Christmas with my son and family in France. But who knows this year whether I’ll be able to fly over there! So I’m trying not to think about it. As might be spending it on my own. Sorry to be a party pooper!

I did buy cards, paper etc at the beginnning of the year and i have been saving every month towards Xmas but apart from that nothing.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000LRSK9U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?psc=1&tag=gransnetforum-21&ie=UTF8

I got a golf set for a 4 year old grandson's birthday next month. I always check with daughters before buying things to know what they might want or like, and I buy some clothes too as I think it is nice they can wear things grandma bought and it helps the mums. Some books are always good too, but again check what they've already got.

I start thinking about Christmas on 1st December. Plenty of time to get everything sorted.

Noooo not the C word.
My neighbour did all her Christmas shopping online, in lockdown.

I hear people busy in some towns doing Christmas shopping early. A good idea lest there be another lockdown or to avoid crowds.

I make Christmas cards so have started on those though as years pass, fewer people on the list. More time in house so good to have variety of things to be doing.

I am thinking about making some cards this year and have already bought my dried fruit marzipan etc for my cake(all sealed up) just to make sure...Presents have to be bought early to post before the Christmas rush but they do seem to get more difficult to sort each year. I am already eyeing up my Honeysuckle for a wreath now where did I put those scissors?

Witzend, I love your Father Christmas! I would definitely buy one.

Having always had a large family, I’ve always just picked up gifts all thro the year, in sales etc just to take away the stress of last minute gifts etc. I’m always amazed in about October when I pull out my big wicker basket on wheels and see just how much I’ve accumulated. It spreads the cost too. Obviously meant have so much stashed away this year, so once the GC are back at school I can start to focus on Xmas, whatever it may bring.

I have started sewing and knitting presents and a Nativity scene.

I love Christmas and the preparations and right now there is so much else we can't do, so why not spend time on Christmassy things?

I admit that I'm thinking of buying ingredients for the 3 Christmas cakes I usually make around early October. As I'm not going out much I might as well use the time to make them earlier than usual, so they'll be even more mature!
And Witzend, re Christmas presents, I usually ask for ideas from GC's parents. Sometimes I contribute to a more expensive item which is really wanted but not affordable for them alone..
And I always buy books; there's a very good website which covers all children's books, recommending new ones, and relating them to age - called www.lovereading4kids.co.uk. It has books of the month for all ages and you can look up many titles and read a review. Once you have some ideas of books you might buy, Amazon is a good place to go and read the reviews on there too.
PS ( my spell check wants to change your name to Wizened! Obviously that's grossly libellous!!)

My dtr loves Body Shop products and saw an advent calendar they were doing which was quite expensive but I said I would buy it for her as a Christmas present. Well it arrived and she said oh I only have to wait till the 1st December to open it, I said no it's for Christmas you have to wait until the 25th (joking). Well her face dropped and she said but it's an advent calendar it will be out of date then lol. So now I will have to buy her something small to open Christmas day, but she's a bit help when choosing presents for the grandchildren as obviously she knows what they like and what they have. We are both looking at things now though, I enjoy it and the feeling of Christmas.

My Christmas planning started in January, with the sales - buying cards and a new colour of baubles for the tree,
it has been thrown out on sync by both son's birthdays being un-celebrated through lockdown.
Have just got back on track and sent for 2 handbags for grandaughters and started planning food I can prepare and freeze in advance - (smoked salmon covered salmon mousses and a paris brest) .
If Christmas gets delayed by unforseen happenings, food and presents will still be ready!

I agree with BlueSky (on previous page). Usually I love Christmas, but I can't begin to think about it (in terms of the holiday, and where we may be at that time) under the present circumstances. Perhaps this feeling will change as December approaches.

rowanflower0, you;re just to good to be true! Even if I made paris brest , salmon mousse etc , there wouldn't be room in my freezer to store for 3 1/2 months!