Why talk about xmas in September!

I start buying now too,. A friend mentioned 'cyberjammies' and their sale recently. I've bought a lovely pair of long sleeved pj's for my best friend and saved £20.

Next Sale rumoured to start tomorrow!

Usually don't think about it till October but have bought DGS1 a football game in Sainsburys on offer - not expensive - for either birthday (November) or Christmas. He has been keen on football for several months (7yo) and having SFA course for 6 weeks then maybe joining junior local team if still keen and wants goals for birthday or Christmas. He is keen as goalie and quite good. Been buying mini Disney cars for DGS2 (3) for advent truck from marketplace - need 24. Smyths catalogue is out so kids looking at it. DGS2 has stated he wants a green gate and green ball - still (don't ask). DS has said going to Devon to spend with fiancee's Mum who has moved recently from Scotland. That's fine as she will be alone but up here in Scotland we have definitely not yet planned the actual day. And yesterday had call from orthopaedic department saying bunion op is being farmed out to a private hospital in Edinburgh from NHS so might be before Christmas not in 90 weeks! So maybe I will be sitting with feet up while everyone else has to run after me. Here's hoping

Galaxy

To be honest if I didnt have some discussion in Sept about Christmas, the activities that I want to book would all be booked up.

My family always planned early. My inlaws a week before. Despite being reminded that we needed dates, none were forth coming. We then would get told off that we favoured my family.

Some things, as you say, do need to be organised early.

Bea65

*Blossoming*couldn't help myself could I? its other people's stress about it in September!!

Has telling someone not to stress ever actually worked though?

I adore Christmas always have I start shopping September it spreads the cost.

I admit to buys few things, I buy clothes for the little ones if I see an offer, Boden currently 30% off selected lines, and I’ve bought a few odds and ends for my adult daughters, but it never seems to make a lot of difference, I’m still running around panicking in December.

I have already started thinking about Christmas - but that is mainly because I love to cross stitch, and often give cross stitched items as gifts. Cross stitching takes time, so I have to get started early.

Well, we booked the pantomime tickets in March, several stocking presents have been secreted into my underwear drawer and with all the forecasts of shortages, I will start buying the cooking ingredients for the pudding, cake, mincemeat, marzipan, next week. One or two items a week, with allowances for shortage weeks.

My Christmas is organised around a spread sheet. Its purpose is a slow and steady approach to Christmas without panic, anxiety and rush. It works!

I consider I’m quite organised, I make lists, I write down everything I buy, who it’s for and how much it cost, so that I know I’m being fair.
But with one daughter and three grandchildren living here, I’ve lost all my hiding places, and I used to set up a pasting table in a spare room, get everything out, sort it out, wrap it up gradually.
Last year I had to take a day off work, and do everything in a day.
So the little gains I make in autumn, don’t make much difference in December.

What’s there to stress about? To me and DH Christmas is just like any other Sunday. But then we don’t have family nearby. We make the most of it. ?

Counting down to Christmas in July
Yes that would be annoying to see Grandmadinosaur
I would definitely have to ignore that thread.

Sorry but I'll be the first to say it, ^anyone got the sprouts on yet??^??

I love Christmas and it's three months today. Bit early for shopping but we do have our accommodation booked.

I'll be all right in the run up so long as I avoid the glossy magazines and their impossible goals for achieving the perfect door wreath, party frock, happy family etc etc ..

I’ll start looking for ideas for the GC quite soon. Not concerned about anything else. As I said on another thread we had all the traditional food last year but it tasted like cardboard as we couldn’t see our family.

Oh God I need to book the pantomime.

Plenty to choose from Galaxy,
All the stars are looking for ways to make up for loss of wages through covid!

We always go to the same one. It has no stars in it but the villain is gorgeous

Visit to a tourist spot in Somerset, a shop full of Christmas goods. Ridiculous.

millie22 I bought some yesterday.

Galaxy We go to the pantomime done each year in our local town. No celebrities, much the same actors year after year. Truly wonderfully dreadful script with gags going from year to year. It's great!

I love Christmas, and as someone stated if you dont book things up now you would not get a venue,like our works Christmas party.
I am buying what people want now and putting money aside, it makes life easier.

Totally agree with you OP. Spreading the cost across a few months is fair enough. But shops and advertisers shoving Christmas down our throat from Mid September with their adverts and displays are really annoying. As is the increasing hype and pressure to produce Christmas Eve boxes and have fancy colour Co ordinated decorations, and beautifully wrapped presents to display on Facebook etc etc. And so many of these people seem to begrudge having elderly parents, a widowed MIL and so on over to share the day because they're too exhausted after all their shopping and partying.
Would love if we could return to simpler Christmasses focused on family and the original Christmas story.

Never succumbed to the ‘perfect’ Christmas, why would you. But I do plan ahead and buy bits weekly from now on, I’ll probably get Advent calendars in the next couple of weeks, quality street box bought along with some cranberry sauce and wine box. The night before Christmas book will be found in its storage box.
I love Christmas, always have done, anticipation is nearly as good as the event.

Namsnanny

Sorry but I'll be the first to say it, ^anyone got the sprouts on yet??^??

No, but my par-boiled parsnips are in the freezer ready and waiting nestled next to my mincemeat ?

There never has been a time of ideal Christmases. There have always been poor lonely people, neglected children, those who do not bother with Christmas, as it means nothing to them, those who spend too much and get into debt.

I have always loved Christmas as do most of my family and we celebrate it our way. I am not bothered by advertisments, I take no notice of things that do not interest me and have no desire to compete with anyone.

DD and I even managed to enjoy last Christmas, when 7 people were reduced to 3 by lockdown and to 2 when DH had a heart attack and spent 8 weeks in hospital. He was out of danger on Christmas day, but we couldn't visit. We looked at each other over the 7.5 kilo turkey, ordered in October and cut it in half and put half in the freezer for Easter.

We had all the decorations and lights up and all the traditional food and watched the Muppets Christmas Carol on Boxing day as is our habit.