How are your Christmas preparations going this year?

Tree up on 15 December, bought with youngest daughter and her husband children and dog, from the farm we’ve got trees from for thirty five years. Tree beautiful in the conservatory that opens from the main sitting room, so in the house but when the French windows closed, protected from the dogs swinging tails that clear branches with ease

I’m missing mr I. It’s our fourth Christmas without him, he loved Christmas. We did it for forty happy years,, I m cracking on but I do wish he was here, laughing, cuddling the grandchildren and our daughters, oh yes and me

We've 4 grown daughter with husbands, children, spouses, and grandchildren. Christmas lunch for each family is one of 4 Advent Sundays.

We've finished Christmas family lunches and pressies.

My husband and I have our Christmas meal after Mass the 25th.

Well, everything was going as planned until the water company came to look at the stopcock at the bottom of the drive. ( as a result of a leak under our sink causing a chain of events) It is very old and the attempt to turn it resulted in it being condemned.
We now have no water and are awaiting the repair team who will take up to 6 hrs, dig a large hole and repair it. Looks like Christmas will be at DS2s house!

Yikes! Sorry to hear that.

fancythat

Yikes! Sorry to hear that.

Thanks. They’ve not arrived yet, it’s a bit like old fashioned camping in your own home. Just got to stop DH hiding the dirty cups in the dishwasher. 😂

Iam64, 💐.

This is my first Christmas without DHand I'm finding it hard. Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve with family and friends, and I'll see all the family on Christmas Day, we'll keep each other cheerful for the grandchildren.

Norah, a month of family Christmas dinners!! Well done you! I hope you and your DH enjoy your special meal on Christmas Day, you've certainly earned it.

I've been very busy and I thought I just had a couple of last minute gifts to wrap, but I have not long arrived home from a wee trip to Bratislava Christmas markets to a cold house, boiler not working. I've googled the fault, tried to increase the pressure but no joy. Called my Homecover plan, eventually got to speak to a human, a very efficient young woman who 'escalated' my call so that an engineer will come by 10pm tonight...🤞🙏

J52, my sympathies, I hope your water is fixed soon.

I've still got my big coat on, the thermostat says 12 degrees. Good job it's quite mild at the moment. I'll try to keep moving to keep warm.

Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful Christmas. 🌟 🎄

Thank you Grannmarie. Hope you get your boiler fixed soon, you certainly don’t need to feel cold at this difficult Christmas for you.
We are quite sanguine and can see the ‘funny’ side. Others have much more serious difficulties.
Off out to friends this evening so might use their loo! 🎄

Sorry to read about boiler and water probs granmarie and J52, it’s such a difficult time of year to face those issues,.

Granmarie, I’ve just cancelled my Homecare and left BG for a less expensive supplier, your Homecare means you get a qualified, reliable tech/engineer thus is evening, I’m wondering if I made a mistake to save a few pounds 🤣🙈. It’s been an expensive year ,… ah well. All will be well

Thank you both! Just to say that engineer has been and gone, boiler sorted, radiators checked, house is warming up nicely. What a relief! Back to sorting gift bags and checking foodstuffs... with my TV 📺 quizzes on in the background.

Hope everyone manages to finish their Christmas prep in time to relax and enjoy the festive season.

Hurrah! A lovely young man from Severn Trent has just been and sorted the issues!
Poor soul is on call till 4am!
Glad your boiler is working again Grannmarie.
Happy Christmas 🎄

J52

Well, everything was going as planned until the water company came to look at the stopcock at the bottom of the drive. ( as a result of a leak under our sink causing a chain of events) It is very old and the attempt to turn it resulted in it being condemned.
We now have no water and are awaiting the repair team who will take up to 6 hrs, dig a large hole and repair it. Looks like Christmas will be at DS2s house!

sorry to hear about your trouble, something like that is bad enough at any time ,but so much worse at this time...but glad you have you DS2S to go to ...have a nice time...

Thanks pably15 All sorted now, thanks to a lovely young man from Severn Trent. He was so helpful, on call all night poor soul.

Well, a couple of trips up and down the train tracks, mum’s shin is mending well and I’ve just got back from Tescos (it was fairly quiet and well stocked to my delight).

I’m back on track for a steady day of cooking and decorating tomorrow.

I hope everyone’s water and heating continues to work now. So grateful for all the people who respond to cries for help.

Arghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone. Sorry. Not feeling like Christmas this year. Best friend died last Tuesday. X

So sorry for your loss- really hard at this time of year, not easy anytime really.

So sorry purplepixie, that’s a tough one.

Purplepixie

Merry Christmas everyone. Sorry. Not feeling like Christmas this year. Best friend died last Tuesday. X

Oh no. That is not nice at all.

24 December and nothing has been done. We downszed over the summer but did not have our furniture and effects delivered until a week ago because of building work.

We have a lot of books, and papers, seriously large uantities. We had 30 or more boxes in the living room and with no garage nowhere to put them. The same in the rest of the downstairs, plus all the furniture that would not get upstairs because the landig is so narrow.

At 8.30 this morning I emptied and cleared the last living room box. We then filled the car to the gunnels with cardboard boxes, packaging and discarded books and files (those not suitable for selling or donating) and went to the tip.

So when I have finished penning this missive I will start putting decorations up aand wrapping presents. The one change I am making is that the main Christmas meal will be in the evening as I will not have time to prepare it in advance today. Also by bedtime, after midnight service at the church opposite our front door. I am going to be absolutely knackered and intend to sleep long and late tomorrow, have a leisurely light lunch and then start on the main meal. There are only 3 of us and I pared down the incredients of the meal some years ago to Meat( of varying kinds including stuffing) and 2 veg. Smoked salmon to start, with Christmas pudding to finish and a good bottle of Malbec.

In the end, Christmas went well. On Christmas afternoon, living room emoty of boxes, DD and I got the Christmas tree up and deocrated and I had enough gralands to run a garland across each open fireplace and placed Christmas cards on every surface. Suddenly the house looked like Christmas.

The service at the church opposite, large old with a slightly high church vicar, went very well, with lots of carol singing.

Christmas day ran half a day late. We hung our Christmas stockings up, but Santa was running late and arrived at 10.30, Christmas morning. I then had hurriedly to wrap the presents, so we could pull the wrappings off with delight a few minutes later.

I postponed the Christmas meal from lunch time to evening, and fell asleep during the family viewing of The Muppets Christmas Carol, so that has been postponed until the evening.

But, at the end of the day our first Christmas in our new home was much as it has always been and we went from thinking on Tuesday night that Christmas would have to be cancelled to knowing yesterday that this Christmas will live on in family history at the year we nearly didn't have Christmas.

A little late in the day to ask, surely?

I have reached my New Year's proparations, as this is the 28th of December.

I have been washing down woodwork in the kitchen all morning, and making out tomorrow's shopping list. Might go and wash a couple of floors soon.

AuntieE, this thread was started before Christmas

Maybe not too late to ask? Plenty of people looking for Christmas cards on sale yesterday, squirrelling them away for next year.
No, I didn’t buy any so I guess I’m running behind as usual.

^ I then had hurriedly to wrap the presents, so we could pull the wrappings off with delight a few minutes later.^

M0nica I couldn't remember where I had put pressies for DH so spent all the early morning hunting. Found them but he didn't get them wrapped at all - so he spent thirty seconds pulling them out of my shopping bag 😄😄

28th, and I’ve just made another batch of 3 dozen plus mince pies. Still have plenty of gammon left, and in the freezer is a batch of pigs in blankets which I didn’t take to our hosts up north - I thought that 48 would be plenty, but they all went!

The remaining Ps in Bs will be cooked as part of the lunch for dd and family on New Year’s Day.