The Christmas Countdown Thread!

[trekkiedane]

I managed to find a nice gift for mum today -and I have a pretty good idea where to find something for dad tomorrow! (I'll get him something in a bottle from the micro-brewery in town hall )

Wrapping is something I habitually do just before I leave home to go to the x-mas-eve celebration but as the people I have gifts for (especially mum and dad) are coming here for lunch that very day I'll have to do the wrapping tomorrow

 

[Holdfast]

"It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas..."

Off to visit my father for the holidays tomorrow. And going out a bit later tonight, so have already packed most of what I need for the time I'm staying at his place, which means I don't need to try to remember everything while coping with a hangover tomorrow...

 

[Kira's Mom]

Merry F-ing Christmas. I just quit choir. I'm singing at the service Friday, but that's it. My director has been an asshole to me for the last time.

 

[auntiehill]

^Sounds like it's for the best. I mean, isn't choir supposed to be fun?


Gifts are wrapped, although hubby still hasn't bought anything for his crazy-ass sister. He insists it's his problem, but I don't that nut job in my house, let alone having in the house and not giving her ANYTHING for Christmas.

I really REALLY dislike that family. I hope they don't stay for very long. I am looking forward, however, to trying to make a proper Christmas dinner. I've never done a big fancy dinner without someone pushing me aside and saying " Oh, you're not doing that right. Let me do it!" This year, it's all me---well, and hubby making the pies. That's his specialty.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Two days now for me. Got the presents I brought for mum wrapped. Send a card to my sister and her family today. Will spend a lot of tomorrow cooking.

 

[F. King Daniel]

-1

It's Christmas Eve Eve!!!

*buzzes with excitement*

What time's everyone gonna be up to open prezzies on Xmas day? When I was little I'd spend ages negotiating a 7:30am wake up... only to sleep through and get woken up by my sister an hour or two later. It happened like that every year!

 

[Mary Ann]

To avoid being woken up before 4am yet again I made a deal with my kids a few years ago: their stockings can ransacked whenever they wake up (some time between 2 and 4 in the morning, usually) but they cannot go downstairs to open their presents under the tree OR wake Mom and Dad up before 6am or their parents will be too tired and grumpy to deal with for the rest of the day. This arrangement has worked well over the past few years.

By the time I was a teenager my family had gotten into the habit of attending the early Christmas Eve mass and opening presents afterwards. My brood doesn't go to church but I still like the idea of opening presents on Christmas Eve, though we'll wait a few more years to initiate this because my boys will want to play with/watch/read every present, meaning that they wouldn't get to bed 'til dawn. Which sorta defeats the purpose of a calm, quiet present-opening session and a good night's sleep with a lie-in on Christmas morning.

Have we covered stupidest present/idea yet? Mine was buying my then 5-year-old daughter a bike and having to assemble it on Christmas Eve, with a missing bolt or two and instructions written in Cardassian. NEVER AGAIN.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I got a bike for Christmas when I was about 4 or 5. My sister used to tell me that it was the sound of Mum dragging the thing out of hiding in the spare bedroom and downstairs at 2am that confirmed for her that Santa wasn't real

I think the stupidest present for me was a Scalextric (or however you spell it) set. I wanted it and begged for one for months and months, it cost a fortune, and got all of 20 minutes use on Xmas day. They looked like sooo much fun... but they weren't.

 

[Finn]

I asked for a microscope one Christmas. I got a toy one. I was pissed, more pissed than when Mom ate my Twix on Halloween years before.

 

[KimMH]

I am looking forward, however, to trying to make a proper Christmas dinner. I've never done a big fancy dinner without someone pushing me aside and saying " Oh, you're not doing that right. Let me do it!" This year, it's all me---well, and hubby making the pies. That's his specialty.

my family isn't very confident in my cooking skills (for good reason -proven on numerous occassions) so I always do a potlucky thing - thye're ususally willing to bring stuff they don't trust me to make and well - that's just one less thing for me to make! I'm a heck of a dishwasher though . . .

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Currently cooking a cheesecake for tomorrow. Christmas lunch will be smaller than previous years, with just mum and myself.

 

[Finn]

Warm and fuzzy feelings tonight! We are out in the mountains. We just had dinner with my folks, her folks, her sister and her hubby, and MiL and BiL. Piles of presents. Snow-covered ground. The house is full of decorations. It's gonna be great! Great food too !

 

[Guitarded]

Going to go see my dad and three sisters for Christmas. Nice to have a younger sister that doesn't catch on to everything yet:

Sis: Tim, you should play Crime City!
Me: I might take a look at it. I don't play a lot of games on computer, though. Ever play a Nintendo DS?
Sis: Yeah, but I don't have one.
Me: Your sisters don't have one you can play?
Sis: No.

BINGO. Present found.

 

[trekkiedane]

Found the perfect gift for dad yesterday!

I got him two liter of x-mas brew from the micro-brewery in town hall... best part is that it has to be used within five days after bottling -and even within four hours of opening- He's bound to let us have it for the x-mas lunch on the 26'th

 

[F. King Daniel]

0

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Prezzie opening in less than a day.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2DHvCc7MoY[/yt]

 

[Mary Ann]

A package of goodies I'd ordered a while ago arrived but unfortunately one of the items, a 3-D puzzle of London, was out of stock. Never mind, my older son's birthday is in March and it should be back in stock by then. Also the TAS DVD set for my husband hasn't shown up yet either but he's not worried about receiving a gift late. With the weather and road conditions we've been having I was glad to receive my organic veg and meat box yesterday, never mind other packages.

My last shopping task before tomorrow is to go to the American sweet shop and buy some goodies. I thought it would be fun to buy some Lucky Charms and Capt'n Crunch cereal (hideously expensive on this side of the pond, which is why I hardly buy it) and have it in the cupboard on Christmas morning for the kids to find. I'll also buy some American candy bars for their stockings, but not Hershey's...ptui!

For the rest I need to do mediocre things like finish cleaning the bathroom, brush the dog, vacuum, and so on. All the food for tomorrow is in the house and the presents that have arrived are wrapped. I love taking it easy the day before Christmas.

 

[auntiehill]

Hubby informed me that *he* will be in charge of Christmas dinner; he doesn't trust me not to screw it up.

I'm just about done cleaning--although I know there will be more to do after hubby messes up the kitchen.

Not terribly looking forward to Christmas day; that's when the in-laws arrive and they are a fairly horrible bunch. But after that, we get to go to my family Christmas on the 27th. I am really looking forward to seeing my nieces, especially the baby, who is now walking and talking---and throwing things. Last time I saw her, she could barely walk.

 

[Holdfast]

0

Congratulations on making it right to the edge of the big day.

Well, all ready for Christmas Day now. Now at my dad's place, where I'm staying for the festive week, all the food shopping done, and enough alcohol in the house to float, if not the Titanic, at least a rubber dinghy. The stage is duly set...

 

[tomalak301]

Finished wrapping the gifts I'm going to be giving. Already got a gift this week with my new Android Phone and just really looking forward to tonight. For me, Christmas really starts tonight and goes to whenever dinner ends. The best part of the holiday for me really is Christmas Eve night.

 

[Mary Ann]

My last shopping task before tomorrow is to go to the American sweet shop and buy some goodies. I thought it would be fun to buy some Lucky Charms and Capt'n Crunch cereal (hideously expensive on this side of the pond, which is why I hardly buy it) and have it in the cupboard on Christmas morning for the kids to find. I'll also buy some American candy bars for their stockings, but not Hershey's...ptui!

Well, that nifty idea went out the window as the shop was already closed by 2pm. I'm not worried about it as I'll treat the kids to those goodies in the coming week.

This shop is about a 10-minute walk from my house and I have walk along one of the city's busiest roads. I couldn't get over the number of cars which were honking and the rude gestures drivers were making to each other. It's good to know that the old Christmas spirit is as alive on Christmas Eve Day as it was in the days when I worked retail.