When to start planning for X-Mas?

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Food is it for us, too...unless there's something going on at work, then I take that as it comes.
 
I never get in any hissy about Christmas. As for the gift-giving part....I HATE, did you get that, I absolutely abhor the commercialization of the holiday. Always have and, as a result, I observe and listen all through the year to those to whom we give gifts. This gives me my game plan and, for most of the year, I either make or buy appropriate gifts. Usually by the end of October I'm finished "shopping/making" gifts and, often, have the boxes packed and labeled that have to be shipped. That's true this year.

Unless we're hosting Christmas dinner, I take things leisurely. This year, Christmas dinner will be at our house. In the middle of September I emailed everyone involved to get feedback on their schedules for Christmas day, etc. This year is different from previous years because, now, some of our children have children of their own and are establishing their own family traditions. Different game plan for them as a result.

I had already formulated a meal before I heard from any of them and put things into motion as soon as they responded. I've purchased many of the incidental ingredients and will gather the rest little by little on each week's market trips over the next several weeks. This will allow me to have everything on hand, avoid the nutty marketing rush and provide a time buffer should I miss some critical ingredient.

I flat-out REFUSE to hit the grocery store any closer than 10 days to a week before the holiday! I quit doing combat years ago!:ROFLMAO:

My plan is to enjoy the season without being a slave to commercialism.
 
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I'm still planning for Halloween. Then comes Thanksgiving. AFTER THANKSGIVING is when you start planning for Christmas. It's the law.

Sadly I'm in the UK, we don't have Thanksgiving. Though my British Thanksgiving last year was a load of fun, with US friends we haven't seen in years & years.
 
Cool atleast I know that I'm not completely mad in starting early. Plus it will be the 1st x-mas dinner that I'm cooking :ohmy:

My plan is to make things as early ahead as possible. Though I'm waiting for the cranberries to come into the UK stores, so I can make my cranberry & port sauce for the cranberry & brie bites, & for the cranbrillo (serve with tangy cheeses is fantastic), just haven't been brave enough to add alchol to it yet. :angel:

Also all my gifts will be handmade, as I can't really avoid any major expenses this year. Thanks to the joy of being a writer.
 
...My plan is to enjoy the season without being a slave to commercialism.
My plan too. When the kids were little and my parents and other senior family members were still alive I thoroughly enjoyed the BIG this and the MANY that. Now that I'm older (but definitely NOT cranky in spite of some things you might have heard...) and it's just the two of us, I take a more relaxed approach. We've been known to enjoy a Christmas dinner of spaghetti or lasagna with a tossed salad. They're red and green! It works! And with the kids being older we tend to get them something practical that they need. Last year our daughter got two new tires for her car while our son got socks and a new pair of athletic shoes.

This year will be a bit different. We'll actually spend Christmas with the kids! :w00t2: Living with four different states between ours and theirs and it being a considerable amount of driving through the PA mountains we haven't enjoyed a Christmas together for far too long. *sniff* The sister of our daughter's "boy"friend has the family together for Christmas. I'll have our daughter find out what I can bring to the meal. They also do a Chinese Gift Exchange of handmade gifts. We'll work on that sometime around Thanksgiving. (DD requested I make homemade hot chocolate mix from my stash of Penzeys cocoa :yum:)

After spending the last too-many Christmases with just two of us I'm really looking forward to this one. Miss the kids dearly...
 
I have already made my Damson chutney and that is maturing, it matures at Christmas then it is perfect with old meats and cheeses .

I have ordered my turkey , ham and a 3 bird roast , stuffing and sausages in bacon from Marks and Spencer .

GQ, I see the mention of "Marks and Spencer" often in posts from England. It is a large store? Or a specialty one? :angel:
 
GQ, I see the mention of "Marks and Spencer" often in posts from England. It is a large store? Or a specialty one? :angel:

It's a food & clothing store. It's not cheap, but not highly expensive. Though some will argue that it is. Can't think of an American store that is similiar.
 
Walmart's is like that and H.E.B down in Texas. We have a lot of supermarkets that are dual stores. I hate big stores. I like to go in with a list, get what I need and get the heck out. I don't want to have a GPS to make it through the store. :angel:
 
Walmart's is like that and H.E.B down in Texas. We have a lot of supermarkets that are dual stores. I hate big stores. I like to go in with a list, get what I need and get the heck out. I don't want to have a GPS to make it through the store. :angel:
not really like walmart addie,don't know about h.e.b.marks & spencer is one of the great british "institutions".the name is synonomous with high quality food,clothes & furniture etc at affordable prices.as crystal said not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.the "poor man's"(i prefer "THINKING man's")harrods!!.probably one of their most famous lines is ladies lingerie,it is rumoured that the queen(gaw'd bless ya ma'am!!)wears marks & spencers knickers!!.
Marks & Spencer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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not really like walmart addie,don't know about h.e.b.marks & spencer is one of the great british "institutions".the name is synonomous with high quality food,clothes & furniture etc at affordable prices.as crystal said not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.the "poor man's"(i prefer "THINKING man's")harrods!!.probably one of their most famous lines is ladies lingerie,it is rumoured that the queen(gaw'd bless ya ma'am!!)wears marks & spencers knickers!!.
Marks & Spencer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good Quote Harry,"Thinking Man's Harrods" sadly their clothing line is getting some stick for losing quality. Though they food line is still great.

I haven't heard that rumour about the Queen and her knicker's, otherwise Mark's & Spencer's could apply for an "By Royal Appointment", where shops and services that cater her majesty, can use the Royal Crest. I've heard that Her Majesty uses Rigby & Peller at times. Ok going off topic now.

Seems I've managed to miff my sister off, by getting mother to allow me to cook the X-mas dinner. Oh Well couldn't happen to a nicer person :ROFLMAO:
 
Good Quote Harry,"Thinking Man's Harrods" sadly their clothing line is getting some stick for losing quality. Though they food line is still great.

I haven't heard that rumour about the Queen and her knicker's, otherwise Mark's & Spencer's could apply for an "By Royal Appointment", where shops and services that cater her majesty, can use the Royal Crest. I've heard that Her Majesty uses Rigby & Peller at times. Ok going off topic now.

Seems I've managed to miff my sister off, by getting mother to allow me to cook the X-mas dinner. Oh Well couldn't happen to a nicer person :ROFLMAO:
tell you what crystal,if i was ceo of marks & sparks i'd knock everything in the head apart from food(which is superb quality imho) & the ladies undies.they'd make a bloody mint!the mens clothing is excellent quality but about 30years out of date & apart from a bit of the per una ladies fashions,the ladies ain't much better either.
i also heard it rumoured that her majesty goes commando when it's "phil the greeks" birthday:ermm::ohmy::sick:!!!
 
I miss Marks and Spencers. We had them here in Canada until 1999. They started losing money when the big box stores started.

We always used to buy the store brand tea. I can't remember the name. Stirling used to bring it to work. Someone was proving that there is junk in tea bags and grabbed one of Stirling's M&S teabags and tore it open, to Stirling's protests. He dropped the content into a glass of water to demonstrate the woody stuff that would be floating on top. There was none. It was all tea. :LOL:
 
Good lord, how did you know ??? I DO wear Marks and Sparks undercrackers!!!


Please tell us more about the sparks. :brows:






":yum:In your dreams ...... "


Sometimes dreams are all we have. :rolleyes:

Life wouldn't be as interesting without dreams. ;)




Could anyone please explain to me how a discussion about getting ready for Christmas has turned into a discussion about under garments? :LOL:
 
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