It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Off Topic Chat

Mutleyboo

Loughc wrote: »

I usually book the day of the toy show off work and do it all then.

I use the night before to prep take everything down from the attic, etc.

Friday then I get up for 9am and keep going until it's all done. Usually takes me up to 7 or 8pm. I then have a shower order a takeaway into Christmas PJs and I'm set to enjoy my first full Christmas night

Ye that could work if I do a full day but I'd have to throw everyone out of the house then that would be no fun.. however it would prevent me having to rearrange the little ones handy work on the tree!

Mystery Egg

I do my decorations in an evening. I put things away very carefully each year so they're ready to unpack and unravel. We have an artificial tree and I bundle the arms together layer by layer. Biggest job is physically hauling the boxes down from the attic.

I think if it took me a week I'd feel it was too much work! Fair dues to any of you who can keep up that momentum for days!

Having said that, I couldn't get it done between work and the toy show, that's too small a window! It probably takes 3 hours, all in.

DvB

We usually put them up on a Saturday, starting around lunchtime having cleaned up & decluttered in the week before that. Usually we finish the internal stuff by dinnertime, to be fair we have it well organised and pack everything away to a system that works for us, so when we take them down from the attic store its handy enough to get into it quickly. The external lights I tend to do the following day as by dinnertime its too dark to set them up outside.
Really looking forward to it this year. Have booked Friday 27th Nov off work so will try to do it all that day if possible as the kids will be in school & we should theoretically have less distractions!

Mutleyboo

SarahLil wrote: »

Me too it takes me a good few days, with getting the tree down and decorating the tree only and my over mantle garland would be one whole day
Then the front hall table, my stairs with tinsel and lights, dressing my kitchen too and over my kitchen presses I attach a garland with lights plus decorate that too

Then I clean and tidy the house so it looks all cosy

I love that term fluff the tree, I do that too,

I give myself a fortnight off after all of the above then do it all again in my mams house

That's given me hope I'm not the only one.. I only have to do it once but I must say it's not a job i would mind doing twice!

TRS30

We usually do it in stages. Decorations out of the attic and down to front room. Give the house a good clean and declutter. Inside decorations up apart from trees. Trees up and decorated and finish off doing the outside. Can take anything from a week to 2 days depending on what else is going on. With WFH this Christmas can see us having a lot more flexibility and being able to do it more at a leisurely pace. Famous last words

DvB

https://twitter.com/shoptactics/status/1318215499260547075

John Lewis starting a little earlier with their window displays this year.

Pistachio19

Mutleyboo wrote: »

I've just looked through the Christmas tree thread to cheer myself up and all the trees are so co,y and beautiful.
I usually put the tree up mid Decemberbut last year I said I would do it earlier as it takes sooo long to decorate.
I see people saying they put the tree up / decorate the night of the toy show and it amazed me that it's possible to this in an evening. It takes me hours just to assemble and 'fluff' out the tree. Can I ask how long does it take everyone to decorate the tree and house? It takes me the guts of a week to fully finish decorating the house inc tree. Now that's usually evenings only, but a full evening and night goes to just putting the lights on!

Probably takes a couple of hours all in to decorate the house and tree. We wouldn't go mad on the house decorations. I have the decorations boxed by room so it makes it easier to know where everything goes. The tree takes the longest but once I have it standing and the lights on, the kids help decorate. I'll be honest and say that I do tend to move around some of the stuff they put on if I think it's needed I used to wrap the lights all the way around which would take ages. Now I just wrap them over and back as near to the back as possible, which is much quicker. Last year I bought one of the projector outdoor lights thinking it would save husband from putting up the usual load of lights. But I think he still put up some. Now that's a job I wouldn't thank you for.

otnomart

Stills from the Woodies advert filming in Dublin





Source: https://www.broadsheet.ie/2020/10/15/meanwhile-in-ebenezer-terrace/

Toto Wolfcastle

Our decorations take about an hour but our tree is in 3 sections that slot together easily so that helps. We have a new tree for this year with arms so any tips to make the process easier would be appreciated!

wes

Got a letter today saying I am no longer needed for jury duty in early November. Under normal circumstances, would have no issue doing it, but with covid, it is worrying.

When, I went into the system in work to cancel my jury duty time off, I saw I still have 4 days of annual leave that I didn't book yet! Will be looking to book those today, will add it to my big December holiday. So if everything gets approved, I will be off from Rudolph day in November until Jan 5th !

TRS30

wes wrote: »

Got a letter today saying I am no longer needed for jury duty in early November. Under normal circumstances, would have no issue doing it, but with covid, it is worrying.

When, I went into the system in work to cancel my jury duty time off, I saw I still have 4 days of annual leave that I didn't book yet! Will be looking to book those today, will add it to my big December holiday. So if everything gets approved, I will be off from Rudolph day in November until Jan 5th !

Nice. You'll be like a new starter in January

SarahLil

Great to see it so busy here

I am only on my first coffee now, tidied the house, I am expecting a weird busy week which will leave me stuck for time so I have cooked cottage pie for today, Nigella's beef and pork meatballs with parmesan and tomato pasta sauce for tomorrow,

Got my hair trimmed too... to get me through to the Christmas hair appointment
Organised mobile hairdresser to my mam for tomorrow she usually gets a weekly blow dry so she will miss it but I did it through lock down, it took longer than doing my own hair :pac:

Poor Cork City today I hope everyone is ok with that awful weather

SarahLil

Christmas shop at H&M https://www2.hm.com/en_ie/home/seasonal-trending/christmas.html?sort=stock&image-size=small&image=model&offset=0&page-size=324

SarahLil

any suggestions please for a gift/remembrance (handmade gifts) for a male friend who lost his brother suddenly during the first lock down

I have a present for him that will give us a giggle

But from personal experience I know Christmas will be hard for him and my his partner and family I just want to let them know I am thinking of them and acknowledging it is his first Christmas without his brother,

thanks all

jellybear

SarahLil wrote: »

any suggestions please for a gift/remembrance (handmade gifts) for a male friend who lost his brother suddenly during the first lock down

I have a present for him that will give us a giggle

But from personal experience I know Christmas will be hard for him and my his partner and family I just want to let them know I am thinking of them and acknowledging it is his first Christmas without his brother,

thanks all

This is quite nice...
https://preciousjourneygifts.ie/product/someone-we-love-in-heaven-memorial-christmas-tree-decoration/

Oh and this also...
https://preciousjourneygifts.ie/product/christmas-in-heaven-remembrance-heart-candlelight-holder/

Loughc

SarahLil wrote: »

any suggestions please for a gift/remembrance (handmade gifts) for a male friend who lost his brother suddenly during the first lock down

I have a present for him that will give us a giggle

But from personal experience I know Christmas will be hard for him and my his partner and family I just want to let them know I am thinking of them and acknowledging it is his first Christmas without his brother,

thanks all

Maybe get an artist to paint a small picture of him and his brother standing in front of the Christmas tree. There's loads of talented local artist online on instagram.

screamer

Was in woodies earlier, and even with 50% off lights and baubles their stuff is too expensive.
Their trees are pretty crappy and ridiculous prices also. Not impressed and bought none of it

DvB

screamer wrote: »

Was in woodies earlier, and even with 50% off lights and baubles their stuff is too expensive.
Their trees are pretty crappy and ridiculous prices also. Not impressed and bought none of it

We find woodies ridiculously overpriced also. Usually try & pick bits up after Christmas in there rather than before.

freshpopcorn

With woodies we always wait until they’ve about 70% off before Christmas!

TRS30

freshpopcorn wrote: »

With woodies we always wait until they’ve about 70% off before Christmas!

Good for getting stuff for next year just post Christmas.

SarahLil

SarahLil wrote: »

any suggestions please for a gift/remembrance (handmade gifts) for a male friend who lost his brother suddenly during the first lock down

I have a present for him that will give us a giggle

But from personal experience I know Christmas will be hard for him and my his partner and family I just want to let them know I am thinking of them and acknowledging it is his first Christmas without his brother,

thanks all

I've given personalised Christmas decorations/baubles with the name of the loved one or the message "because someone we love is in heaven, there is a little bit of heaven in our home". I have the longish message for my own tree.
Someone on here previously recommended this Irish site for decos and baubles
https://craftshapesireland.ie/shop/

Posy

It's really thoughtful of you to be thinking about him and his loss, SarahLil. I'm sure whatever you get for him he'll be thankful for having such a lovely friend.

SarahLil

Thanks Jellybear, LoughC and Eksie they are all brilliant ideas and keeping it Irish too

Thanks Posy for your kind words xx

freshpopcorn

I'm getting loads of messages off people saying there is only one shopping day left until Christmas!

freshpopcorn

I was in The Range tonight.
They said they were planning on leaving the Christmas section and other sections open for as long as possible but they were expecting the Gardaí to come in and tell them to close. Woodies are meant to be in a similar position.

Posy

I don't understand what difference it makes if they're open anyway!

TRS30

Posy wrote: »

I don't understand what difference it makes if they're open anyway!

I must admit I'm finding some of the specifics harder and harder to understand myself

DvB

TRS30 wrote: »

I must admit I'm finding some of the specifics harder and harder to understand myself

& thats why many, who have been fully supportive up to this point are now questioning the worth of it all. As i've said previously on here, the communication has been so poor that even the basic messages are no longer sinking in and instead are being lost in a sea of confusion & conflicting 'advice' & 'restrictions & regulations'...

I still firmly believe that if the logic behind the different restrictions were explained clearly & concisely there'd be far greater support, but its simply not happening. Some of the restrictions seem to be for the mere sake of it at first glance, but when explained can make sense, so why this hasn't been carried out as a policy item in terms of tackling covid is beyond me.

If you have a message, clear communication is key & unfortunately between all the 'leaks' & counter statements & off the record comments we're not getting that message in anything like a clear & definitive enough voice.

Apologies, rant over... I'll go gte my coffee now

freshpopcorn

Posy wrote: »

I don't understand what difference it makes if they're open anyway!

I’m even baffled by the latest restrictions. Once you offer click/call and collect you can stay open. I’d say over the next few weeks a good few places will start introduce my this!

TRS30

I'm in the same place as you DvB, understand the over all need for tighter restrictions and will happily stick to them as I know it's for the greater good however the approach to the whole thing has been a shambles. I still think a change of government and key personal in the middle of all this was a mistake. I appreciate all the other factors that lead to this however this is the biggest crisis since probably the civil war so should have overridden all other considerations.

They seem reluctant to drill down into the specifics and all we get is a general 'Do this because we says it's best' approach. Unfortunately a lot of the goodwill from Lockdown1 is being lost and will be interesting to see how the next 6 weeks ago.

Rant over as well and I'll go get my third coffee :eek: