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

Smell the glove · 29-07-2025 07:03PM

Out playing with the little one in our estate and noticed these.....we have lots of big trees at our entrance green. Leaves are falling off and are brown. Some were even crunchy! Autumn is nearly here.....

Princess Calla · 29-07-2025 07:09PM

I honestly don't know how we're into August bank holiday already!

Posy · 29-07-2025 11:49PM

It should be called the 'Autumn bank holiday' to avoid any... unpleasantness.

PTH2009 · 30-07-2025 12:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123681965#Comment_123681965

October is the 'Autumn Bank Holiday' 😝

L1011 · 30-07-2025 12:22PM

Lughnasa Bank Holiday then

While we're at it, we can just go for Imbolc for the February one.

Princess Calla · 30-07-2025 01:48PM

The first of the stocking fillers arrived and hidden away.

Posy · 30-07-2025 06:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123682042#Comment_123682042

Nooo, that's the Halloween Bank Holiday! 🎃

Loughc · 30-07-2025 06:08PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123683990#Comment_123683990

Correct

harr · 30-07-2025 07:01PM

Hi

So I taught i would ask the experts, a lot of unexpected stuff happened to us last Christmas. Elderly parents were ill and in hospital for a few weeks before Christmas one teenager got Covid and it left Christmas prep In disarray.
I swore i would more be more organised this year just incase . So can I have your recommendations on what to do and when or just tips people have for a hassle free couple of weeks, or even when I should have stuff done by ..

Cork Lass · 31-07-2025 12:30AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123684146#Comment_123684146

That’s a hard one really because no matter how organised you are you can still get completely side swiped by exactly the things that happened to you last year. Personally, I’m getting organised from the start of the year. That’s not to say that I’m constantly focused on Christmas but I will always pick up bits and pieces that I come an ross and put them in my Christmas drawer. I got some stuff in the Amazon Prime day sale and just today I ordered some bits. In previous years I would have everything wrapped by the October weekend but more recently I haven’t been so good at that. The one thing I would seriously recommend is making a list that you can tick off things as you have them done or else you can end up buying twice. I do three different types of wrapping paper, one for my husband and one each for my daughters, that way you can wrap as you buy and no one will know what’s what if they do decide to start peeking as you don’t have to put names on. In regards to Christmas food I’m a disaster as no matter how hard I try I always end up buying way too much and end up getting rid of a lot of stuff in January. When I was growing up there were eight of us in the house and the shops closed for the best part of a week so we had to have a lot of supplies in - I still shop as if that’s still the case. Make a menu for the couple of days and try to stick to buying for that.

Lastly (sorry for the really long post) I would say don’t get overly caught up in the organisation of it at the expense of enjoying it.

DvB · 31-07-2025 10:29AM

Chatting with the family when I got home from work last night and my wife told me that the kids had something they wanted to tell me…

Was told that they dont want any 'santa' gifts this year and that they just want new clothes that they get to pick themselves before Christmas, no need to wrap them etc just have them to use from Christmas day onwards. I responded by saying there was no issue letting them pick what they wanted, we could then buy them & wrap them for them to open on Christmas morning, but both of them just said that there was no need and that they didn't need the early start either (they usually get up on christmas morning between 6 & 7am) & would be happy to have a lie in now.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little bit disappointed that they've already gotten to this stage, afterall they wont be 15 until January.

So it looks like we've entered the next stage of our family christmas… gutted.

antimatterx · 31-07-2025 10:33AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123685420#Comment_123685420

I'm approaching 30 and my mother still buys us presents and leaves them under the tree for us 😂.

Granted now days I get whiskey and the like, but I think my mother would still do "santa" from here grave 😂

DvB · 31-07-2025 10:51AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123685437#Comment_123685437

Lets be clear here, we'll 100% be wrapping whatever we get them & leaving under the tree on Christmas Eve for them to open on Christmas morning🤣 they can come out with this cr*p but when its my house, my rules😉

BK5 · 31-07-2025 11:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123685489#Comment_123685489

The teenage years can be a bit of letdown with the kids alright, especially when you love Christmas yourself.

When they get a bit older, they will come back to you and enjoy the tradition of opening presents with you on the morning and sitting down to eat the dinner with you. As you say, keep doing it.

We still give our lads "Santy" and they are 30 and 23. This will be the first Christmas where our older lad will be in his own house on Christmas Eve.

appledrop · 31-07-2025 12:24PM

Ah DvB dont be too disheartened they all reach this stage.

I remember hating Christmas around that age and here I am on Christmas forms. At 15 you think Christmas is for kids and you feel all grow up yet your disgusted that you cant go to parties and have fun like adults!

Give them a few years and they will be loving it again but I would agree the presents are going under the tree whether they like it or not!

appledrop · 31-07-2025 12:25PM

My mother still buys me an Easter Egg never mind the Christmas presents😁

SCOOP 64 · 31-07-2025 12:33PM

My 2 boys are 21 and 23 every Christmas since they were born we are still all round the tree Christmas morning ( not 6am anymore thank god) unwrapping our presents while I film it, I have 23 years of every Christmas filmed.

I know the years are numbered now they will move on eventually with there own families but until then we will always stick to the tradition, the boys wouldn't have it any other way.

DvB · 31-07-2025 12:44PM

FTR I can get on board with the not getting up at 6am bit!! Makes it a v.long day if entertaining or out being entertained that night.

appledrop · 31-07-2025 02:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123685904#Comment_123685904

Yep one year my 9 year old woke up every hour from about 1am to see if Santa had come, think he was about 4 or 5. It was a very long Christmas day!

harr · 31-07-2025 05:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123684903#Comment_123684903

Thanks for the reply and all very informative the wrapping paper idea is perfect and i definitely need to have a definite menu done out way before hand

Some family members were hinting at a hotel Christmas but I am not having any of it 😂

harr · 31-07-2025 05:29PM

My teens still love Christmas morning, they know and pick out the bigger gifts but we still get a number of surprises for them .. absolutely everything gets wrapped and not opened till morning.. it’s hot to the stage one older one is down in pub for a few Christmas Eve .. but he still makes it down before 8 the next morning and he knows he then has his own few bits to do for Christmas dinner

I am not the most organised and last year things were up in the air with sick grandparents so my usual routine of leaving everything till December backfired.. definitely getting thinks in order early this year .

Posy · 01-08-2025 12:41AM

I used to be one of those that had everything bar a couple of small bits bought and wrapped by the time October rolled around. This year I'm going to pretend that September is December (!) and make my lists and do as much shopping and wrapping as possible.

One thing I also started doing was looking back at the day with a critical eye on the middle days after Christmas, and make a note of small changes I'd make next year, or things that went well. Just small notes like 'make sure there's enough tin foil next year' or 'don't bother with parsnips, nobody likes them' etc. I also made a note of the type of turkey I bought, and the size it was, because it went down well and I want the same one again this year.

These are all just things I end up forgetting a year later!

Cork Lass · 01-08-2025 01:59AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123685719#Comment_123685719

Exactly, they will get back to loving presents under the tree again in a few years. Our 25 year old still wants to get up early to open the presents but it’s 8.00 am at the earliest now, thankfully the really early starts are behind us at this stage.

DvB · 01-08-2025 01:12PM

let battle commence!! 😆

Posy · 01-08-2025 01:45PM

Happy Autumn!! 🍁 🍂 🎃

Loughc · 01-08-2025 03:36PM

Happy Autumn and 1st of August to all who celebrate, year is flying by!

A cup of te · 01-08-2025 06:22PM

Loving the autumnal pics. It's getting real now isn't it. I went mad and threw a box of After Eights into my grocery shopping earlier. There was a euro off and I keep getting paranoid about everything getting expensive. I don't know what I think is going to happen but I almost always plan for a snow event or a covid event or something and cannot stand empty presses ;-)

Besides Toberlone truffles and After Eights I've just got some wine, some of which are presents. Whiskey as well as a present. Must get a whiskey for cooking actually as I want to make a small pudding and a small cake. I've enough sherry for mince pies and a trifle. Brandy for a tiramisu.

I'm being very good and have cut way down on my sugar so I can go mad at Christmas ;-)

Cork Lass · 01-08-2025 06:46PM

Happy Autumn everyone, it’s a great season.

DenMan · 01-08-2025 10:09PM

Happy Autumn, Everyone! Was in EuroGiant after work today and they have a small section of Christmas presents/gifts in now. Scented candles and diffusers for now, but I'm sure it'll grow. Penneys have some nice Halloween gifts in now too, lot's of beautiful Autumnal colours, orange, green, brown, yellow and black. Great to see!

BK5 · 02-08-2025 12:59PM

Happy Autumn/August everyone, mad to think only one more bank holiday weekend after this one.

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

Comments

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens

"I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year" - Charles Dickens