Chit Chat

Fa-la-la-la-laa La-la-la-la!

edited December 2017 in Chit Chat
I just finished my Christmas shopping! 
I even have the boxes, gift wrap, tape and name tags. 

                   

Re: Fa-la-la-la-laa La-la-la-la!

  • I think I have as well!

    I usually use Thanksgiving weekend to get a whole lot of decorating done.  With DS and wife, and her folks all visiting that weekend, MUCH of my "jump start" plans fell by the wayside.  I prioritized all the gifts needing shipment and long distance mailing.  With an outdoor mall just 2 miles from the house, a relatively downright balmy temperature of 37 and calm winds, I definitely took advantage of the local shopping! 

    I have school through the 22nd, but DH has been off since last Tuesday and will remain so until the New Year.  I will box and label gifts, but he will be a one man gift wrapping band next week.  It might not be pretty, but it will be done!

    I need to focus on the food next week :-o
  • lyndausvi said:
    You are so good.

    I'm mostly done.  Need to ship out my dad's gift and order a GC to be shipped to them directly for my parents at one of their favorite restaurants.

    DH annual Victoria's Secret package arrived today.   It's a pretty big bag, wonder what other than the 5 pairs of underwear he gives me every year is in there?  :tongue:     Oh and bag from a sports gear place arrived last week.  I guess I'm getting Eagles gear.

    Mind you, he can ship everything to his work.  But no, he ships them all here and I'm always the first one home.  Generally not a lot of surprises on xmas day for me.
    Sounds intriguing. Post a picture :blush:
                       
  • edited December 2017
    We went on a Caribbean cruise over Thanksgiving - the 90 degree weather and no TG dinner prevented me from catching the Christmas spirit this year. Tomorrow is all day cleaning so I can focus on the food the rest of the week. 

    My husband loves wrapping gifts. His eyes twinkled when he saw all the wrapping supplies. He's going to take care of that tomorrow.
                       
  • I'm about half way.  I think I might try to get a bit more done tomorrow, but it might be waiting till next weekend when I'm finished work.  At least we got the tree decorated tonight.  It's been up and bare since Monday 

  • I'm not done. I still need a couple stocking stuffers for H, a stocking stuffer for my dad, finish my daughter's presents (she's six month old, so I'm sewing her a couple stuffed animals and that's it), and buy my sister's present (my family draws names). And I have to make sure H gets his stuff done. Haha. He is not so good at that type of stuff. 

    So in other words, I have bought half the stocking stuffers for H, one for my mom and sewed one thing for D. So I'm less than half done. :/  :#
  • I'm done with gifts. I need to get the house cleaned - we decorated Thanksgiving weekend. Both sons will be home for Christmas so I need to get their rooms ready. DD and SIL will be home the next weekend so we will have an extended holiday. I need to get to the grocery and do the big shopping. I plan on baking later this week - not too early because I don't need to eat stuff!
  • I’m not done with gifts yet but getting there.

     lyndausvi said:
    You are so good.



    Mind you, he can ship everything to his work.  But no, he ships them all here and I'm always the first one home.  Generally not a lot of surprises on xmas day for me.
    H uses my Amazon account because I have Prime so I get all the shipping updates. So not only do I know what I’m getting I know when they’re arriving. 
  • I'm almost done. Just need an extra mid-level surprise gift for H (maybe a Pats or Bruins shirt) and his stocking stuffers.

    Sent out our Christmas cards last Tuesday, but I need to hang up the ones we've been getting. 

    Got a good chunk of wrapping done yesterday. I need to fold a mountain of laundry today before I can finish wrapping. I love wrapping gifts and our living room is starting to look especially festive!
  • I’m around 80% done, which is dangerous.  If I was no where near ready I’d be scrambling right now and I’d be much more productive.  I kind of see myself in a mad scramble next Saturday.  Actually I’m having H’s family for dinner next sat.  I guess a mad scramble next Sunday.  I’m completely doing it to myself  :#
  • I'm almost done. Just need an extra mid-level surprise gift for H (maybe a Pats or Bruins shirt) and his stocking stuffers.

    Sent out our Christmas cards last Tuesday, but I need to hang up the ones we've been getting. 

    Got a good chunk of wrapping done yesterday. I need to fold a mountain of laundry today before I can finish wrapping. I love wrapping gifts and our living room is starting to look especially festive!
    For only the second time in my life, I am not getting cards out in the traditional way.  I can't send any cards without personalizing them, and including some message/note/letter.  At times I have created one of "those holiday letters", but I can't even get my act together for that.  I will send a few cards, and am toying with some sort of ecard ;-(  Otherwise, I may be sending out New Year's Cheer this year!

    The grandkids are coming by for Sunday dinner today, and it just dawned on me that I have to close off one entire room because it looks a bit too much like Santa's workshop!
  • I fell short of my goals for today. My house still needs cleaning, but I was interrupted. My mom has breast cancer and dad has dementia. They needed groceries so off we went to my least favorite kind of shopping. As we entered the local grocery store, reps from the food pantry were requesting small hams and chickens for elderly clients that can't manage a huge turkey. So we shopped for an imaginary elderly couple, in addition to my parents. During the coming week, I'll buy pet food to donate. I tell myself that's more important than a clean house. My husband kept his end of the bargain and wrapped most of the gifts.

    Here's my Christmas menu, so far. In the morning, we'll have date and nut bread with cream cheese. I found a recipe that replicates Memere's date and nut bread. It's a lot like figgy pudding. There will be crackers, cheese and fruit and shrimp cocktail set out as various family members arrive. Dinner (really late lunch) loaded mashed potatoes and glazed carrots with a rib roast and rolls. Lots of wine and beer. That seems to be enough to satisfy everyone. Dessert - the requisite cheesecake, cookies with Friendly's holiday roll, which the old people and the kid love. I know the salad is missing, but my family won't eat it if I make it. I should probably add another side.
                       
  • We really tried to limit gifts this year, it's getting out of control.  We only get a few things for our son, he's too little to really get the concept at almost 2, and there are plenty of family members who get him stuff. . . . it's just overwhelming.

    We got him a ride on truck, and a big lego set.  The accessory to the lego set he actually got as a gift yesterday from someone else, so it looks like i'll be exchanging that at lunch today.

    DH needs nothing, because he buys whatever he wants when he wants it.  I got him and our son some matching socks, because I thought it was a cute idea.  I'll probably go to Home Depot and see if I can remember what tool he wanted but doesn't have. . . . i'll be sure to get a gift receipt.  I know he has been avoiding getting it because I'm on top of him about saving money.

    Other than that, I need to do some wrapping, and i'll grab some holiday wine bags to throw a bottle in if we get invited anywhere last minute.

  • I've been shopping here and there for weeks and just need to do wrapping now. I actually didn't buy the baby anything because we know our parents will do more than enough gifting. In fact, we were running errands including Target on early Saturday, and I wanted to linger over the cute baby Christmas clothes. DH dragged me away (we were on a time crunch anyway) and I lamented that it wasn't worth buying our own baby anything because she'll be inundated with gifts from others. That sounds ungrateful, and I'm 150% grateful for the generosity, but... it is kind of robbing me of the pleasure of shopping for my own daughter. A weird feeling. BUT I also spent time cleaning out her closet of tiny clothes she's already outgrown and will be making a donation to a child-focused charity tomorrow. Paying it forward.  
    ________________________________



  • My husband loves wrapping gifts. His eyes twinkled when he saw all the wrapping supplies. He's going to take care of that tomorrow.
    wrapping is literally the worst.  After everything came from Amazon and sitting in their boxes under my tree for around 2 weeks now I really thought "maybe I should have clicked that "wrap for $3.00" box? 

  • edited December 2017
    @thisismynickname2 I remember that feeling. My daughter was the first grandchild, great-grandchild for my family, following decades with no babies in my family. She was the first girl in my husbands family so we were gifted with more clothes than a baby could wear for the first two years of her life. 

    The gifts that I forgot I ordered arrived this morning. More wrapping.
                       

  • My husband loves wrapping gifts. His eyes twinkled when he saw all the wrapping supplies. He's going to take care of that tomorrow.
    My DH's idea of wrapping is normally just putting the original shipping packaging under the tree.  He doesn't even open it to see if all the items are there (and once something was missing).     Maybe he will add a bow over the return address.

    One year he got a big box, threw everything in there (some still in their shipping packaging) and having a co-worker wrap the box.   

     :/ 






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • Lynda - my husband's uncle used to buy stuff at the hardware store and bring it in the brown bag. One year, I got a tube of caulking and my husband got a can of motor oil.
                       
  • The steaks a lusciously extravagant. We buy my dad 6 filet mignons, some twice baked potatoes another side and a dessert from Omaha Steaks every year for his birthday. It's not waygu, but he loves it. Consumables are the way to go.  

                       
  • Too be honest, while they love steak, I'm not sure they will appreciate it's wagyu.   DH insisted though.   As you can imagine he as finial say on most culinary decisions. :D   






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • @lyndausvi ooohh! I've never heard of an i grill thermometer, but H loooves to grill year-round! I think I will get him that for Valentine's Day! He would love that so he doesn't have to stand in the bitter New England winter weather (or a Nor'easter or blizzard) to ensure the meat is cooked to our liking. Thanks for the idea!
  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2017
    @lyndausvi ooohh! I've never heard of an i grill thermometer, but H loooves to grill year-round! I think I will get him that for Valentine's Day! He would love that so he doesn't have to stand in the bitter New England winter weather (or a Nor'easter or blizzard) to ensure the meat is cooked to our liking. Thanks for the idea!
    DH gave it to me last year for xmas.  It's made by Weber.  It works really well.  


    Just set your protein and the  temp you want (if there are different options) on the app and that's it.  It will tell you when you are close to being ready.  

    Mine came with 2 probes, so you can set different items and temps.   You can buy 2 more for up to 4 different options.

    Only thing I don't like is it doesn't tell you to flip, but I check it anyway.

    The probe wire is long enough to use in an oven too!

    @sparklepants41






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • Waiting until Christmas Eve forces me to shop more efficiently

  • Oooh Lynda. I want one of those thermometers! Maybe I will buy one and put it in my stocking, lol.
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