Every year, Christmas gets earlier.
A local garden centre has its Christmas grotto, complete with Father Christmas, and we had to visit Tr*** M***s at Merthyr and I noticed Christmas trees on sale.
I bought a load of fruit for a potential Christmas cake on Saturday, and we’ve already discuss where to get our tree from. That conversation was prompted by me buying a Christmas tree ornament while in Italy last week.
I've already got some presents, all wrapped and with gift tags. In my defence, the run-up to Christmas is pretty busy for a musician, plus we have some family birthdays just days before. The food bit will be decided next time both sons are home and when we have some idea of who will be here - the lodger has already booked for him and his father.
On the music front things aren't looking good. Two of the most reliable couples in the choir are going on a cruise over Christmas, which is irksome to say the least. God forbid we have to resort to Ru**er.
My U3a Art Group booked our Christmas lunch a couple of weeks ago. It's an Italian restaurant so that'll be turkey pizza (other options are available tbf)
Doing my regular supermarket order last week I noticed that they already had their Christmas goodies available for pre-ordering.
Their convenience stores have had mince pies on the shelves since the w/e before the children went back to school.
I don't have to think abut Christmas food these days. We have eaten with the vegetarian/autistic branch of the family for the past 9 years so, all things being equal, we will be having Quorn Vegetable Family Roast and all the trimmings for the tenth year running.
At the moment I am dreading the prospect of buying/receiving Christmas presents with insufficient knowledge of the recipients to know what would be welcome
In today's weekly work update email we had a link to the internal page telling us our departmental scheduling slots for booking leave for Christmas and New Year 2026/27. Given that the majority of the people in the organisation work shifts, and a lot of us really do book leave 15 months in advance, ICT probably do need to do this!
As usual, I have finished my Christmas shopping. My goal is always to finish by the end of September so I can enjoy other parts of the season. Advent is my favorite season of the church year. I have also created a few cards and will continue to do so through November. On the other hand I do not put up the tree until Christmas Eve and celebrate all twelve days of Christmas. I did buy a frozen duck last week as they are hard to come by and it was on sale. I'm thinking I will fix it for Christmas dinner.
If you were a few hundred miles further north I'd be delighted to come and help you out!
I sort of expect that every Christmas has to have a bit of Ru**er, although one piece per year is quite sufficient!
Allegedly someone once told him their choir wasn't singing his Gaelic Blessing any more, and JR replied, "that's all right; I've already had two cars and a new kitchen out of it". 😂
If you were a few hundred miles further north I'd be delighted to come and help you out!
I sort of expect that every Christmas has to have a bit of Ru**er, although one piece per year is quite sufficient!
Allegedly someone once told him their choir wasn't singing his Gaelic Blessing any more, and JR replied, "that's all right; I've already had two cars and a new kitchen out of it". 😂
Discussion of the arrival of Christmas decorations at the local major hardware store on my local radio station today. In pre-news chit chat, the newsreader noted that mince pies had already been spotted in the shops. I'm very glad that I no longer do much in person shopping, or I would be tempted every single time!!
Unlike years past, I have made no attempts at Christmas shopping, but might ask the kids to start compiling their wish-lists, so I can start my online ordering. I saw upthread the mention of Christmas cake and perhaps that is something I will make a start on. Make sure I have the fruit and rum ready to go for soaking, rather than doing it the week before the event!!
Maybe it's a Brit thing, because I instantly read it as Lloyd-Webber.
That's what I made it, but on the second reading, not instantly
On a point of pedantry, the man's surname is "Lloyd Webber", with no hyphen. He was ennobled as Lord Lloyd-Webber, because "Lord Lloyd Webber" would read as a man called Lloyd who was the son of a peer.
The Halloween decorations are starting to show up in my neighborhood. A witch is crashing into a tree across the street, and a ghost is on the lamppost next door. Time to dig out my own spooky decor.
Comments
On the music front things aren't looking good. Two of the most reliable couples in the choir are going on a cruise over Christmas, which is irksome to say the least. God forbid we have to resort to Ru**er.
Their convenience stores have had mince pies on the shelves since the w/e before the children went back to school.
I don't have to think abut Christmas food these days. We have eaten with the vegetarian/autistic branch of the family for the past 9 years so, all things being equal, we will be having Quorn Vegetable Family Roast and all the trimmings for the tenth year running.
At the moment I am dreading the prospect of buying/receiving Christmas presents with insufficient knowledge of the recipients to know what would be welcome
If you were a few hundred miles further north I'd be delighted to come and help you out!
I sort of expect that every Christmas has to have a bit of Ru**er, although one piece per year is quite sufficient!
Allegedly someone once told him their choir wasn't singing his Gaelic Blessing any more, and JR replied, "that's all right; I've already had two cars and a new kitchen out of it". 😂
Bah Humbug!!!
He is the choral equivalent of l***d-w****r
Unlike years past, I have made no attempts at Christmas shopping, but might ask the kids to start compiling their wish-lists, so I can start my online ordering. I saw upthread the mention of Christmas cake and perhaps that is something I will make a start on. Make sure I have the fruit and rum ready to go for soaking, rather than doing it the week before the event!!
Neither do I. Some clarification would be welcome, please.
ETA - I am brewing a Styx thread.
I've started a Styx thread so that we can discuss it further.
That's what I made it, but on the second reading, not instantly
On a point of pedantry, the man's surname is "Lloyd Webber", with no hyphen. He was ennobled as Lord Lloyd-Webber, because "Lord Lloyd Webber" would read as a man called Lloyd who was the son of a peer.