# Christmas on the shelves :(



## Northerner (Sep 14, 2013)

Grrr!!! 'Christmas' mince pies (with a use by date well before December) on the shelves in the local Co-op, along with selection boxes and chocolate Santas 

Makes me so angry!!! Over 3 months to go!!!!!


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## Cat1964 (Sep 14, 2013)

I was in Poundland on Wednesday and they had Chocolate Advent Calendars. My husband works in Boots and he was telling me some of the branches have their Christmas stock in all ready to go on the shelves within the next few weeks. It would just be nice to at least get Halloween over with thn we can start thinking about Christmas.


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## Steff (Sep 14, 2013)

Could of beat you to it Al lol, was in Morrisons on Wednesday and they was an aisle with all the tins of roses and celebrations down it grrr


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## gabriele (Sep 14, 2013)

I love Christmas
I bought new Christmas decoration in Costco , 2 weeks ago ( don't tell my husband )  .
This year the Christmas tree will be brown/gold . I need the decoration , don't eat the sweet stuff and don't drink alcohol


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## AJLang (Sep 14, 2013)

I love Christmas as well I'm hoping to go to a workshop to make a Christmas decoration


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## Cat1964 (Sep 14, 2013)

I have a 6 foot white Christmas tree which I decorate with clear lights, red baubles and red beads all topped off with a sparkly red star. All very tastefully put together. Everyone tells me my tree always looks like the posh ones you see in a department store. One of my work colleagues insists I take a pic of it so he can give it his approval. Sadly this year we will not be having a tree. Our kitten Lucy will only be 9 months old by then and as she is currently into climbing everything in the house including my curtains I doubt a tree would last any longer than 10 minutes!!


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## Pumper_Sue (Sep 14, 2013)

Two weeks ago the co op had Christmas goodies on display.
I shopped in Morrison's  yesterday to find an aisle full of cards and other goodies 
Funny enough there were quite a few people complaining to the staff about the display. The shop was busy and I didn't see one person with Christmas stuff in their trolley's.


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## Twitchy (Sep 14, 2013)

Don't worry Alan, if it's anything like our local stores they'll pull it all off the shelves again soon for all the cruddy halloween tat! (I *loath* halloween!!  Can't think why, maybe it's something about being menaced into giving teen thugs sweets & chocolates they don't need just so they won't trash my car...  )


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## Northerner (Sep 14, 2013)

I'm not against Christmas, just the complete lack of imagination in the retail trade, who are so lacking in creative thought that they are gradually dragging the one event out forever further and further until it becomes meaningless. Bah!


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## Pumper_Sue (Sep 14, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> I have a 6 foot white Christmas tree which I decorate with clear lights, red baubles and red beads all topped off with a sparkly red star. All very tastefully put together. Everyone tells me my tree always looks like the posh ones you see in a department store. One of my work colleagues insists I take a pic of it so he can give it his approval. Sadly this year we will not be having a tree. Our kitten Lucy will only be 9 months old by then and as she is currently into climbing everything in the house including my curtains I doubt a tree would last any longer than 10 minutes!!



Oh don't be mean It's her new adventure play ground


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## Cat1964 (Sep 14, 2013)

Pumper_Sue said:


> Oh don't be mean It's her new adventure play ground



Lol. I had two cllothes dryers in my living room but recently had to get rid of one of them because she just uses them as climbing frames so a Christmas tree.....all that effort to have it demolished in seconds!!!


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## Vicsetter (Sep 14, 2013)

Mince Pies, Christmas Puddings, Hot Cross Buns and Cream Filled Eggs should be on sale all year round
Then you could only complain about the cards and decorations.


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## Northerner (Sep 14, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> Lol. I had two cllothes dryers in my living room but recently had to get rid of one of them because she just uses them as climbing frames so a Christmas tree.....all that effort to have it demolished in seconds!!!



Little lead boots are the solution...


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## Cat1964 (Sep 14, 2013)

Northerner said:


> Little lead boots are the solution...


Oh that made me laugh Northie!!! Definitely need something like that. 10 minutes ago I took all my washing out of the machine to take it outside to hang. Then I went to the linen bin for the rest of the clothes to wash. When I went back into the kitchen she was inside the machine. Just as well I checked!  I came back into the living room to hang up a few things on the clothes dryer and could hear clanking in the kitchen. Having never heard that noise I went to investigate and found Lucy on top of our 5 foot fridge. The clanking noise was her in among my steel bowls and baking trays stored on top of the fridge. Hmmmm where do you buy the little lead boots??


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## Lauras87 (Sep 14, 2013)

And Christmas brains are here if you were in my local asda


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## trophywench (Sep 14, 2013)

I use the same one all year Laura.


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## Lauras87 (Sep 14, 2013)

trophywench said:


> I use the same one all year Laura.



Some people in Leeds have 2 brains I find.
1 January - 30 November brain where common sense is used
1 December - 31 December where their brain sits still in its protective wrapping.

Think people have bought their December brains early tho as most were in neutral today


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## robert@fm (Sep 14, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> I have a 6 foot white Christmas tree which I decorate with clear lights, red baubles and red beads all topped off with a sparkly red star. All very tastefully put together. Everyone tells me my tree always looks like the posh ones you see in a department store. One of my work colleagues insists I take a pic of it so he can give it his approval. Sadly this year we will not be having a tree. Our kitten Lucy will only be 9 months old by then and as she is currently into climbing everything in the house including my curtains I doubt a tree would last any longer than 10 minutes!!



When my mum used to have a Christmas tree, and two (adult) cats, they used to love climbing it!  It had to be firmly guyed to the wall...


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## LeeLee (Sep 14, 2013)

Money is tight this year, so we're setting some rules: no presents that haven't been either hand made, or purchased from a charity shop.  Decorations will all reused or homemade.  Excess food will stay in the shops.  Treats from pound shops or made from scratch.  Any other ideas?


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## am64 (Sep 14, 2013)

like the charity shop xmas ....but very glad Im not in charity shop retail anymore !!


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## Cat1964 (Sep 14, 2013)

Money is very tight this year. I spend a fortune every year on everyone but this year I am rethinking this. I am going to give some homemade food presents. Red onion chutney, Scottish tablet and cookies all in a basket. I was talking with hubby about it and it is a good idea.


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## KateR (Sep 14, 2013)

I remember one lean year with no tree where I cut a branch from a bush in the garden, painted it white and smothered it in glitter, stuck it into a small bucket filled with soil and hung some old tree lights on it. It hardly cost anything.


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## Redkite (Sep 14, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> Lol. I had two cllothes dryers in my living room but recently had to get rid of one of them because she just uses them as climbing frames so a Christmas tree.....all that effort to have it demolished in seconds!!!


It will be Billy's first Christmas too and I'm sure he's going to love the tree and decorations!  . Since the weather deteriorated and he hasn't found it as enjoyable to be in the garden, he's been getting up to all sorts of mischief indoors.  No shelf is safe!


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## Cat1964 (Sep 14, 2013)

Redkite said:


> It will be Billy's first Christmas too and I'm sure he's going to love the tree and decorations!  . Since the weather deteriorated and he hasn't found it as enjoyable to be in the garden, he's been getting up to all sorts of mischief indoors.  No shelf is safe!



I have a bookcase and a sideboard sit at angles to each other. The sideboard has had everything including speakers knocked off the top. The bookcase has its items flat against the wall and a statue that was on it knocked off and it's hands broken off. I've kind of given up. Lucy is a one kitten demolition machine!!!


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## FM001 (Sep 15, 2013)

Getting earlier every year, by the time Christmas comes around everyone's sick to death of it, how long before the crimbo songs are piped out over the shopping aisles


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## Cat1964 (Sep 15, 2013)

By the time Chrismas comes my husband is sick of the piped Christmas music on a loop in Boots


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## jalapino (Sep 15, 2013)

I am more of a Halloween person myself!


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## Lauras87 (Sep 15, 2013)

jalapino said:


> I am more of a Halloween person myself!



Same here! You seen all the ace Halloween stuff in the pound shops?

<img src="http://www.myemoticons.com/images/holidays/halloween/halloween-mask.gif" border="0" alt="Halloween Mask" title="Halloween Mask" />


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## Cat1964 (Sep 15, 2013)

My best friends daughter got married on Halloween last year. It was a fab day and the wedding reception venue was all decorated with spiders webs, bats and spiders. There was a 10 foot headless giant accompanied by Death, lots of people dressed up. It was a fantastic day.


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## Steff (Sep 15, 2013)

Blimey my mother in law has got half her pressies in already grr that women


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## Cat1964 (Sep 15, 2013)

I have to admit I had finished my Christmas Shopping by September last year. Most organised I have ever been. It was great not having to spend December running round the shops worrying about what to get people.


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## Lauras87 (Sep 15, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> My best friends daughter got married on Halloween last year. It was a fab day and the wedding reception venue was all decorated with spiders webs, bats and spiders. There was a 10 foot headless giant accompanied by Death, lots of people dressed up. It was a fantastic day.



Sounds amazing cat


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## David H (Sep 15, 2013)




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## jalapino (Sep 15, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> My best friends daughter got married on Halloween last year. It was a fab day and the wedding reception venue was all decorated with spiders webs, bats and spiders. There was a 10 foot headless giant accompanied by Death, lots of people dressed up. It was a fantastic day.



Love it....must have been such a wonderful day


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## Cat1964 (Sep 15, 2013)

jalapino said:


> Love it....must have been such a wonderful day



Best wedding I've ever been to. The DJ Was dressed up as Beetlejuice. It was fantastic and the wedding cake had 3 tiers which were all made into pumpkins.


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## robert@fm (Sep 25, 2013)

Poundland are currently still focused on Hallowe'en, but they've already got Christmas-themed air fresheners in.  Available are "Festive Snow", "Mulled Wine", "Cinnamon Sticks" (freshen your air and lower your BG level at the same time!) and I think there's at least one other fragrance.


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## Northerner (Sep 25, 2013)

I think the Co-op are trying to hedge their bets, they have lots of tins/boxes of chocolates which I suppose are for the 'Trick or Treaters' we never used to have over here in my day (grump!) 

I have some US Facebook friends who began planning their Hallowe'en displays on 1st September, which to be fair is only two months in advance, not 3+...


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## pav (Sep 25, 2013)

Sorry xmas is cancelled for me, too much illness in the family, just another rotten day. Noticed my local asda have stocked well up on the chocolate tins already.


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## Pumper_Sue (Sep 25, 2013)

I went to my local garden centre yesterday, and walked out saying bah humbug was more than annoyed to find artificial trees and decorations being put out


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## Flutterby (Sep 25, 2013)

Ooh I feel a bit guilty cos I've started my christmas shopping and am busily making christmas cards............don't hate me!!


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## Steff (Sep 25, 2013)

Flutterby said:


> Ooh I feel a bit guilty cos I've started my christmas shopping and am busily making christmas cards............don't hate me!!



Hmmm Karen and I thought that heroine of the forum award was duly given hmmm


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## LeeLee (Sep 25, 2013)

Flutterby said:


> Ooh I feel a bit guilty cos I've started my christmas shopping and am busily making christmas cards............don't hate me!!



I could go right off some people...


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## Flutterby (Sep 27, 2013)

Sorry Steff and LeeLee, I will further confess to already having eaten a mince pie (runs away and hides)!!


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## Cat1964 (Sep 27, 2013)

My friend posted on her FB page yesterday, and I quote, 'Bills paid, Christmas Shopping all finished now for romantic lunch with hubby.' She did all of her Christmas shopping. So organised....I hate her....lol


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## Redkite (Sep 27, 2013)

Cat1964 said:


> My friend posted on her FB page yesterday, and I quote, 'Bills paid, Christmas Shopping all finished now for romantic lunch with hubby.' She did all of her Christmas shopping. So organised....I hate her....lol


Noooo!  Where's the fun in that?!!  It needs to feel Christmassy before I can do my Christmas shopping, ie. dark cold days, bright Christmas lights, and the slight panic from only having a few days left to go


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## Northerner (Sep 27, 2013)

Redkite said:


> ...and the slight panic from only having a few days left to go



Hours, surely?


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## Mark T (Sep 27, 2013)

Surely you buy everything after christmas day?


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## delb t (Sep 28, 2013)

ASDA had a huge chrismas tree with all the trimmings up !!!!!!!


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## Flutterby (Sep 29, 2013)

I am undecided about how to wrap my pressies this year.  Maybe you can come up with ideas for me!  It all started when I had that nasty stroke 3 years ago and couldn't wrap my pressies (my hubby and my dad did it - oh dear!) since then I have tried to make the wrapping different and special and enjoyable.  for the last 2 years I have used chocolate tree decorations and wooden decorations to make them look different.  What can I do this year?  I wondered about plain brown paper with bright ribbons but can anyone suggest anything more exciting?


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## LeeLee (Sep 29, 2013)

Newspaper, perhaps full colour gardening pages from the broadsheets?  Tied up with string with sparkly gift tags attached?


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## muddlethru (Oct 3, 2013)

In our local newspaper they had a picture of Santas' Grotto !!! in one of the city Malls. We haven't had Halloween yet or Guy Faulkes . It's all money, money, money. The whole meaning of Christmas seems to have gone out the window. I have to admit though my packs of Christmas cards I ordered from Diabetes UK arrived yesterday, all I have to do is start stuffing some of them with money as teen and twenty somethings  grandchildren (10) prefer money. Then there are their girl/boy friends, my husband says he is going to send me out scrubbing.


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