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Delightful disappointing December

Think it, Plan it, Do it
magsy12
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Delightful disappointing December

#101236

Postby magsy12 » December 3rd, 2017, 9:14 pm

Hi, everyone!
Just caught up on all the previous posts with delight! Disappointed that the trail has gone cold. Do hope everyone is well and coping with their own situations with love and gratitude.
This thread has been so good to me and I wish that everyone is benefiting also. Annual review of OH shows clear of cancer but I am still on waiting list for a replacement hip. Both of us are coping well and looking forward to Christmas with the grandchildren and their parents.
I have lists and frogs galore but am taking them day by day and was hoping for inspiration from this thread. However, I am determined to at least clear out the 'stuff' gathered in the front bedroom from two parental bereavements (one on each side).
Hope to hear from you soon
Mx

Tortoise1000
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Re: Delightful disappointing December

#103082

Postby Tortoise1000 » December 10th, 2017, 7:13 am

Hallo magsy12! The snag with lurking is that if everyone lurks there is no thread :-)

My computer has been poorly and I had a family funeral to go to which was blighting the start of the month. That is over now, so, goals for December:

1. Get the Christmas preparations done in good time.. I looked back at last December’s goals, goodness me , it was a list as long as your arm. None of that this year, just the normal cards, decorations, presents and food. Just need to get on with it instead of procrastinating

2. Have a happy Christmas with TJ. There is reason to hope it might be, as this year there are no stressful looming exams . So long as he actually gets here. He is working on Christmas Eve and the last train home is early.

3. Not buy any new Christmas decorations to add to the plastic pollution in the sea. This is a tough one. When I was little we had a collection of old glass Christmas tree baubles, an ancient set of lights and we made paper chains from Woolworths to string across the room. Now there is such profusion in the shops, every year. Not expensive either, in immediate cash terms. Tasteful table decorations, lights to make the garden look like Santa’s grotto, special Christmas clothes to slob around in on the day. So much must go to landfill. Stay out of shops is probably the best plan, don’t be seduced by the heart-warming displays.

T

Brava21
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Re: Delightful disappointing December

#104902

Postby Brava21 » December 18th, 2017, 11:59 am

Hi all

Argh. How is it the 18th of the month already? I have been meaning to post but am struggling with any goals. December is a funny month, I tend to see it as ending at Christmas for some reason, with the next week a sort of odd in between sort of time.

Happily though, today is my last day in work before Christmas (I am very grateful for that). And unless anything terrible happens between now and about 4pm, it looks like I can finish up nicely.

It is funny you mention the proliferation of Christmas tat, Tortoise. A few years ago Mr B and I decided that we would not bother with Christmas decorations any more, and I got rid of all of ours (the staff in the charity shop up the road were delighted to accept them). When my mum died, I inherited a load more of the stuff and again, as per our agreed no decorations stance, off it all went to the charity shop.

Then, this year Mr B had a bit of a change of heart. It was Scroogy not to have any decorations up, he said, and I was the Grinch who stole Christmas in persisting with the anti decorations stance. He banged on about this quite a bit at the beginning of the month. It became tiresome.

Of course, when Mr B says this sort of thing what he really means is that he wants me to sort it out; he doesn’t expect to be the one to source and/or fund said tat, nor does he expect any involvement in putting up the trimmings or taking them down again. I remained resolute, for a while. I did not want a real tree, and did not want to buy a fake one. Or any baubles. For one thing, you have to store the stupid things all year.

Then I was in Asda doing a shop and – for some odd reason – found myself wandering up the ‘seasonal aisle’. They had a 3 foot tree which was really rather nice, and was only £12. I knew I had a string of lights and tree topping star which for some reason had escaped my earlier culls of tat at home, so against my better judgement I bought that and a very attractive box of gold baubles (26 of them, various sizes, some matt, some glossy and some glittery) which were £2. I really was very impressed once it was all up, as was Mr B* and all for the princely sum of £14, and as a bonus the neat little box the tree came in takes up very little space in the corner of a wardrobe.

Having caved in this year though, I am NOT going to be buying more baubles next year. When did that become a thing? When I was a child the same decorations came out every year and were carefully wrapped, boxed and put back in the attic in early January. I also remember the fun we used to have making our own – in those days, people always did that. My favourites were pine cones – collected earlier in the year and painted with glue, dusted with glitter and hung from lengths of cotton – and good old paper chains, which you never even see any more. Anyway, I have decided that any new additions should be home made. I think paper chains are in order for next year; heaven knows what Mr B will make of that, but hey, he started this nonsense :)

You are so right about the sparkly stuff in the shops, Tortoise; ultimately it is tat but it is so sparkly and pretty (and I am sure gets cheaper every year, no wonder people treat them as disposables these days) that it appeals to the magpie in all of us and is very hard to resist. As you say, best not to go shopping…

A very Merry Christmas to all (or, as a Christmas-loathing friend says, ‘Happy Mid Winter Break’).

Brava x

*I had him buy me lunch. Seemed fair.

pancake101
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Re: Delightful disappointing December

#104950

Postby pancake101 » December 18th, 2017, 3:30 pm

Hi Folks Just reading the thread and thought I would comment on the throw away decorations. Not long ago read of someone who stores nothing from Christmas - everything to land fill by 6th of Jan- buy what ever is nice and fashionable the following November! Eeeek.

Seems a total waste of money, given that so much of this is out for a month and barely dusted - hardly used at all! I put a lot of my decorations to the charity shop in November - hope they sold. I said I would take anything back that they didn't want or think would sell! We dont have the Asda Tesco bargains here but if priced cheap should go.

I don't 'get' all the festive clothing these days - the jumpers and santa suits! Its just so temporary, I expect its cheap and folk think its fun. Sorry but no shop will have fat profits with people like me around. Am I turning into Scrooge?? What happens to all that clothing, landfill and clothing bins?

Goals
Health - yes better make a re start, in all areas!
Money - Get up to date with figures
Other - catch up with friends,

Have a lovely Christmas

Tortoise1000
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Re: Delightful disappointing December

#106586

Postby Tortoise1000 » December 29th, 2017, 12:33 pm

Phew, that's over! :-)

1. Get the Christmas preparations done in good time.

Yes, remarkably good. I seem to be getting the knack of this, after half a century.

2. Have a happy Christmas with TJ.

Yes! What an achievement. All festive activities, visits, etc completed harmoniously, and he went home this morning.

3. Not buy any new Christmas decorations to add to the plastic pollution in the sea. This is a tough one.

It was tough, so I am glad I wrote it down. It restrained me when I was, for example, wanting some icicle lights to put along the front of the house. They'd have looked festive. But I might have fallen off the ladder putting them up, and now I would have to take them down and store them. As it is, I am completely unburdened by any new tat.

The sunbeams are slanting through the house today, showing up the dust, sweet wrappers and pine needles. Time to sweep away 2017 and plan for 2018.

T

Brava21
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Re: Delightful disappointing December

#107344

Postby Brava21 » January 2nd, 2018, 1:13 pm

Well said, Tortoise – have a second phew from me

We survived the festivities, bar a very nasty lurgy which hit Chez Brava on Boxing Day. Mr B had it, followed swiftly by me (so good of him) and I have not left the house since last Thursday. So the break didn’t turn out as we planned – there were few things we wanted to do but didn’t feel any where near up to it. Other than that, it was great :D

I am pleased to report that the nifty little Christmas tree I bought somewhat reluctantly early last month folded back up and into its box as easily as it came out, and is now taking up very little space in the corner of a wardrobe. That was yesterday’s job, and I sneakily did it while Mr B had popped out, so as to avoid having the usual conversation about when it is traditional to take down decorations and how I am doing it on the wrong day. Hilariously, he didn’t even mention the lack of tree, and also Christmas cards, when he came back. If he noticed at all, he clearly couldn’t be bothered to argue the toss.

Right, now to 2018 planning…I will need to give that some thought and pop back.

Happy new year to everyone

Brava x


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