Xmas Rantings

Bit late but a recap of Christmas....

Was pretty late getting the whole christmas lark together so decorations and tree weren't done until mid way through December.

I forked out for a live tree (always have visions of skipping through forests in scarf and gloves with snow everywhere, thinking this one this one!). Reality was a trip to B & Q, laying down the trees, ripping off the nets and trying to work out which one I could get for the least amount. Finally located one and got it home and decorated

The rest of the room looked pretty christmassy purely because the throws and cushions were actually bought for the next camping trip (i don't like to waste money on the house..)

Homer was particularly impressed with the small sized cushions he could rest his doggy smelling body all over

Next trip was the turkey run. I am also anal about this. I hate the way they brand them into various weights - 6kg-8.9kg is £20. 9kg-12.6kg is £25. Now i have to have to find the heaviest turkey within the range, so going for the £20 one (which feeds about half of Ethiopia) I usually end up with frostbite trying to locate the 8.9kg one. Trouble is you greedy other shoppers also rob the big ones and leave the scratty 6kg ones for the same price. Nothing else gets priced like this Mr Morrisons, so just stick to your usual methods please in future

Christmas Eve table was all set and ready for the next day

Chaos started from 9am onwards. Both daughters and their OH's were here, along with my mum and brother. House of 8 people and 2 dogs, total chaos.

The daughters still try and convince me that santa does exist, but I am starting to think that at 30 and 25 years old, they may be conning me....

The youngest daughter, Christie, is the one who got the Mr Men Tent (I'll update on this with the next thread), so obviously I got a few accessories to go with it. It was just as well she brought her OH, Matt for Christmas, as she was able to stack everything nicely on top of him

Now I must admit, I did pretty well out of Christmas. Along with a Kindle off the OH (I did drop hints, like 'Buy me a Kindle'. He doesn't understand anything but the obvious), I got a few camping goodies. Namely a lovely red 25l iceytek (hard for a non camper to get excited about, but to me an item of beauty in festive red!), a chrome paraffin lamp (which actually looks a lot like the Petromax for a lot less at £25.99 - yet to test it though), it was from Conrad . A bug with a tea light in him (actually he had a bit of metal in the way, so they sent another and said keep the first one). So 2 bugs. And a nice enamel jug and bowls for camping (far too nice to use but i suppose I'll have to)

So all good so far! But then....we move onto my mum....Usually we try and intercept her present buying by saying what each other would like for Christmas and suggesting we fetch, wrap and put it in her hands so that she has no free reign on present buying. Harsh maybe, but after 40 years of presents from Sunday supplement magazines we have learnt our lesson. Thankfully she hasn't fathomed out the internet as the whole world would be her oyster.

I was given the shocking news in August by my daughter that my mum had actually already got me something.....

With this devestating news I knew it would be either based on a Labrador or would be monogrammed. Or a monogrammed Labrador. For some reason my mum thinks everything we own should have our initials on it. Every member of the family has a wallet/bag/hankerchief (does anyone actually use hankies anymore??) embossed with their initials.
I got the box handed to me Christmas day....ripped off the paper....with visions of a statue of a labrador....it was actually stranger still......

Must admit it's the first time I have seen a 'dog and bone' (no we're not bloody cockneys)....I'm sure I will grow to love him...

And even more worryingly I got a 'table present' for after dinner....ha ha not a wallet....not a hankie....or a bag with my initials, I had escaped!!! Until I turned it round....and there staring at me was my name....

Soooooo, if I am ever driving down the motorway and my cup leaps out of the window and runs into the services, everyone knows now it is mine and could they please return it to me

Xmas night was zombie time, stuffed and full of food, everybody relaxed.

Well as much as they could, as Homer doesn't give up his sofa space easily