That's the Xmas shopping done ..

[Alison]

Don't like rushing the seasons, enjoy each one for what it is. Yes, it's not the best July in the world but enjoy the sun when it comes out and thank the rain for the time it saves in watering etc. Christmas is a long way off and I would find it sad to concentrate on that now and miss what we have now.

[di]

I have a little cupboard upstairs for random/cheap pressies(if i see bargains reduced when shopping i stockpile & they're there for if the kiddies get invited to parties,also handy come christmas~toyshop in town had action figures reduced from £10 to £2.50 last year.will prob soon start making some crafty bits soon but as far as the main pressies will wait til december,otherwise you're fed up with it before its even here!Also if i were to buy pressies now I'd only end up either giving them early or letting slip what i'd got!
on subject of making perishable pressies~make sure & let the recipient know not to put the pressie under the tree in a centrally heated house!!D&A spent ages making little choc bugs for their friends~having spent 12hrs in a hot home under the tree they didn't look quite as good as they started off!

[Stacey Steve]

he got an acre of the moon for his bday

Gonna need a long hose to water any veg up there

[lynda66]

Gonna need a long hose to water any veg up there

yeah, but i'm hoping they will start running free trips, and he'll stay there

[Rhona]

Don't like rushing the seasons, enjoy each one for what it is. Yes, it's not the best July in the world but enjoy the sun when it comes out and thank the rain for the time it saves in watering etc. Christmas is a long way off and I would find it sad to concentrate on that now and miss what we have now.

Nooooo... it's not sad - it's the opposite! Every season I think 'this one's my favourite!'... I love each one, but am happy that whilst loving the flashes of sunshine in July, and watching the garden unfold in the warmth, I can also feel a bit Christmassy! It's reassuring to know that when summer fades (I know, what summer), there's so much to get excited about in winter. Bonfire night!

[gemlady]

Please can we stop with the C word! It's July, it' summer (alledgedly) and if I start thinking about the C word I'll get all anxious and agitated and it will ruin my day off. (Takes in deep breath to calm down). I don't do my shopping until December as I never know what to get and I'm ritually disorganised when it comes to buying presents at C. So please let's congratulate Two_Sheds on her efficiency and speak of it no more until December!!!

[Two_Sheds]

my local shop has got 2009 calendars in already

[lynda66]

my local shop has got 2009 calendars in already

i haven't even bought a 2008 one yet ..... come to think of it, i can't actually remember last time i had a calendar

[marigold007]

I think it's a great idea to get started early. It's a great way to ease the tensions of the already emotional, S.A.D. time. :-)

[sharonr]

I`ve got a fruit and veg hamper coming Xmas eve, a meat hamper on order, vouchers for the nephews and nieces. Yes I know they aren`t very personal but they are at the age`s when everything they want is over £50 and when there are six of them it can get very expensive. And I think it`s better that way as they put the money towards something they want.
I`ve done this for 4 years now and it makes it alot easier in the run up to christmas.

[Alice]

How sad and commercialised some of this is. I do a little personal something for the people who really matter to me. Anything that looks like a necessary evil has been long ditched. Why is it only goods with a monetary value that matters.
Last year My great nieces (age 5, 4, 3) got a little flower from me, delivered to them by their local florist, to decorate their Christmas table. Total cost about £15 and the girls were delighted to have the florist deliver flowers for Miss Martha, Miss Lucinda and Miss Hester. And their Christmas table had something special from me. All else they have.

[Alison]

That's lovely Alice, it's much nicer to give something small and personal that you've spent time thinking about / making than just writing a large cheque as some people I know seem to do.

[di]

i haven't even bought a 2008 one yet ..... come to think of it, i can't actually remember last time i had a calendar

I buy a diary every year & use it religiously for the first 2 weeks of Jan & then I'm afraid dissorganisation reigns once again!!

[Winged one]

Alice, that sounds like a lovely lovely pressie to your nieces. (Can I borrow that one please?)

Part of my reason for trying to get organised so early is that I want to grow my dinner this year, and I utterly failed in that last year. And I am also doing a lot of knitting for pressies for relatives this year - ok wool is not the cheapest, but still a lot cheaper than getting them something that they neither want nor need from the shops, spending a fortune and being hassled there, and feeling stressed as I don't think it's good enough when I hand it over (nothing ever said, just me feeling inadequate as usual).

So my efforts are going into relaxing in the sunshine (when we have it) or listening to radio at lunchtimes at work (when I can't get out in the rain anyway) with my needles, when actually thoughts of the person whose gift I am working on, float around in a lovely way.