~*~it's official~Christmas season is here~*~

[lady cop]

well this is the first day of the shopping frenzy! how do you enjoy the shopping and all that? the pressure! what are your traditions? i collect dept.'56 Dickens village. also i revere "A Christmas Carol" , the book and the films. it is very meaningful to me. i love the message. Happy Holidays to all here! (anyone else collect a village?)

[Cass]

It's the most wonderful time... of the year.... we have snow this morning, it's gorgeous outside... all is calm all is bright, so to speak.



Need to start my shopping this weekend, gifts that give comfort and joy.. and we will trim the tree next weekend as we deck the halls with boughs of holly.



Just call me the ancient yultide carol. Fa la la la la... la la... la.... lahhhhh

[beautyful]

I love christmas when decorations start going up in shops etc!!!! Can't wait, my mum starts baking mince pies and christmas puddings its all so exciting and for the first time in my life I have a man to buy presents for and I am gonna spoil him rotten!!!!!

[lady cop]

beautyful wrote: I love christmas when decorations start going up in shops etc!!!! Can't wait, my mum starts baking mince pies and christmas puddings its all so exciting and for the first time in my life I have a man to buy presents for and I am gonna spoil him rotten!!!!!
good on you and enjoy!! i always work the holiday for people who have little children, and it does not bother me at all. glad to do it.

[beautyful]

lady cop wrote: good on you and enjoy!! i always work the holiday for people who have little children, and it does not bother me at all. glad to do it.


you are a good person Lady cop! This world needs more people like you I need to start christmas shopping, which is always a hassle as I never have enough money to buy what I'd like to buy for people :-1

[Cass]

beautyful wrote: for the first time in my life I have a man to buy presents for and I am gonna spoil him rotten!!!!!
I hope you are a young woman although love is worth waiting for. Enjoy the holiday, I hope he spoils you too!

[beautyful]

I am still in my teens, just about but I have not had much luck before now so its a nice change. I hope he spoils me too but as long as he is there with his love it doesn't matter what he buys me

[lady cop]

beautyful wrote: you are a good person Lady cop! This world needs more people like you I need to start christmas shopping, which is always a hassle as I never have enough money to buy what I'd like to buy for people :-1
thankyou..and it's not about the money or the gift, it's about the love. don't stress over it, the people who love you know your heart. and who else matters? gifts are forgotten, love carries on. :-4 the most important gift i ever got was recently and cost nothing, but was full of meaning.

[beautyful]

lady cop wrote: thankyou..and it's not about the money or the gift, it's about the love. don't stress over it, the people who love you know your heart. and who else matters? gifts are forgotten, love carries on. :-4 the most important gift i ever got was recently and cost nothing, but was full of meaning.


beautiful words, Lady cop, true of course. My mum is always saying I don't need to buy anything for her and dad as they would rather I was there with them sharing the joy of christmas :-4

[Cass]

lady cop wrote: gifts are forgotten, love carries on. :-4
*Hurl*



LOL

[beautyful]

>>^..^ *Hurl*



LOL


what a cynic you are!

[Bill Sikes]

beautyful wrote: I love christmas when decorations start going up in shops etc!!!!


Oh dear. I'm al farid that makes me very annoyed, as do similar TV adverts.

[lady cop]

>>^..^ *Hurl*



LOL
that's my friend Cassie! i am upset when a day goes by and she doesn't say "hurl" to me! :rolleyes: beautyful, don't take it seriously, Cassie is a creampuff.

[beautyful]

oh thats good to hear!!!! although i'm not sure you should call your friends a cream puff, lol!!!! I'll have to get used to the ways of the forum i think

[lady cop]

beautyful wrote: oh thats good to hear!!!! although i'm not sure you should call your friends a cream puff, lol!!!! I'll have to get used to the ways of the forum i think
Cass likes to call me a creampuff because i am a cop and she knows it makes me crazy! it's done with affection. you'll be fine here i am sure. and i am NOT a creampuff evil Cassie! cut that out. :rolleyes: so let's get back to Christmas...

[beautyful]

does anyone agree that as you get older presents become less and more useful, gone are the days of useless yet cool presents

[Cass]

beautyful wrote: does anyone agree that as you get older presents become less and more useful, gone are the days of useless yet cool presents
I give cool gifts... I root them out and put a lot of thought into everything I buy.



I rarely get anything cool though LOL

[beautyful]

I am totally the same, always try to buy cool presents but always get socks etc back, 'useful presents' my mum says!!!! Boring, i say!!!

[Peg]

A few years ago, my niece gave me a video she made with family pictures set to the song Photographs and Memories. It was the best gift I have ever received and I really don't think it can be topped. I get teary eyed just thinking about it.

[beautyful]

Its good to hear your opinion though I totally agree with you and the photos idea sounds a really lovely idea. I love giving and getting original presents, when me and my friends turned 18, i made them all scrapbooks with pictures of us all throughout school.

[CARLA]

:-3 UGGH..!! Not sure I'm ready for the holiday season..!! I wish I had a cabin in the mountains to retreat to, staying till after the holidays..!!

[Cass]

It would not be a the 'holidays' without the hustle and bustle, crazed shoppers on December 24th with pained expressions and their Visa clutched to their chest.



I need to get my act together ~ have not bought a single gift besides Christmas I also hae several december birthdays to contend with.



My Father on Dec 7th, my sister Dec 8th, my daughter Dec 14th, my husband Dec 14th, my birthday is the 18th, nephew on the 21st, girlfriend on the 23rd :banghead:

[abbey]

:-5 Is it just me or does anyone else think xmas comes earlier every year ???

Local shops have had their decorations up since tha begining of November, i understand the retailers have to compete for trade, but do they really have to remind me so early that i need to think of gifts to buy people??

Each year gets harder & harder to match a gift to someone, i don't like to give vouchers as it's too inpersonal & despite sounding like old mother scrooge i do enjoy giving gifts that please.

But this year my head hurts trying to think of appropriate presents, normally at this time of year i have everything done & dusted, wrapped & ribboned, but as yet not one thought of what to buy :yh_cry

I really cannot wait until Dec 26th.......BAH HUMBUG!!!

[valerie]

lady cop wrote: good on you and enjoy!! i always work the holiday for people who have little children, and it does not bother me at all. glad to do it.


You give a really good gift, Lady Cop. Your time. My little brother was a police

officer for many years, and he used to do the same thing.

Question for you, do you find your Christmas Day shifts to be more difficult?

Alcohol-related "domestic" calls?!?!?

[valerie]

You guys are gonna hate me... but my shopping's all done and has been for

about 2 weeks! I am not crazy, that is just the way it turned out. I will

probably still make a couple trips out, though, just to enjoy everything with

out feeling stressed!

[Cass]

Well let me tell you what happened to me last year... at the after chirstmas sales I picked up lots of great items and put them away for gifts for the next year. I had computer games, DVDs, CDs, some boys sportswear, some golf stuff etc etc and some toys.. I put them in the garage in green garbage bags so my daugher would not snoop and after that I didn't think much about them.



Then in August I went to Disney for 2 weeks with my daughter... and when weI came back, my husband had a surprise for me, he had cleaned out the garage, put up shelves and organizers for all the tools etc.... and... threw out all the garbage that had been accumulating. My gifts.. a good 600.00++ worth. Gone LOL



Oh well live and learn... today I went shopping and picked up three birthday gifts.. I am going to try for a marathon blitz of christmas shopping next weekend.

[CARLA]

VALERIE,

Well Kiddo would you be up for doing mine..!!

You guys are gonna hate me... but my shopping's all done and has been for about 2 weeks! I am not crazy, that is just the way it turned out. I will

probably still make a couple trips out, though, just to enjoy everything with

out feeling stressed!

I will get my butt in gear soon..!! Hope its before Christmas gets here..!! :wah:

[beautyful]

does anyone think that christmas seems to come quicker/sooner every year? the pesky thing sure creeps up on you when you least expect it, lol

[lady cop]

valerie wrote: You give a really good gift, Lady Cop. Your time. My little brother was a police

officer for many years, and he used to do the same thing.

Question for you, do you find your Christmas Day shifts to be more difficult?

Alcohol-related "domestic" calls?!?!?
Valerie, you are very kind...but i find that if i were home alone i would be feeling too nostalgic for loved ones who are gone...so it is better for me to occupy myself at work. the entire holiday season, to answer your question, is fraught with so much stress and financial pressure for some people that domestic violence does increase. (as does alcohol consumption in a direct link.) Christmas Day itself not usually the worst day at all. all the buildup and unmet expectations , as well as depression felt by many, make December a difficult month overall for those with few personal controls. thanks for nice comment! lady cop