Does he ride a red nosed reindeer

Today was our day of Christmas shopping. Pre children we would always take the first week of December off work, draw up a rota of where we wanted to go and spend most of the week Christmas shopping. We used to arrive at our chosen shopping destination, split up for an hour or so, meet for lunch, then split up again for more shopping. Once we’d taken care of shopping for each other then we’d join forces to shop for family and friends. It was a week long retail extravaganza.

When we had children it changed slightly inasmuch as the focus became on stuff for them rather than stuff for each other.

Last year it was rather different.

This year it has been different again. Penny watching is something which has become second nature with no excess money for December so I have been doing lots of buying stuff on ebay or in charity shops and stashing it away for the last couple of months, we have whittled down the list of ‘I want’ from watching the TV adverts on Nick jr and traipsed round toy shops with them to determine what they ‘really’ want. I do like the idea of getting them at least one thing each to make their faces light up, similarly I like the idea that they have a couple of surprises and still a decent volume of things to spend time opening. This year, for probably the very first time we’ve finally got the balance right between what they want, what we want them to have and what we can afford. Woo hoo for us :).

Today we went on a mammoth charity shop run all along the south coast. No idea how many miles but certainly well up to our 10000 steps a day as measured by my pedometer on my phone and at least 30 charity shops and a whole load of Christmas songs on the cd player :). We didn’t actually get a whole lot – the children each got a toy today – Davies a Gromit I’ve not seen before for £1.50 and Tarly a toy jaguar (her most favourite big cat) for 50p. We picked up a couple of videos each for them, various other bits and pieces but mostly enjoyed being out in the early Christmas hustle and bustle all together. We had lunch at McDonalds courtesy of Pinecone Research luncheon vouchers. Bargain of the day had to be these boots though – spotted in the second charity shop we went in to and in my size for the bargain price of £3. Slightly battered but I reckon I’d get ten times my money back on ebay anyway, but these won’t be being listed cos I’ll be wearing ’em. Next I want either red or purple ones 🙂

We finally arrived home and had baths before my parents arrived for dinner this evening. Not too late a night as frankly I’m exhausted.

Tomorrow we’re going logging in the morning, roast chicken for lunch and I have some home made mince meat ready for making the first batch of mincepies while Ady and the children set up the little Christmas trees in their bedrooms and maybe the lights outside the house (inside is not being put up until after Tarly’s birthday).