I was back to work yesterday and after nearly 2 whole weeks off was quite looking forward to it really. The day seemed to whizz by and it was nice to be back catching up with everyone and chatting about our week away. I had an interesting chat with F who tells me she has 61 people to buy for on her Christmas list and spends about £900 just on presents at Christmas. This horrified me but in asking around doesn’t seem terribly unusual. I know we are not overwhelmed with family to have to buy for and maybe we’re mean in not adding loads of friends to Christmas lists. All that said I bet I’ll be feeling smug when we have nothing carried over still to pay for next year ;).
I am now thinking my flat refusal to spend £30 each on lightsabers is a bit cruel though and plotting to get my parents and Frazer to buy them instead so that I won’t resent a whole days wages being spent on plastic tat but the kids still get something they want.
The rest of the day passed very quickly and I arrived home shortly before Ady (Ady had been home with Davies and Scarlett in the morning, Dad had been here in the afternoon). I had an hours catching up with the children before getting ready to go out and then they dropped me off at the pub before going to McDonalds with Ady for their dinner.
I was first to arrive at the pub where 9 of us from work were having a Christmas meal. It’s years since I walked into a pub on my own and I remember my Dad always being horrified that I was up for doing it at all when I was younger as ‘in his day’ women simply didn’t go into pubs unaccompanied. I used to drink in a bar where I knew all the barstaff and various other regulars so often used to just head down there of an evening and either sit at the bar chatting or see who else came in – it was a bit like Cheers. That used to bewilder my Dad and actually going into that pub last night I could see why, I felt very odd walking in alone, ordering a drink and then sitting down by myself. I only had about ten minutes before two others arrived and I was quite happy but had already got a reply ready incase one of the couple of blokes who were giving me curious looks decided to try the ‘what’s a nice girl like you…?’ line 😆
The meal was predictably fairly low quality and tasteless but the company and large amounts of wine more than made up for that. We had a really nice few hours and lots of laughs. One woman was driving so dropped 3 of us home and another two had their own cars as they lived further away. One other woman’s husband came to collect the others. I was home before 11pm so Ady and I watched Gavin and Stacey that he’d recorded earlier.
I’ve saved £900 over the year for Christmas. Most of that will go on presents (but only for 12 family members, and should get my godmother something but don’t always) but hopefully there will be a hundred or two left to go towards food. I don’t buy for friends – we don’t even buy for C’s sister and her bunch – apart from 3 old college friends of mine that I have dinner with each year, and if I see something I want to give to someone, I’ll get it, but in a ‘enjoying giving’ way, rather than a ‘must get them a present because they’re getting me one’ way.
I hate all the extra piles of absolute shite that there are in shops this time of year – present-buying for the sake of it is just crap.
Comment by Alison — 11 December 2009 @ 4:48 pm
I have gone a bit mad and bought Hannah and Bob a tandem this year (although it did have 60% off, so was actually v cheap for a tandem), plus Hannah is getting a flick camera from SC. Both of these will be surpises. The only thing she has actually asked for is the Dr Who Ultimate Monsters Book and the new Cheryl Cole cd. I put money out of my expenses into a Christmas account every year, partly as I feel that’s “mine” as everything else is a joint account, and also I just hate having hard up Januarys, as it’s such a bloody depressing month anyway!
Comment by Joyce — 11 December 2009 @ 5:04 pm
I’m toying with suggesting to my sister that we stop doing Xmas presents for the kids. Next year I’ll have 4 on her side to buy for!
Comment by Michelle — 12 December 2009 @ 11:25 am
hmm, wel this christmas has been diff, but usually me and sis and bil have given each other a ‘token’ ie something hand made or a bottle of wine! [drunk during xmas] and chris and i don’t buy. so if we discard chris’s present as not representively expensive, i buy gifts for 14 not including him, and prob spend 400 ish as a total. [including the girls, whos presents are bought through the year, stashed and may well include preloved] then, when xmas at our house, have spent another 400 ish on food/drink/jollity. this year, as not providing xmas, have upped my xmas spending, and without chris comes out at approx 500. but,like alison, try adnput approx 1000 thro year in xmas kitty
Comment by HelenHaricot — 14 December 2009 @ 8:20 pm