I just told dh he was a bloody old misery 😡

Good for you. These days are fleeting whilst they are little. I am enjoying making cornflake cakes and halloween masks this week. Enjoy I know its exhausting but lovely memories for the children with grandma.

I hope you all have a wonderful time, which I’m sure you will!

We do similar things with our DGSs. When they are with us it’s full on ,good behaviour expected though. What’s a bit of mess or chaos. Soon sorted when they have gone home. Enjoy them while you can. We have several friends whose DGC live 1000s of miles away who would dearly love to have this experience with them.

Go for it,mine live at the other end of the country. When one stayed for a week last year during the summer holidays we had a great time. Found a nearby nature walk we didn't know existed, DH took them up a big limestone scar with a fantastic view and was told they were on top of the world. Then stopped at the local chocolate makers and bought all sorts of little treats.
A trip to a newsagent for a Dandy and a sherbet fountain which we haven't read for years.
It was topped by a lock in the toilet only to be persuaded to come out covered in red toilet cleaner and a white face they thought they might have started their periods aged 9!!!!

Make memories while you can, children grow up too quickly. Enjoy x

Yes it looks like op says 3 5 7 8- do you mean 3 and a half?(i presune its put as 3.5?) Just put 3& a half maybe.

Bella-Apparently some girls can start their periods that young nowadays, so i read somewhere.

Brilliant! I wish I could do that with mine but 2 are 300 miles away and the other 2 in Singapore. Enjoy creating their special memories. Don't forget to take some photos of them with their decorations and print them off. When they are older they will love that to look back on.
Have a great half term with them.

Yes enjoy your trip witzend.- maybe your hubby feels like he's a bit too old for that length of stay?maybe just a couple of days would have been better for him🤔

For Witzend -- Callistemon and Elegran look quite right. Your own point (re bus) is also quite valid (trains are good too!). As you say, these days some little people don't see public transport much, if at all. And the church cafe idea look good too!

I think you must be a younger gran to do this? At 77 I couldn’t, just couldn’t!

We just had our eldest grandson for 2 weeks and did lots of fun stuff like Legoland and the Army flying corps museum. My hubby is a grumpy one as well but still took him to the gift shop and walked around with him. He’s 5 so was very excited. I think the idea of buying a decoration a great idea. I have some of my mother’s decorations and the ones the kids have made as kids.

What a lovely idea. We have 6 Gc and every year whilst little we took them shopping for a christmas bauble. Their selections were sometimes very funny and didn't always go with mum's colour themes but she just got them their own tree for the other room. They still remember where they bought them and where we ate afterwards. Fond memories for me too.

Go for it Witzend. Our JL has closed sadly, used to love their decorations. It’s all about making memories for you and the grandchildren. I’m sure Grumpy Grandpa will get involved when it happens. Have a wonderful time.

I love your plan! Can I join you? Our grandchildren are 1, 4 and 6 and I'm sure they would love to do this!

This did make me smile as my grumpy husband/grandad would have said exactly the same! Lovely idea, and good luck with it. Could you possibly take a friend with you?

I'm very anti tat but I love all my christmas decorations that I've bought over the last 30 years. They don't match, there is no theme but most have been bought with purpose and I enjoy putting them on the tree every year.
Enjoy these precious days with your GC.

Norah

welbeck

i agree with your husband

I do as well. I don't purchase useless tat and don't want our GC in shops making unnecessary disposable purchases.

You would evidently absolutely love the mega-piece of useless plastic tat I bought them for Halloween - sitting in the garden at the moment, waiting for their arrival.

I did post about it before and admitted to being an utterly disgraceful hypocrite, since I’m usually as anti plastic tat as anybody - especially as regards all the ghastly black and orange stuff in the shops for Halloween.

He’s huge!!

October? No to JL Christmas shop. Plenty of time to do that. Why not spend the precious time playing games, doing crafts, baking etc. Agree with only one activity out of the house a day

It’s a man thing ! I have just been moaned at for buying a huge pumpkin for the grandkids and I haven’t told him yet that I have booked Cadbury World for end of November

I agree with your husband.

The issue of buying plastic tat is coming up for me. My granddaughter buys so much 'made in China' often from Amazon. I don't want to be a killjoy but I am acutely aware of global warming and buying one time use plastics that will ultimately end up in landfill.
Treats seem to mainly be these junky items that are heavily advertised and seen as 'desirable' by peers. What to do?

I'm not sure it is 'tat'. I have a Christmas decoration bought when I was a child in Singapore some 55 years ago and I still treasure it!

How lovely you’ll have a great time and make more memories with the gc. I used to do this but mine are grown up now but I still like to mooch around JL Xmas shop.

Well, I’m pleased to see that the positive posts far outweigh the negative ones.
Those decs some have you have had for years were new once! Don’t forget, some families are just starting out on their own Christmas memory making journey and start, therefore, with what some of you describe as “tat”.
I have some that are nearing 80 years old, passed down and others that were bought only very recently. Tat? Maybe, but quite honestly, I don’t care. It’s my tat, and full of memories 😁😁.

I still have some 60 odd year old ‘ tat ‘ my G’ma bought for me - some Christmas and some from her holidays. How I treasure them!