Christmas prep

Gonegirl … I've got two rolls of wrapping paper that seems to go on and on. But I don't really need them, as I'm scaling down.
Home made Chilli Jelli, and chocs tailored to their taste this year.
Money in the gc accounts as I shan't be seeing them, so no wrapping there.
We've bought tickets for shows and concerts etc., throughout the year which pass for Christmas and birthday presents. At £75+ a pop it works out better on the bank balance as it means we don't shell out for everyone in December.

Witzend … we were the same in our house. Disorganised, up until all hours. Driving off to late night Asda for batteries we had forgotten! Running out of wrapping paper and using newspaper - especially when the children were very young!

I remember one year we had built a tree house in a flat pack style.
I was still painting it and husband was erecting it at 4am Christmas day!
What a palaver that Christmas was. My husband had lost his job and we were having financial problems.
Christmas felt like the last nail in the coffin. So we came up with this idea of making swings from the trees with ropes, and a tree house for them.
All well and good but try building something in the garden with prying children's eyes!!! everywhere.
There were 4 of them under 11, so you can imagine the lies fibs we told as we attempted to hide what we were up too!
If I remember rightly we made shields swords and a flag to go with it!

Not so stressful nowadays, if a little empty feeling.

Witzend … your chest ehm! trunk looks fabulous.

Must have been difficult to transport home.

I didn't think to get myself an advent calendar, but its given me an idea for next year.
I think I'll make one with pockets I can put little surprises in for either myself (I shall forget about at least half of them if I buy early in the year) or my husband.
Maybe things like tickets to a show or something similar for the following year!

Anything to buck up the thought of Christmas on our own!

Our Christmas decorations came down from the loft in early November, a month early, as we had workmen in re routing our gas supply and electricity supply from round the outside of the house, frowned upon these days, to through the loft.

I am glad we did because DD announced earlier that she was going north to visit familyin late November and would we like our presents and cards to join hers, we did, so there was a flurry of shopping and wrapping. Then a friend suggested that we call in on her on our way to the ferry to France for our last visit this year. That was last weekend, (we return today), so there was another flurry of shopping and wrapping.

I have also now made the mincemeat, cake, puddings and brandy butter and passed on the mincemeat to DD who makes the mince pies

I am so far ahead and organised I am worrying about what hidden event is going to suddenly blow to the stars this well organised Christmas.

Oh, Lord, Gonegirl - I well remember the many Christmas Eves when I was still frantically wrapping at midnight and beyond! Used to love it when a young niece was occasionally staying - she loved wrapping and would do it all (except hers obv.) for me.
I'm considerably more organised now - rather more time once I stopped work - and (sadly) am no longer running around after elderly relatives.

That is a beautiful chest!

I've got to dig my wrapping paper out from under the spare bed and get started on the wrapping today. Really don't want that awful nightmare of finishing wrapping on Christmas Eve. Haven't bought so much this year so not so much to wrap. Not getting into town so much means I'm picking up less 'extras'.

Once the advent calendar opening starts the days are going to fly by. (Bought mine from Battersea Dogs Home this year - son loves dogs so got one for him too)

This is the chest, Namsnanny - it'll look better after the annual polish.
It was filthy when we bought it, in a UAE souk - layers of the dirt of ages. Took me forever to clean it up.
It weighs a ton!

Should have added, the other day I bought an Advent calendar just for me! No chocolates or anything, just a big jolly Raymond Briggs Father Christmas, and the little pictures

Never had one as a child and always wanted one, so compensating now. I'm sure dh thinks I'm bonkers, but he hasn't actually said it.

I love this thread.
This might sound a bit strange but our DGD made us a nativity set some years ago. She collected about a dozen very smooth and sort of oval-shaped pebbles and painted each one with the nativity figures...including sheep, donkeys, Angels and wise men. She varnished them, wrapped each one in tissue paper and gave us them in a decorated shoe box. Lovely. This is a treasured, wonderful handmade gift, I'll try to take a photo and post it.
Happy Christmas prepping all ❤️??❤️

I love that little fir cone thing!

I was going to make the Delia mincemeat, like last year, but have realised that I still have quite a lot of shop mincemeat lurking at the back of a kitchen cupboard. So will use that up - maybe with a splash of something from the booze stash to moisten - first batch on Sunday the 1st. Shall take some to very elderly neighbours - they've gone down very well before - to save me and dh from scoffing the lot by Monday night.

I have a mountain of wrapping to do before a far-flung-family meet-up soon. Dining room is littered with bags of presents, huge carrier bag of wrapping paper/tags etc. out of the loft, not to mention cards, lists and address book all over the table. Just as well we only eat there when we have guests!

My 2nd Nativity set, made at least partly to use up some of the vast stash of yarn bought for no. 1, went off to Gdcs' pre-school/reception last week. How long it'll be before the tiny Baby Jesus is buried in playdough, or the donkey's legs get a bad case of rickets, I wouldn't like to say, but heigh ho.

Callistemon … Mary needs a bottom and her arms look a bit odd!! Sounds like something I would say!

I bet she looks perfectly ok, it's just you are looking for faults.

It's hard finding the energy when you don't feel well isn't it?

As I said earlier I'm a bit of a coward with show and tell.
It's easy on here because a photo doesn't show up the flaws and mistakes!

Jesus complete and in his crib
Mary needs a bottom otherwise all done but her arms look a bit odd
Joseph needs to be finished.
I haven't been very up to the mark this week.

I watched Nigella last night making this and that for Christmas.
She had her own mincemeat recipe which seemed to consist of port, brandy, and wine + dried fruit! No fat at all, just sugar and alcohol to preserve it.
Another one without suet.

Should be nice, if a little expensive!

I should imagine back in the middle ages when they actually used minced meat in the mixture, it tasted a bit like a Moroccan tagine. All those spices and fruit together.

This is my Christmas flower arrangement.
The flowers are fake, but the buds are real. The heat of the hoUse is bringing them on. At this rate they’ll be out and over
Before Dec is upon us!!

Namsnanny I've got a National Trust recipe that doesn't use suet. I make that one. It keeps fine. Still have a little bit lefty from last year in fact, and will be making mince pies with it when son comes home at the weekend. It's got loads of brandy in it and that must be what makes it keep so well, along with the sugar.

Gonegirl … is the mincemeat with or without suet?
Not that it bothers me, but I've seen a lot of recipes that don't use suet anymore. I suppose they don't last as long but if it is all used up by Boxing Day it doesn't really matter!

Callistemon … Good luck with all that sewing up!!
Could you just take in a few of them to save you sewing them all up in a hurry?

Hope you don't have arthritis in fingers I have a little in my thumbs and then I give up knitting for a while.

sent not went

Callistemon go to the next church Christmas fair you see advertised. They have loads of lovely crafty things you could buy
Great idea Gonegirl - the only trouble is, in a small community like ours, if I do that and show it off as my own work, someone at the craft afternoon is bound to say "Oh, that's odd, I made that and sent it to the school/church Christmas Fair/Charity shop etc (take your pick)

Have you anything you’ve made for family in the past you can borrow to show them? I once made some counted cross stitch Christmas cards which I never went because they went a bit sideways.

Otherwise it's sewing up Mary and Joseph in a hurry or my first attempts at crochet!

Will do. ?

Got mincemeat to make next. Then start wrapping pressies. Then it'll be marzipan for the cake. On and on it goes. These next few weeks are gonna fly by!

Callistemon ... that’s the reason I’ve never joined a craft group (fear of not being good enough!).
The pressure would get to me and i’d Be off ‘sick’ for that meeting!!!
Have you anything you’ve made for family in the past you can borrow to show them?

Gonegirl ...I agree both about the hetty and the cake!

Ah well, we all have off days.

Fir cone decoration is very Christmassy.

You will put a photo of the finished wreath up won’t you?
Getting into the spirit now!!

Hetty you were so helpful on Luckygirl's thread too.

NamsnannyI think that's the same with most people's Christmas cakes. We just don't make them often enough to become expert. Once a year just isn't enough, no matter how long we've been doing it.

I did not make this but I bought it from a church Holly Fayre. Gorgeous isn't it. The lady is making me a fir cones silver and red wreath too. The one she had on display was already snapped up unsurprisingly.

Callistemon go to the next church Christmas fair you see advertised. They have loads of lovely crafty things you could buy. ?