Old style Preparations for Christmas 2010!!

GraciesGran

Been saving each month in the B/Society. Children now 30, 28 and 26 with partners and children. Under 16's get a present £15 +/-, over 16's take part in secret santa. My staffy will do a 'hamper' for each couple. Ma in Law has asked for a donation to Guide Dogs for the Blind - hoping to speed up her new guide dog!!!!!!!!! Bought cards and paper in the sales. Saving nectar points and tesco rewards for food. Will make cake & mincemat in October half term with grandkids. Have acquired some new board games (from charity shop) to be played over the holiday.

Lindy_-_Loo

Had an email today from boots and they have 3 for 2 on toys, it doesnt say when the offer is on until but we dont get our high street gift vouchers till next month so I'm hoping that they have started the xmas promotion early. They had some good toys on offer.

Winged_one

There is still time for making alcoholic beverages - like late raspberries in vodka (just raspberries, equal weight sugar, cover with voddie, shake daily for a week to dissolve sugar and ignore in a dark cupboard for about 1-2 months), blackberry voddie/gin, sloe gin (sloes will be ready to pick in another month or so), damson liquer (same idea as above), limoncello etc. Mostly using HG or foraged fruits (except limoncello, which took 15 lemons to 1.5l vodka, and sugar also).

And if any of your recipients are bakers, get a few good fresh vanilla pods, pop into a kilner or other LARGE jar, fill with castor sugar (leave shaking space), shake once a week or so, and otherwise let the sugar take on the vanilla over a month or more. Top up with fresh sugar just before you wrap. (Or you could have a very large container with a good few pods in it for infusing and decant into nice smaller jars for wrapping).

(Lavendar sugar is something I keep meaning to experiment with also, and getting nice clean seaweed to dry for making seaweed salt - if you have access to shores with good clean shores and waters).

I will be making cookies as well for a few people - I make rolls of cookie dough earlier in the season and, once I've baked a few (for testing purposes!!), I freeze the rest of the roll. Then, Christmas Eve or whenever needed, I will take out the rolls, slice off howevre many I need and bake in 10-15 minutes. And it means I can have 3/4 different flavours (hazelnut, chocolate with choc chips, lemon & orange, coconut, plain) on the plate without a lot of hassle in the kitchen on the final day.

Blackberry and apple jam or jelly is really tasty - and again good for foraging.

Herb infused vinegars

Sewing tote bags for a few people - some as "shopping bags" and others as toy bags or play bags or even a handbag for one sis.

Knitting scarves can be relatively quick and easy - just choose different wools for different people, and maybe slightly different stitch patterns. Add a skull cap hat if you want nice sets (can also be reasonably quick to make up).

I have loads of ideas but am lacking the time this year for most.

Grumpycupple

Winged_one wrote: »

There is still time for making alcoholic beverages - like late raspberries in vodka (just raspberries, equal weight sugar, cover with voddie, shake daily for a week to dissolve sugar and ignore in a dark cupboard for about 1-2 months), blackberry voddie/gin, sloe gin (sloes will be ready to pick in another month or so), damson liquer (same idea as above), limoncello etc. Mostly using HG or foraged fruits (except limoncello, which took 15 lemons to 1.5l vodka, and sugar also).

And if any of your recipients are bakers, get a few good fresh vanilla pods, pop into a kilner or other LARGE jar, fill with castor sugar (leave shaking space), shake once a week or so, and otherwise let the sugar take on the vanilla over a month or more. Top up with fresh sugar just before you wrap. (Or you could have a very large container with a good few pods in it for infusing and decant into nice smaller jars for wrapping).

(Lavendar sugar is something I keep meaning to experiment with also, and getting nice clean seaweed to dry for making seaweed salt - if you have access to shores with good clean shores and waters).

I will be making cookies as well for a few people - I make rolls of cookie dough earlier in the season and, once I've baked a few (for testing purposes!!), I freeze the rest of the roll. Then, Christmas Eve or whenever needed, I will take out the rolls, slice off howevre many I need and bake in 10-15 minutes. And it means I can have 3/4 different flavours (hazelnut, chocolate with choc chips, lemon & orange, coconut, plain) on the plate without a lot of hassle in the kitchen on the final day.

Blackberry and apple jam or jelly is really tasty - and again good for foraging.

Herb infused vinegars

Sewing tote bags for a few people - some as "shopping bags" and others as toy bags or play bags or even a handbag for one sis.

Knitting scarves can be relatively quick and easy - just choose different wools for different people, and maybe slightly different stitch patterns. Add a skull cap hat if you want nice sets (can also be reasonably quick to make up).

I have loads of ideas but am lacking the time this year for most.

Can I make fruit flavoured vodka with elderberrys?

miss_minx

Loving this thread. I often read through the forums but never post so here goes...! For christmas I try and buy through out the year especially this year as i'm on mat leave.

I dared venture under the bed yesterday and pulled out all the presents that have been stashed under there and was very happy to find that apart from parents, hubby and DS1 and DS2 i'm done!! couldn't believe it so now its all written down in a book with who is getting what.

I have saved tesco vouchers for food over the xmas period and nectar points are being saved for the sainsburys half price toy sale.

This year we cut back on buying for friends and have adopted kids only rule and 2 families have asked for things as a family rather than individual presents so one of them has got a game night hamper..monopoly, few cartons of juice, crisps, sweets and a little trophey for the winner.

LannyLee

I notice lots of people are making HM jams' & chutneys - can anyone please tell me how to sterlise jars, as I have about 20 or so waiting to be filled, but am terrfied of all my hard work going mouldy :mad:

overlykeensaver

ooh it is lovely to see how everyone else is already planning for christmas - makes me feel in good company.

We have a few different guests over Christmas so:
I have already planned my baking and am slowly stocking up on baking/cooking ingredients so it doesn't all come out in one big shop.
I am going to start baking in September
I have washed and dried 2 sets of duvet covers/pillows and sheets so they will be already clean and still fresh - I am going to put them into a cleaned out drawer under the bed with a lavender bag to keep them smelling nice.
started buying presents for my children - also decided how much I will be spending to keep me on track
bought presents for one of my nieces already
not a bad start for me.

MrsRogers

LannyLee wrote: »

I notice lots of people are amking HM jams' & chutneys - can anyone please tell me how to sterlise jars, as I have about 20 or so waiting to be filled, but am terrfied of all my hard work going mouldy :mad:

You can either put in the dishwasher or a lot of people put them on a tray fill with boiling water and put in a really hot oven for about 15 min.. Remember dont put fingers inside once sterilized or you will have to repeat!! (I've done that a few times):rotfl::rotfl:

Winged_one

Oh, sorry, I don't know much about elderberries GrummpyCupple - all I know about them is that Dad occasionally made wine from them. Perhaps someone else may know.

I was actually coming back to give one other idea that does well with maturing time - mincemeat. Once the fruit goes on special for Christmas baking, make a large btach of HM mince meat (I made one of Delia's last year). It gets better with age. You can either give it away in jars, or bake into pies, or things like mincemeat muffins (I know I have seen a recipe for this last Christmas, I just cannot remember where today) or whatever, if you have the time.

I gave a jar to an aunt as part of a rather boozy foodie hamper, and they only used it in early summer (I think in a puff pastry tart thing) - she suddenly came back to me RAVING about how good it was (and appreciating the warning on the label that it was for the grownups!!).

Honestly, I am not all about booze, but often they are the easiest things to make and what seems appreciated most.

marionquine

I always buy cards etc in the Xmas sales, even the charity shop ones are reduced which is good. I buy presents throughout the year and, also, when I am on holiday as I can usually get something a bit different, then. Probably, the best present I gave my in-laws was, what you might call a hamper, but was in fact 2 cardboard boxes filled with groceries etc which we had collected during the year. A few added to the weekly shop was so easy and we didn't notice the extra cost at all. The look on my mother-in-law's face said it all!!! I used to make quite a few Christmas cakes for presents, also halved and iced some of them and gave them to relatves who lived on their own. Christmas puddings would be a cheaper option to make. Bargains are always to be had off the internet, too.
I do Tesco Xmas savers, too, rather than stamps as you get £5 extra if you have more that £100, inluding your vouchers.