Old style Preparations for Christmas 2011!!

basketcase

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

We celebrate Yule, it's much cheaper than Christmas.

Now you know you can't just make a bald statement like that and leave it. Not on MSE!

In what ways? Traditionally, that is, AOT beliefs - don't want to start a 'religious' discussion here. They always end in tears...

So:

How do you celebrate it?
Are there decorations/presents/traditions etc?
And how is it cheaper?
Could any of it be adapted for Christmas?
(After all, that's how we got the Chrstmas Tree!):xmastree:

As you can tell, I don't know much about Yuletide traditions ('cept for the Yule Log).

hollieinbloom

This year is going to be exciting for us as our 2 and a half year old daughter is so much more aware of what Christmas is! She's been making things at nursery and we've been watching some Christmas Dvd's (the snowman etc) and we are teaching her about father Christmas and what will happen when he comes.
I'm rather new to this site, I joined last month but i have been reading since July. I have been getting lots of tips and freebies from all the links and threads on here, so it's great to know this Christmas isn't going to be cost effective.
I managed to double up my clubcard vouchers and got my daughters main present for free! £40 better off!. Then I had some Zavvi vouchers which got me 5 free dvds, my partner got a voucher at work for amazon which gave him £10 to spend and he got some peppa pig dvds. We also got the sun perks points from my nan who saved them all for us. we had just over 700 so we got a £5 love to shop voucher.
I'm looking forward to doing some baking this year as presents. Things that can hopefully keep for a few weeks. Going to search on here for some ideas!.

So heres my no spend christmas total:
£34.99 play shop from Tesco
£5 basket and fruit toys from Tesco
£4.99 Charlie and Lola book
2x fireman sam dvds at £3.95 each
The snowman dvd (which we're watching already)
dvds for my partner £9.95 each
£13.50 in l'oreal and nivea comp vouchers which I purchased gifts for my dad for a Christmas hamper this year.
2 bottles of alcoholic ginger beer (for visitors who fancy it because I don't )
£5 love to shop voucher from sun perks.
£20 amazon voucher from Dooyoo
£10 amazon partner got from work.

Me and my daughter made some salt dough decorations with some Christmas cookie cutters, some paint and some glitter glue. We're going to be decorating some cards too and as my dad is a manager at a printing firm i can get all the card and special papers for free!!

Being very money wise this year and hope to carry it on in the future! x

zippychick

How's the plans coming along ladies and jellyspoons?

karren

ive made all my christmas cards,
as my contribution to the fete in the hospice i work, brownies and school fetes ive made 100 reindeer food, snowman soup and glass painted jam jars as candle holders.
made the xmas cake and pudding
and bought a treat a week for christmas for the hamper so come christmas week its just the fresh veg adn turkey to buy.

TrixieB

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/card-ornaments.shtml

I am going to see if I can find leftover cards - 2 housemoves in a year so no guarantee I can!! - to make these. If not, Asda 10p cards

And these too - thinking out of wallpaper samples I can acquire in BnQ

http://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/paper-star-lantern.html

bevhousehastings

Hi
Just wondered if anyone has actually tried drying out orange slices, and apple slices. We had a go at the weekend - 3 hours in the oven on the lowest setting, and they looked a bit rubbish. Not totally dry, but a little bit burnt at the edges (oranges were worse) and now they seem a bit mouldy!
Any tips gratefully recieved.

Broomstick

budgetboo wrote: »

3. We've collected the pine cones so need to do summat with them.

My toddlers and I collected pine cones 15+ years ago and we used glitter glue pens to 'highlight' the end of each sticky-out-bit (what is the official name for the sticky-out-bits on a pine cone?) with sparkles. I tied matching gold thread to the top of each one and they got hung on the tree. They are still going strong and will be put on the tree again this Christmas.

basketcase

Broomstick wrote: »

(what is the official name for the sticky-out-bits on a pine cone?)

Sticky out bit! :rotfl:

katieowl_2

Broomstick wrote: »

My toddlers and I collected pine cones 15+ years ago and we used glitter glue pens to 'highlight' the end of each sticky-out-bit (what is the official name for the sticky-out-bits on a pine cone?) with sparkles. I tied matching gold thread to the top of each one and they got hung on the tree. They are still going strong and will be put on the tree again this Christmas.

Sticky out bit = appears to be scales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conifer_cone)


I got a christmas tree that still had pinecones on the year before last! It was sooooo beautiful I hesitated to even ask how much it cost, but I did and it was the same price as the others so I was very happy!

Kate

FairyPrincessk

Hi! I've been lurking, but don't think I've posted yet as my Christmas is quite small. I'm re-making some old cashmere jumpers into hot water bottle covers for some mini hot water bottles. I'll also do a selection of foods, including some chocolate truffles, candy cane popcorn, basil and black pepper and olive oil pop corn and a few baked things. Thus far, I've wanted to make something for OH, but haven't come up with anything. Its our first xmas as a married couple so although funds are very limited and we were only going to give gives to extended family and only buy for our niece, I still wanted there to be something for him...and I've FINALLY come up with an idea--I'd like to make a leather or fabric journal cover with a handmade journal inside. I can easily sew up the journal from some nice paper, and I'm reasonably adept at hand sewing but I'm not quite sure about the cover. I've just been online looking for a small piece of leather and can't really find any, and I'm not sure how easily I could sew it by hand (I don't have a machine) any suggestions? I want it to have pockets that the covers of blank books will go in so that even when the pages are full he can still use it...