Old Style preparations for Christmas 2012!!!!!

kiss_me_now9

Possession wrote: »

Funnily enough my DD asked me if we were making Pots of Gold this year just this morning. Last year we made for table decorations/placenames at MIL's house but this year we will likely be at my mum's and she doesn't go in for such frippery! So I was hoping not to make them but it seems my DD might think otherwise.

That's nice though - you've started a tradition!

Possession

kiss_me_now9 wrote: »

That's nice though - you've started a tradition!

Luckily I kept the ramekins that ours were in last year!

Butterfly_Brain

adelight wrote: »

That's an amazing idea!! What do you usually use them for? Put them in hampers? On the table like crackers? Or just small gifts for people?
I saw http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/tea-light-holder-zinc-heart-flowers?all=1&ptid=%2C5187&ctid=5697&pos=14 in the sale and thought they would be great for putting stuff in but couldn't think what. My only idea was buying a few packs of diff coloured/scented tea lights and repackaging them into stacks with string/cellophane and putting a few candy canes in. I will definitely put a scratch card in too

I will have to ask one of my relatives about getting a huge bulk roll of clear cellophane. It would last for years but really good value.

I made small ones for the teachers at the school where DH works and they loved them.
I also made one each for the family using a set of whisky tumblers 88p for a pack of four from Wilkinsons but with £5 lotto tickets MIL and FIL have asked for another this year so I am thinking jewel colours to make them a little different . Just look out for anything that has gold wrappers, such as elizabeth shaw mint crisps asda sp chocolate eclairs, gold coins, ferrero rocher etc.
I start buying the sweets around September time and by the time you have made all the gifts they average at between £2 and £7 each. I get the cellophane from Hobby craft or the garden centre, but you can buy it on ebay.
You could use candles, soaps, bath bombs etc as a change as well. I mae my own bath bombs and add a little festive glitter stars to them to make them more festive.

Possession

I made these for teachers and assistants last year too, but this year both my children will have male teachers and I'm not sure pots of gold are really an attractive pressie for men. What do people think? I suspect they'd rather just have a bottle of wine!

Butterfly_Brain

I already have my turkey (£5 sell off in January from our local freezer wholesale shop), gammon, cranberry stuffing, cranberry sauce, booze, a christmas pud from the Jan sales, mincemeat, sausagemeat, puff pastry. I have also been picking up gifts as I go along....should be done apart from fresh stuff by the end of September

Horace

I bought my stamps in preparation for Christmas before they went up and I know that other members of my family did the same thing. I don't need to buy any cards because I have a load left over from last year (I didnt buy any last year either other than in the January sales).

It will be my first Christmas in this house and already I am thinking of doing a little box of treats for myself to go under the tree. I did one last year which included a little bottle of wine, a bath bomb, some chocolate, a book mark (something I had bought with the intention of giving it as a present but kept it). some hand cream and other little treats so that I could stretch the festivities out. My dearest friend sent me a hamper for Christmas containing a bag of vegetable crisps, a small bottle of wine, some mini brandy mincepies from Lidl (boy were they boozy but yum), a mini christmas pud (not normally keen but this was rather yummy and again from Lidl), a bag of chocs and there was probably something else in there too but I have forgotten.

I have a box of things that I can give away as presents so don't really need to buy anything. I may make some sloe vodka again this year (need to decant last year's vintage into bottles though - it is yummy).

To save on washing up - I use foil roasting tins which then get chucked after use.

meg72

Possession wrote: »

Luckily I kept the ramekins that ours were in last year!

Simply stunning, Will pinch this idea for the inevitable school tombollas,grandkids and nieces,have a load of ramkin dishes
I never use now. Wondering how cheaply these could be made.

Possession

meg72 wrote: »

Simply stunning, Will pinch this idea for the inevitable school tombollas,grandkids and nieces,have a load of ramkin dishes
I never use now. Wondering how cheaply these could be made.

Depends what you put in them...as far as I can remember I used chocolate coins, ferrero rocher, werthers, choc eclairs (think it's Asda which has gold wrappers), mini Lindt bunnies for the kids and a Christmas scratch card, which wasn't gold because the gold ones were £5!! I used a gold pen to write names on the ramekins so they could be table place settings. The gold pen was just temporary, it washed off to my DD's dismay.

Ellie83

So many great ideas... I wouldn't know where to start!

I am of a mind to start a Christmas crochet blanket. Something very ostentatious with green and red and yellow It would be lovely on the sofa :xmassmile

fuddle

Oh Ellie do it! I keep meaning to crochet a couple of scatter cushion christmas covers but never get round to it plenty of time this year