OS Christmas 2014 thread!!!!

nursemaggie

Hi all,

Already started on making hats scarves and mittens for my eldest son a family.

Can't buy for my daughter and family because they are in Saudi Arabia. You just cannot rely on parcels getting there they will be stolen on the way. I have not been able to buy for her for about 10 years now as they travel the world teaching English to foreign students. They will retire the year after next and will I be glad as they were in Libya when the war there broke out and that was a nightmare and it worries me they are in the middle east now.

My youngest has already ordered his present this year he gets earlier and earlier. I fully expect him to come to me asking for his Christmas present early on January 1st one year having already had his birthday present for that year. I guess I will still buy him
something like a few bottles of beer.

I don't think I could give hm food to my oldest son's family they won't eat hm food at all they pick at it and leave it and then go out for fast food. What do you do with them? Thankfully the others appreciate my home cooking.

I shall be reading with interest what you all do.

meg72

This is a great thread, I love to read what others are planning.


Well I have a very interesting evening ahead, my niece her OH and 3 kids are staying in a hotel just a few minuites away from me and I am babysitting tonight. We had planned a walk in the park before bed but weathers not good. I asked the kids what they wanted to do instead and guess what they want to make Christmas presents, so I am taking
materials and die cutting machine and we are going to have a crafty evening. God only knows what a mess we will have to clear up later though, Really looking forward to it.

Uniscots97

This Christmas needs to be quite frugal for us as we have a LO due in feb. I'm really cutting down on what I normally spend as well as looking out for deals or giving more HM stuff.

Fruball

craigywv wrote: »

ok heres my take on onion marmalade.........4 medium onions chopped,4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar,4 tablespoons honey/brown sugar. in a pan put a blob of butter and melt and slow fry onions,also can add acrushed garlic clove at this point. add rest of ingredients and cook it down till a jam like consitancy. that's it. put in pot and keep in fridge. I make 5 times this amount depending on who its for. this yields 2 pots worth. I tend to add for Christmas either mixed spices or nutmeg again depending who its for cheap and easy xxx

Thanks for posting. I am another one who is going to have a go at making this! How long will it keep for and does it need to be in the fridge?

candlelight_2013 wrote: »

CRAIGYWV you can find a tutorial on YouTube. Just put in how to make a candy cane sleigh.

Sorry I don't know how to do links, must ask my Grandson to show me

Candlelightx

Hi - you know at the top of the screen where it has the website address for this page... ie forums.moneysavingexpert.com/blah blah blah... You need to double click on that, then right click, copy, and then paste into here I hope that helps

Mrs LW - your Christmas sounds absolutely perfect. Wish we lived near the sea.


Usually I would avoid any mention of Christmas this time of year but am already embracing autumn and it's foraging opportunities A friend, who reads here but doesn't post..... (get posting, woman!) is a brilliant forager and we have plans for several trees in the area

I don't want to be disorganised this year... I am ALWAYS disorganised! I bought a pack of pretzels today, to put away :rotfl: It's a start!!! I have also got a couple of presents (unheard of this early for me!). I don't have extended family anymore, just me and the children, so life is easier from that point of view. DS will give me his ideas about 10 days or so before Xmas as he always does... but he does it via FB and provides Amazon links so that makes for easy ordering :T :rotfl:

The little ones will ask for everything they see from about beginning Oct and will change their minds daily from then until 24th Dec :cool:

I am hoping to 'Spring' clean the house (as that didn't happen in Spring!) and it would be great if I found some of the gifts I hid last year! There is plenty for stocking fillers if I can find them

I plan to be finished everything by the evening of 23rd Dec latest rather than still be frantically wrapping at 3am on Christmas morning! I really want to relax and enjoy all the movies and play games with the children this year whilst eating lots of fabulous food.

Speaking of which, with the Sun M0rris0ns meat voucher I got a HUGE gammon/ham which I like cooked plain and served with toast and branst0n pickle and pickled silverskin onions... Mouth is watering at the thought.

Sorry about the essay and thanks for reading if you got this far lol

craigywv

Hi, fruball i dont reallly know how long it lasts as i eat it almost instantly made............the whole jar goes from fridge within a few weeks. When making for family its the same i imaine if kept in fridge it would last a good few weeks maybe months i honestly dont know sorry for being so vague. And thanks i found the tutorial about the sleighs so thats a project for d son to be doing soon xxx

Crowdpleaser

Hi all. Glad I found you! I feel very behind this year. Have a few ideas for dd1 who will be 7 but very little for dd2 5. I don't have many to buy for as my family dont exchange and dhs family are jehovahs witnesses. Lol. So just my 2 girls and me and dh just buy little bits fir each other unless there is something we really want.

I always do an xmas eve box. So will make a start on that as I see bits.
Think will do teachers mistle toes sets this year. We did candy sleighs last year. Might have a bash at baked bean tin xmas cakes too.

X

MrsSave

Crowdpleaser wrote: »

I always do an xmas eve box. So will make a start on that as I see bits.
Think will do teachers mistle toes sets this year. We did candy sleighs last year. Might have a bash at baked bean tin xmas cakes too.

X

What do you put in your mistle toes sets? Sounds like a great idea for ds nursery staff, though have been looking at candy sleighs which look fun!

Crowdpleaser

Naik polish and file or the like prob. Anything for feet and then put in a little bag or box and make up some labels with For Your Mistle-Toes! On it! Lol. Not very inspiring but cheap and easy. X

[Deleted User]

Well, we've tried the wartime christmas cake and it's a nice cake with a very pleasant spicy flavour but it's not a runner for christmas.

I'll go back to the cake I usually make which is the Christmas Cake of 1954 the recipe for which is in Marguerite Pattens 'The Victory Cookbook', the second section of the 3 in 1 publication and on the very last page of that book. I know this one works as I've used it many times before and it makes a proper cake that keeps very well and gets better as it ages so I'll make it in October and feed it up with brandy ready for icing in December.

MrsSave

Crowdpleaser wrote: »

Naik polish and file or the like prob. Anything for feet and then put in a little bag or box and make up some labels with For Your Mistle-Toes! On it! Lol. Not very inspiring but cheap and easy. X

Thank you. Sounds like a lovely gift idea 😄