OS Christmas 2014 thread!!!!

Solstice_3

Ah Christmas, I always get a bit stressed at this time of year because I love Christmas and I like to treat people and give everyone a little something but I have a rather large family (for me) and have about 20 people on my gift list - even at £5 a person that's £100 which I didn't have last year on maternity pay and I won't have this year. So I am going to make some gifts.

I'm making Delia's Christmas Cranberry Chutney (4 jars - 3 for gifts and 1 for us), I want to make some homemade sweets or macaroons for my Godmother as every year I ask for present suggestions for my Godfather and she says homemade sweets, I think maybe she would like some lol. I might make some other preserves and I've spotted some £3.99 books from the Book People which suit some family members perfectly for token gifts. I've already got my Mum and Sister's presents earlier in the year. I tend to buy the Children's Birthday and Christmas presents in the Boots 3 for 2 sale which starts in October roughly and then I can use the points I get for token presents for other people.

Talking of decorations, I love the idea of bringing the green into the house but I have a DS who is 3 in October and a DD who is 1 in December and I don't feel it's safe to have such things in the house until they are older. I have already decided we can't have a Christmas Tree this year as the hassle of stopping 2 children pulling the lights off and the tree over is too much but I want something. I've asked DH to come up with a way of displaying Christmas lights above the (non fire) Hearth as I love Christmas lights, and in the kitchen. I have pine cone and ribbon decorations for high up.

Will be watching this thread for ideas

Edit - forgot to say I make my own Christmas Cards each year so no expense there, I still have plenty of Christmas papercraft stash ^_^

skogar

Well the set of books Wartime Kitchen was picked up from the library last night. It looks good. Now I just need to find the time to sit down with a cup of tea and read them. Have already found the recipe for the date and ginger cake. Many thanks for mentioning it Mrs Lurcher Walker.

Snorkypants

Awesome thread! I've really enjoyed reading it though, I've ordered We'll Eat Again as the date and ginger cake sounds gorgeous!


Re the onion marmalade - do you use it like marmalade (i.e. on toast) or is it used more like chutney?


Also, someone mentioned Bailey's cheesecake, I've used this recipe multiple times and it's lovely. http://www.chocolate-source.co.uk/chocolate_recipes_cheesecake_irish_cream_cheesecake.htm
I half the amount of topping as it's very rich and we prefer it thinner. With value cream cheese, own brand Irish cream and cheap chocolate from lidl it's not to expensive to make, as treats go.


OH's Mum kindly gave me her old sewing machine so I am planning to make a tree skirt this year - hopefully that will be much nicer than looking at the tree stand. Possibly festive bunting too instead of paper chains, if DSS doesn't mind not making them this year. I also have an almost full can of silver spray paint (bought to do a couple of shelves) so I'm hatching plans to make use of that within the decorations this year.

[Deleted User]

Yay, we'll all be living on wartime rations if you all like the books as much as I do, which will most likely save us lots of cash and make us much healthier, love the books and have been using them for years, hope you all enjoy using them too.

SKOGAR hope you can achieve the christmas look you want and keep posessions and kittens safe too, if you can forage for the greenery it makes it a very economical way to achieve that yuletide look, good luck, let us know how you get on at christmas, Lyn xxx,

agreenmess

skogar wrote: »

Well the set of books Wartime Kitchen was picked up from the library last night. It looks good. Now I just need to find the time to sit down with a cup of tea and read them. Have already found the recipe for the date and ginger cake. Many thanks for mentioning it Mrs Lurcher Walker.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Yay, we'll all be living on wartime rations if you all like the books as much as I do, which will most likely save us lots of cash and make us much healthier, love the books and have been using them for years, hope you all enjoy using them too.

SKOGAR hope you can achieve the christmas look you want and keep posessions and kittens safe too, if you can forage for the greenery it makes it a very economical way to achieve that yuletide look, good luck, let us know how you get on at christmas, Lyn xxx,

These sound lovely! I've just done a quick search and loads have been brought up on Ama*on is there any particular ones you would suggest???

Butterfly_Brain

I like to give quirky HM gifts for friends, they don't cost a lot but they do bring a smile.
Like these:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf15242164.tip.html

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=%20gifts%20chill%20pill

http://www.homemade-gifts-made-easy.com/free-homemade-gift-ideas-blog.html

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=gag%20gifts

Butterfly_Brain

Lots of wartime recipes here

http://recipespastandpresent.org.uk/wartimecookery.php
here
http://recipespastandpresent.org.uk/brown.php
and here
http://recipespastandpresent.org.uk/wartimerecipes.php

And a great Christmas cake recipe here

Butterfly_Brain

Morrisons have the tubs of Christmas sweets in 2 tubs for £8, but bear in mind they have shrunk from 1.3kg to 860g now :mad: that is why we no longer buy them.

I also got 2 boxes of cadbury fingers (still made in this country) 50% extra free for £1 in farmfoods today.

[Deleted User]

I've decided that this year, in true wrtime spirit we're not buying in loads of sweeties and biscuits, I'm going to make shortbread, flapjacks and mince pies along with the christmas cake and I'm going to pay a visit to a local village where they have a small independent choclatier who for £12 will put me together a 3 tray deep box of the most sumptuous hand made chocolates of my choice. I can pick from anything in the shop too and it usually comes out at 18 - 20 chocolates in the box. It's a lot of money for one box of chocs but we've decided we'd much rather have just that than all the off the shelf ones you can buy, they're amazing!!!

Butterfly_Brain

More
http://recipespastandpresent.org.uk/goodfare2.php

http://recipespastandpresent.org.uk/potato.php