* Step into Christmas * & 2020 - It's the 2020 Christmas Chatter Thread

nic2075

Hi, welcome to all the new faces. This is a great thread for ideas and general Christmas chat and savings. It will start to pick more in the next couple of months as we all get organised in Ernest. 

I have a wreath making afternoon booked already. It’s a local community hub, they hold small classes for cooking etc. I noticed they did one last year but it was sold out when I checked, so I asked to put my name down for this year. They also do nice table decoration displays. My table is always the same at Christmas, I did try last year with a display with conkers, pine cones and holly. It was fun walking round the village with secateurs and thick gloves trying to find the best holly. 

murie

if your friend is like me with their grapevine- nearly everyday is pruning day! To say its rampant is an understatement. The best vines to use are the longer thicker ones, bend them a little (they are very forgiving ) so that they form a circle and weave them together. The older the vine the better as they stay in place better on their own, then weave younger vines through that. each wreath probably takes about 5-6 vines woven together. Florist wire helps those that insist on coming apart. Strip the vines of leaves but I like to leave some of the tendrils as I think that it makes it more rustic. Now is the best time for collecting pine cones but don't forget to cook them on low for half an hour to kill any bugs lurking inside. Then you can 'frost' them up or bleach them depending on the look you are going for.
I take a bag with me when iItake The Hound to the park and gather holly (remember the berries are poisonous when they drop off after a while in case you have small children or pets), and ivy etc ( only take a small amount from well established trees tho). I dont put florist foam on as I leave mine on the door so its exposed to the elements, but if anyone wants to go down that route then Home bargains is the most competitively priced for that. Pad out with pound shop baubles and large bows. I bought 6 x 5" bows from The Range last year for £1.75 and we each used one. Have a look on youtube at videos how to make the large flouncy bows that you see in shops etc- 3" wired ribbon is best for that. The best time to get ribbons and fax bits id now on ebay and amazon because tis out of season.
Phew!

Welcome to all the newbies and returners (I'm sorry I forgot to say that last time). I definitely feel a bit rusty on here as its been so long since I posted.
The hampers sound fab, this years 'in' thing seems to be afternoon tea inspired hampers. DD was given one as an early birthday present yesterday and its given me the idea to make a Christmas themed one for my friend (scones, jam cream etc and mince pies, brandy butter and a small iced fruit cake).
The thing   I struggle with when doing hampers is the packaging, Im not keen on using a wrapped cardboard box and I don't want to spend out on a basket that probably wont be used again (and its too cheeky to ask for it back after Christmas!). What does everyone else use on theirs?

rachsecret

@murie You are a superstar! So many great tips in one post. I will have a look this weekend online for some nice bows etc. Can I ask...how do you 'cook' the pine cones? Presuming you mean in the oven, but wanted to check you didn't mean boiling lol.

Re Hampers, I do these every year for family and friends and put in some home made jam etc. I went to a few charity shops last year and picked up a range of baskets for under 50p each, some as cheap as 10p. I also did some using some unusual items eg an old fashioned glass bowl, some old and slightly battered vintage stainless steel catering tins, a wire cutlery tray etc. I swear by Charity shops for stuff like this. I also bought a load of the lace doily things like my gran used to have on her chair arms (amtimacassers or something?) which were only a few pence for lining the containers. 

murie

rachsecret- yes I put them in the oven on a foil covered  baking tray on a low heat to kill off all the bugs,
I had never thought of using bowls etc ! Thanks for the tip x

mandco

Its great to see the thread picking up
Welcome Amysb86

sims6002 New traditions are great way to revamp xmas and a girly crafting afternoon sounds like a great start 

Murie  Oooh which tree did you go for?  I keep looking at them and the 1/2 price offer is really good but I'm torn over spending that much money on a tree esp when I don't really need one.
Hamper wise it depends on how big it is - for the small ones I often use the bottoms of the boxes dd beauty subscription comes in as they are really study and come in lots of pretty colours. Alternatively pound land or similar often do plastic baskets that have a weave style pattern on the sides -they come in various sizes & colours and are practical for the recipient to use afterwards.
For larger baskets I look in home bargains or similar as they are often the cheapest.   
Depending on the contents I've even used a pretty gift bag/tote instead of a basket then wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon/bow. Last year I did dd a cocktail hamper and put everything inside an ice bucket.

DD make me a lovely hamper last year in a fancy wicker basket - she asked me the other day if I minded her having it back so she can use it again this year    

Peppapig

When I give my family pressies in nice boxes or baskets they usually ask me if I’d like them back as soon as they open them - they know me so well.🤣
VULPIX, we were able to see Mum a couple of weeks ago in the nice weather - they took her out into the gardens and we were able to visit, which was lovely. We haven’t seen her properly since  mid March. We can FaceTime each week if the nurses have time (they have to do it on their own phones) but it’s not great because the dementia means she can’t follow what’s happening on the phone screen. It’s heartbreaking but at least she seems contented, we were so worried she’d be distressed but I think with the dementia she’s just living in the moment which is a comfort really.
We do deliver fresh cream cakes twice a week though because she loves them.😊
MURIE I did a baking hamper in a big mixing bowl and that worked well.
RACHSECRET Re the pine cones I’ve seen a few places recommend soaking them in a dilute white vinegar solution and then baking them. There’s a really good info page on it on the CBBC website - it’ll come up if you Google it. 
Welcome AMY and SIMS.

I’ve got my Christmas planner out and updated it and printed off my present spreadsheet - it goes back to 2013 and is supposed to stop me having the same ideas for people two years running. Didn’t work for a certain person who loves gingerbread men last year because I bought the pressie before I remembered to look at it. I’ve also ordered domes for my snow globe Christmas cards and I’m now trying to decide what shape of bauble we’ll be decorating as one of our crafts. I want us to do the big ones that hang on a stand alone holder but I’m torn between a flat oval, a star, a normal round bauble or one of the open ones you can do a little scene in. Decisions, decisions.

Peppapig

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/makes/how-to-clean-pine-cones This is the pine cone page, I’m just assuming it’s right because it’s the BBC.

murie

mandco- i chose the 7ft candle lit Silverado slim tree. I don't need it but Ive always wanted one its gorgeous and not that slim as its 45" wide so wil be great tucked into the corner where I always have the tree. Im so excited about it lol

rachsecret

Thanks for the advice @Peppapig I'm going to go for a walk locally where I know there are plenty cones. I only have pickling vinegar so hope that will do the same job lol.
@murie the tree looks lovely.I have never heard of Balsam Hill so googled it, the branches look incredibly life like. My tree came from M&S in the sale last year. I'd much prefer a real one, but DH is a real 'tree hugger' and won't entertain the idea of a real one. I know you get ones that are in pots but I've killed a couple of them off  which didn't go down too well. 

princesskitty29

Hi all, planning is in full swing for Wiggle’s 6th birthday at the beginning of August so I haven’t been doing anything Christmassy recently. I always find every year though that despite how keen I am to be organised and get everything early, most things I can’t actually get until nearer the time for various reasons. But I do have an idea of what I’m getting most people so that’s half the job done I suppose! I haven’t ventured to any shops yet and don’t think I want to as it sounds like a headache. I do love having a little mooch near Christmas time though to soak up the atmosphere but who knows what it’ll be like this year. I literally can’t believe it’s the summer holidays now – what a topsy turvy year! Myself and a couple of friends bought English Heritage memberships and went to a lovely local place yesterday (Wrest Park Peppa, I can’t believe I’ve lived here nearly four years and have never been!) It was as good as it could have been, us adults were socially distancing and the children were doing as well as they could. It’s certainly not going to be like the usual summer holidays.

 

Hello and welcome boazu, rachsecret and amysb86! Great to have you here!

 

Welcome back Beshki, good to see you back.

 

Treasurequeen thanks for the heads up about the Christmas books, I do love a good Christmas read! I am with you on Etsy too – I just love nosing about there as there’s so many great things on there and lots of fab small businesses.

 

mandco so sorry you didn’t get to see your grandchildren, fingers crossed you can soon.

 

rachsecret I love your hamper idea and I bet everyone enjoyed doing it, great to see the pics. I also love the idea of a crafting day, depending on what the guidelines are nearer Christmas I might suggest that to my friends too.

 

murie you sound like you’re really organised! Well done. Oh I can only imagine what you must feel like, I know it’s ridiculous as my boys are only almost 6 and 3, but sometimes my mind runs away with me and I fast forward to the future when they might leave home and I just think I don’t know what I’ll do with myself! I will probably be like you and throw myself into something I love like Christmas planning! It must have been doubly hard for you because it was also in lockdown when we couldn’t go anywhere as a distraction. I hope you’re feeling a bit better about it all now.

 

Peppa Oh I’m always happy to chat about Christmas even when no-one’s really around! J Although I’ve had my fair share of absences at times when real life gets in the way. It really is great to see the chat picking up again though! I’m sorry to hear about your DD and her DH, I’m not sure if you said before and I just forgot. I was going to say I loved that loo roll gnome decoration you pinned on the Pinterest board! I’d love to have a couple of those around the house!

 

slm6002 sorry to hear about your split from your OH, great idea to throw yourself into some Christmas crafting!