OS Christmas Support thread & timetable

Lillibet_2

rnshon wrote:

Sounds a fab idea Lillibet - I will definitely have to make some. How long do they last? ie. is this something I'll have to wait right before Christmas to do?

The longer you store them the more the smell intensifies, so you could make them now uising a really tiny amount of essential oil & they will be great by Xmas:D Keep in a dark place if you add colouring or it will fade though.

Catznine, the follwing site searches online UK book retailers for the cheapest stockists, although it doesn't inculde Amazon marketplace prices so cross check against them yourself :

find-book.co.uk

Also for dvd's & cd's :

find-dvd.co.uk
find-cd.co.uk

HTH

nicki_2

Got a couple of bargins lately just for Christmas. My best buy though has to be a Beverly Hills Polo Club "Beauty Travel Organiser" from Ethel Austin. I'm thinking of giving it to the female IL's (MIL, SIL x 2) and filling it with beauty products all three of them can use (Freebies board here I come ). The RRP is £19.99, Special Price £9.99 and I found it in the reduced section (box is damaged but the product isn't) with no price. I took it to the counter and it was £7 :j

I went to HomeBargins and picked up a pack of 30 gummed envelopes for 29p which can be used for the Homemade cards I made last year but didn't use. Then to a charity shop where I bought a lavender scented box (looks like it used to hold drawer liningpaper or something) for 40p which I will fill with freebies for my Aunty :j

pavlovs_dog

well my challenge to each and every one of you - whether you've been saving your clubcard coupons/stamps or not- is to remember that the shops only shut for a day or two...there's no need to stock up as if there was a nuclear winter coming, and either end up stuffing yourselves (and all applicable visitors) sillyjust to use it up, or find yourselves still eating stuff when next christmas rolls around :eek: !!!!

go on...dares ya

squeaky

An extra case of decent (non-penny-pinching) beer, a bottle of ginger wine and one of a good port juat about does it for me. Oh, and a slightly bigger chicken than usual because I just love the fun of picking over the carcase and making sandwiches

greenlogo

Good Day today for the present drawer

Went to the charity shop and picked up a couple of Tealight candelabra things (like a spiral, with 6 candles per each) for three quid (seriously considering keeping one for me for the dining room table!) and a fab bright pink face cloth and matching puff thing from boots on points which will make up to a lovely set with some of the wee bottles and things I already have.


I've decided to make a batch of the bath salts as well to give to people - I've asked my Dad to keep any empty clear wine bottles and I think he still has his corker form when he made HM wine so with some cheap ribbon and a nice lable that should make a pretty present.

mountainofdebt

As for Christmas my hubby thinks I'm barking mad as in June I have everyone's Christmas Present.

1. Hubby wanted a cultivator for his allotment so I bought him one on the understanding it was for an anniversary/christmas present (he's fine with this as he hates the idea that you have to give a present simply because its christmas)

2. Son is going to NY next April on the understanding that it will form a very large part of his christmas present (which is also great as he's a nightmare to buy for)

3. Saw a figurine that my mum wanted on ebay and managed to win it .....in january.

4. Nephew will have a children's bond from NS as he may only be 5 but he has every toy imaginable.

5. Bought all my cards/wrapping paper inthe sales in january ...and have probably enough cards for the next 3 years!

6. Am saving all my tesco money off vouchers to be used at christmas time. Am also using my tesco card so I get triple points/points on all my purchases but am making sure that I pay it off every month.

7. After listening to Martin on the TV on about Tesco and the way they try to mislead you about drink prices in the run up to Christmas I'm buying some of the lagers/wines now when on special offer and giving them to my mum (who doesn't drink) ....just in case I get tempted or the husband finds them!

henhog

Hi, Great thread- I love Christmas, and don't actually have to buy too much because we have always kept pressies small within both families (mine and OH) but I did go to the John Lewis sale and stocked up on things for birthday pressies and people at work etc.
However, the reason I am posting is to mention The Christmas Pig! Last year I bought a piggy bank from an Oxfam shop for 99p, the old fashioned type that you have to break open with a hammer.Since Jan 1st, everytime OH or I get a £2 coin we put it in the pig. This is our Xmas fund - we all get really excited when we get a £2 coin in our change! The pig seems to be filling up nicely and I can't wait to see how much is in it come Christmas.
I also thought of using my clubcard vouchers as magazine subscriptions for sisters and MIL. Last year I saved these up all year from money off the Xmas shop, but I think this might be a better use.
One year I decided to be very old style and make some Xmas puds for people - I rather overdid the figs in my traditional figgy pud and quite a lot of my friends and family said it was the most regular Xmas they ever had! :rotfl:

r.mac_2

mountainofdebt wrote:

7. After listening to Martin on the TV on about Tesco and the way they try to mislead you about drink prices in the run up to Christmas I'm buying some of the lagers/wines now when on special offer and giving them to my mum (who doesn't drink) ....just in case I get tempted or the husband finds them!

Ohh, this sounds interesting, can you direct me to an article on this or tell me more please

Thanks

greenlogo

friends and family said it was the most regular Xmas they ever had!

Lol with Henhog :rotfl: . I've never seen a recipie for pudding with real figs in it - do you still have it (with duly adjusted less fig..)?

henhog

Hi Greenlogo - I have found the recipe, but like I say, use with caution! (everyone did say it was lovely - I think that's why some people ate too much, hence the consequences!)

Christmas pud with spiced figs and chocolate.
1lb 2oz dried figs - (not the ready to eat variety)
5 tablespoons clear honey
4 level teaspoons of coffee granules
1 bright orange scrubbed
8oz day old white bread for crumbs
7oz raisins
70z currants
40z light muscovado sugar
2 tablespoons black treacle
4oz broken walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3 tablespoons brandy or dark rum
4oz plain flour
4oz plain choc chips
4 meduim eggs

Cut stems off figs and put the figs in a large mixing bowl. Cover with 18 floz of boiling water, stir in the honey and coffee granules and leave for 30 mins.
Remove zest from orange and put in pan of boiling water. Simmer for 5 mins. Drain and cool.
Puree the figs and orange together in the food processor, adding about half of the coffee/ honey soaking mixture to make a smooth puree. Return this mixture to the mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients but not the breadcrumbs, flour choc chips or eggs. Cover the bowl and leave over night until the fruit has soaked up most of the liquid.
Finally add all the other ingredients and divide the mixture between two 1 3/4 pint pudding dishes or, you could do what I did and make lots of smaller ones. The big puddings feed eight.
Cover as usual and steam for about four hours - obviously the smaller puddings will takea little less time.
When they are cooked and cooled you can cover them in clean foil and they keep for up to a month. On Xmas day you just steam for another two hours.

From the Sainsbury's Xmas mag, no date on it but I think it's about eight years old now.

They also have a good recipe for Christmas sherry mincemeat cake, which is a last minute all in one cake. Very easy indeed and lovely - I make it every year. Can post recipe if anyone wants it.