to ask why ponce-tastic-ness is only "okay" at Christmas? And what else are you prepared to admit to the other 11 months of the year!!

[PoncingIsNotJustForChristmasButForLife]

So I have in the past lurked unsuccessfully I hasten to add on the poncey threads at Christmas, you know the sort of thing: -
the sloe gins carefully started in September the previous years
the homemade marmalades,
the paper whites carefully grown in tasteful vases etc
DIY wreaths
elegant tables
elaborate cakes
magazine worthy wrapping etc etc

Now of course, Xmas is the most wonderful time of the year so a bit of poncing is somehow “allowed”.

But I am wondering how much other stuff happens that is ponce-tastic year round and why we (I) are attracted to that poncy stuff?
Why do we want to do it?
I ask this as a self-confessed wannabe ponceur/ponceuse who has a house filled with items that haven’t quite managed to ponce with. I see evidence of my attraction to it in my house - Sarah Raven catalogues, aspirational cookery books, fountain pens for my correspondence. I’m not Lizzie Bennett but a p/t working mum with a string of whatsapp’s to answer and loads of laundry to fold and not iron.

I also feel that there's a whole pile of other “preenworthy” type stuff like this that others must do. Is it to feel “grown up”, to impress others, to feel smug .
e.g. I know I feel some bizarre sense of smugness baking a cake, even if it’s not elaborate!
AIBU to ask what it is that makes us want to do this kind of poncing?
And then also the self-deprecating laugh/ jokes that come alongside it.

For those that have never come across this meaning, the OP is definitely using it in the correct way, it’s just the word has an alternative meaning as words in English often do!

And I love this thread, I love “poncing” I usually refer to it as “faffing”.

I'm sorry, but I had to re-read the thread title three times because at first my brain saw 'nonce-tastic-ness' and I was like, what the hell is this even about?!?😳I'm going to go get another coffee.

I love other people’s poncery. I’m very admiring of it.

I have a Queen Ponce friend whose kitchen table is glass topped (tray depth) and every few weeks she puts new things under it - in autumn, it’s bronzed leaves and autumnal things like mini pumpkins and tiny witches hats at Halloween, and at Christmas it’s sprayed gold fir cones and wrapped match boxes and holly.

Her children love it - she doesn’t tell them when she’s changing it so it’s a surprise. It’s very cute.

She is the sort of person that has a tidy Welsh dresser. Full. But tidy.

I'm about to fully start my Easter poncing, which bar presents, is as full on as my Christmas one. I just like trimming up and cooking and I like to give parties and dinners and make them look a bit special for those coming if I can. I get not everyone sees the point, or enjoys that stuff, but each to their own innit?

I read the first two posts on this thread and shied off responding. Now I have met my people!! I love poncing my wares around the house. I regularly move pictures, vases, plants, rearrange ornaments and decant things into nicer receptacles. Why not? I bloody love a cushion move round.
An hour or two shuffling or watching a crap film on TV? My husband indulges me to a point...but I have to bide my time if it means help moving furniture, or putting up picture hooks 🤣

I want an Easter tree.

Did not realise that was a thing and now it is leaving a gap in my life.

What an amazing set of women, I do none of this but by jove I am going to start!

Re-motivated by this thread to keep up my poncery levels, I repurposed some of my grandmothers costume jewellery last night to make pendants for the door keys. It was never going to be worn and was a broken collection of bits and pieces in a box in the loft. So now each of the doors to the house have jewels hanging from them. Looks really pretty. Totally pointless but brings a smile to my face.

I am giving a double thumbs up for the door key jewels.

I love this thread!

Ponce is home made wreaths with foliage you collected on walk
I do this! TBH I do at least half of the the things on the OP's Christmas poncing list.

As others have said, it is not just about expense, time comes in to it as well. I have always wanted to ponce about more but, until a couple of years ago I worked FT so my chance to do this was limited. Now I am retired so the poncing prospects are better.

Examples:

I make my own muesli and my own yoghurt for breakfast.

DH is a huge marmalade fan so we recently made a big batch as soon as Seville oranges were in the shop.

I have a notebook dedicated to tracking what is in the freezer.

I have a drawer full of herbs and spices and they are arranged in alphabetical order.

For the first time in my married life I have a tidy airing cupboard that just contains towels and table linen, the bedding has its own special chest. I still sometimes marvel when I open the airing cupboard door and things don't fall out.

I have been known to have an Easter tree - I blew hens eggs and painted them with acrylics then attached thread so I could hang them from a twiggy thing.

I built my own bug hotel out of tin cans and foraged stuff.

I am turning in to a batty old lady aren't I?

BTW I love the idea of a cutting flower garden

I have a poncy work bag, briefcase type thing that has everything I might ever need at my fingertips. I know I look a wally, but it makes my job so much easier and I can get stuff done quickly.

You sound like someone whose children have flown the best. All of the that would last five minutes with my kids 🥴

Well, yeah! I did say I am retired now. DC in late 20s and left home.

I have actually joined Mumsnet rather than just reading posts, so that I can say thank you for such a lovely thread. I have stolen many of your ideas.
My poncing effort - tying twine around the necks of plain glass vases to make a vaguely rustic and (I hope) attractive collar. Disclaimer - I am about as handy as a gorilla.

This afternoons poncification is a fresh bunch of eucalyptus stems cut from the garden and now hanging from the shower head in my en suite. The heat and steam brings out the smell.

Love the replies to this - I guess there is an element that it makes people happy.
there's definitely an element of feeling "smug" wanting to "impress others" isn't there though - I am still interested in the :what it is that makes us want to do this kind of poncing? And then also the self-deprecating laugh/ jokes that come alongside it.

Mine isn’t about feeling smug or wanting to impress others at all. I don’t post stuff on social media and rarely have people over. It’s for my own pleasure.

For me it is a break from either the humdrum or the chaos - a bit of creativity for my own pleasure.

I have seasonal cushion covers curtains and sofas

I sadly have a new house so cannot ponce properly until it’s in a decent state of repair but I can’t recommend enough growing sweet peas (get your seeds in trays this weekend) and having a small vase (ideally a weird glass bottle you found in the basement) in the bathroom full of sweet peas throughout the summer. Every day you go out to the garden and snip all the sweet peas that are ready, then go fuffle the existing vases for past their prime sweet peas and replace with new ones. Five months of joy is coming and I’m so excited about it.

When we have people over for dinner I get out my ridiculous extensive collection of silver. Cutlery, candlesticks, ladles, the lot. Sometimes I plan the menu around which particular cutlery I want to enjoy using. I particularly love silver soup spoons. None of this was expensive - I paid £100 for a huge overfilled canteen of 1930s cutlery and have added to the collection since. During lockdown our family of 2 adults and 2 young teenagers sat down every week to 4 courses with candles and crystal and silver and it helped keep us (me) going.

I have a cutlery table , I snaffled it in a jumble sale . It came complete with cutlery . When we eat in the dining room for special occasions , we use the cutlery table .
I also , when at home , can only drink tea in an Emma bridgewater mug.
We have two different sets of water glasses for formal dining that live in a special glass cabinet with the champagne coupes.
Feeling the need for a pussy willow Easter tree now though !

I’d love dinner at your house!

Some people want the correct glasses, but am a correct cutlery person.

I have a lovely pickle fork that is sadly rarely used because I really don’t like pickles! I serve it once in a blue moon for other people just so I can get the pickle fork out.

Sometimes Aldi or Lidl have wooden tree ornaments at Easter, as I wrote upthread mine are about 45 years old but I also buy the tiny solid chocolate eggs wrapped in foil and using a strong needle a manage to run thread through the foil and a bit of chocolate to hang them from the tree too.