FN's Ponstastic Christmas Thread part Trois....

[FellatioNelson]

....will be officially open for business on September 24th. I am just firing up the engines and dusting down the control room ready for action in case I forget to do it on the 24th

Do not post yet. Do not. Sit on your hands, ladies.

On your marks........................

[oreocrumbs]

Northey, thechnically she was already hanging around the house, in a here's one I made earlier kind of way, but I'll dust her off and she will be as good as new for this christmas .

Voldermort, one of the firls at work bought her jars from wilkinsons. They were £1 each too and I believe they are quite good.

cagney, Ikea do those too, but only big bottles! I wanted small 250ml bottles so ordered real kilner ones from ebay. I think they were £17 for 6 free del.

I have no idea what the KC organiser is like, another naughty mumsnetter linked to it a few weeks ago, and I am weak willed! However, I plan to use it as a giant note book really to be added to every year, with recipes, tips, plans etc so it is all there in one place. I'm also going to write a proper account section because I always start early and buy in dribs and drabs and shamefully have no idea what I spend other than it is too much.

I will keep a list of what I have bought people too, because each year I sit here trying to remember who I bought what last year.

[wornoutbutstillwonderful]

YES YES YES its here the 24th, CagneyNLaceyhave you got the link to a recipe for that Christmas rum? I am making scarves for DM, DMIL and two of DH Aunties, I have already crotcheted one and knit a chunky one so thats two down. I'm off to Amazon to look at this Sarah Raven book.

[VoldemortsNipple]

oreo I had an app last year on my phone which was revolutionary for keeping tabs on budget. It was called Xmas organiser. You could budget for people personally and keep tabs on what you have bought or intended to buy. It was also pin locked to keep snooping eyes away :)

I will check out wilkos, thanks

[VoldemortsNipple]

Btw, Sarah Raven book is cheeper from the Book People.

Don't know how good it is. I just ordered it because everybody else was. :o

[VoldemortsNipple]

cheaper

[ShoopShoop]

Marking place

[CherryMonster]

right, ok then.

kilner jars (decent ones) can be bought in lakeland in packs of 3. 1 litre ones for 9.99, and 500ml ones for 8.49. i will be buying these. i made my first soap last night to go in my mums hamper, its lemon and poppy seed soap. am also using the kilner jars to do the layered brownie recipe in a 1L jar, and 2 of the 500ml ones for american hard gums ( i am buying these) and lemon scented sugar all for mum. since her childhood she has longed for a proper wicker shopping basket but has never been able to justify buying one so i have one on its way from amazon. i have a friend making her a wonderful traditional style bear from real grey mohair (most expensive part of the whole thing at £40) she will have her brownie mix, hard gums and lemon sugar, a nice pic of the kids in a frame i am doing up, a set of jewellery (also made by me), handmade coconut ice, and a selection of handmade soaps, lemon and poppyseed and orange and cinnamon. there will be other little bits too, but that is the bulk of it. my dad and sister are getting blackberry vodka, and other bits. i have a tutorial to make a lovely drapey waistcoat out of a big tshirt so will be doing that for my sis too. also making crayons for the kids and loads of other stuffs.

[CiderwithBuda]

Yay! It is the day. The day of poncetasticness beginning. The day we have been awaiting. It is the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who mentioned plum gin? Why did you not mention that when I had a glut of plums a few weeks ago? Why did I not think of it? DH would have been well impessed with that.

Do I need a Xmas organiser? Will investigate. Although a lockable app sounds good.

Part of my Xmas ponciness will involve going wallpaper and paint shopping today as dining room needs decorating. Curtains are a shimmery taupe colour with red flowers. Room will only be used at Xmas I suspect. But I can't really decorate in a xmassy fashion can I?

How many Xmas trees before it gets ridiculous? We had two last year. One large real one in living room, large fake one in sitting area in kitchen. Oh and small one in tv room. Is one in the dining room total overkill?

[CagneyNLacey]

Yes, wornout, can't do links properly on phone but this should be it

m.wikihow.com/Make-Christmas-Pudding-Flavoured-Vodka

Apparently you can substitute for rum and prob other stuff too. There are more faffy ways to do it that are prob 'proper' but I am inherently lazy despite good intentions.

[californiaburrito]

Ok Santa Fellatio, I've been a good girl and waited until the 24th. I've lurked on the other threads but with my childbearing years behind me this is the first year that I think I can achieve true ponce.

I've got my Christmas dinner menu set, and just finished testing the final recipe for the three wise men mini loaves, but I need guidance to round out my ponce. Can you believe I have never even done some homemade flavoured booze. For shame!

And on that subject, is this Christmas rum mentioned up thread spiced? If so, I MUST have the recipe.....please.

[girlywhirly]

Cider, if you have a sideboard in your dining room, you could put a fir type swag along it, possibly with fairy lights in. Or a small table top style tree.

My Christmas organiser is a spiral bound A5 notebook from Poundland! Not poncy in itself, but perfectly adequate for keeping notes together, shopping lists, food lists, drinks lists, entertaining, decorating ideas, things to make in advance, etc.

[CiderwithBuda]

Girlywhirly - no sideboard. But do have a console table. Last year Sainsburys did v small trees in pots - one of them would be nice maybe.

Who was looking for the 250ml kilner bottles? Lakeland have them - 2.99 each though!

What can I do with pears? Have a tree in the garden. They still seem quite hard though.

[WantAnOrange]

Spiced Pickled Pears are very christmassy Cider. We have just moved out of a house that had a pear tree in the garden. I miss it.

[IdoknowtheMuffinMan]

I started a red red rose theme Christmas last year, I was planning to continue it this year and add more red rose swags for banisters etc.

I decorated the tree with roses and had a rose wreath on my front door, would it be overkill to do more?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

A big vase of red roses and christmas greenery looks amazing and smells delicious - do that!

[IdoknowtheMuffinMan]

Ooh good idea, I loved my theme but my DM was

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

My mum's the same - 'roses aren't for Christmas, they're for summer' . But I love the look of red roses against green foliage, to me it is really Christmassy.

[CiderwithBuda]

Spiced pickled pears sounds nice. Will investigate. Thanks WantAnOrange.

[bulletwithbutterflywings]

Just marking my place.... Can I do poncetastic on a budget do you think?

[LordFlasheart]

Oh, Cherry Brandy recipe- please!! May try the Christmas Pud vodka recipe this year too.

So far I have made Raspberry Gin, 2 litre bottles. Last years elderberry wine should finally be ready to drink at Christmas too- tried a glass in spring it was bloody lethal stuff. Going to make Sloe Gin next but sloes are very poor around here this year. May also ponce up into the woods & try & identify the 'serviceberry/checkerberry tree' as apparently you can make v exciting home brew from this.

Ikea sell bottles with swing tops here: Korken although last year they were £1.50...

[Starshaped]

Fellow poncy ones, I am concerned. We're in the process of buying a house and should (hopefully) be in for Christmas. However, I've just realised that I haven't got a blinking clue where the Christmas tree will go in the living room. I mentioned this to DH last night and he looked at me like I was a fool. This is somewhat ruining my aspirations of a poncey festive period!

On a more practical note, I'm planning to make Piccalilli to go with our boxing day ham. Does anybody have any tried and tested recipes and when should I be making it?