Where have all the homemade Christmas people gone?

[theancientmarinator]

I am disappearing under waves of not quite finished projects and need to ride along on the wake of other people's successful Christmas makes. Last year's homemade thread was brilliant - am I really the only one this year?

I need to stop finding these threads... it makes me do and buy more!

So far I have homemade pepermint creams, cranberry and lime vodka and sloe gin hidden in the cupboard.

I have just finished updating the 'family christmas tree' cushion ( didn't have time last christmas and dd in now 15mths). The tree is looking lovely with felt and fabric decorations we made a few weeks ago and tomorrow I plan to make a ribbon, felt and button christmas tree canvas

Christmas pud
Christmas cake
Red pesto and Parmesan twists
Rocky road
mincemeat (and some mince pies already made)

To make:
More mince pies!
Salt dough decorations
Chocolate and almond biscotti
Pom pomsfor pom Pom wreath

Oh and fudge, Parmesan biscuits and hazelnut brittle to do

I've remembered something else I've done. I dried out slices of orange, some are just as they are and some covered in cinnamon. Some are piled in jars and some are in a bowl with some potpurri things.

The Wombat is it just a normal parmesan biscuit with added cayenne pepper?

Pretty much :) also half a teaspoon of English mustard in the mix.
And you press some yellow mustard seeds into the top of the biscuits after you've cut them out. Then you brush them with egg and bake at 170 for about 10-12 minutes.

I made them in Xmas tree shapes so the seeds looked like little baubles. And when they cooled I decorated them with edible gold dust. They do look festive.

I'm thinking they'd taste good with a Bloody Mary so might put them in a gift bag with vodka, tomato juice, celery salt, Worcester sauce etc

Hi everyone. I've been lurking on this thread.

I was just wondering if I want to give peppermint bark as teacher presents next week can I make it on Sunday? Will it still be ok?

Also where are you getting your felt from for decorations?

Thank you.

Oh and my mum bought a load of tin foil trays from Costco and gave me the lids which she doesn't use. They are silver on one side so I've turned them into festive gift boxes which the dcs have decorated.

I'm going to put the homemade sweets in them.

Wombat they sound lovely, will definitely make them next week. Wonder if they freeze.

Not sure doublemum. I'm tempted to try freezing some, would be so useful. I've frozen some of the dough and will probably bake that up this weekend, so shall I report back? :)

On that note, does anyone know if stained glass window biscuits (gingerbread bics with a melted boiled sweet in the middle) might freeze?
I need to keep them somewhere DH won't eat them all up!

I am very after starting this thread to just disappear for the rest of the week! Been too busy frantically making and shopping, etc...

I have made half a dozen of the little kilner jar sewing kits like this and plan to make giant chocolate buttons to put in them. I am also working on a hobby-Rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer like this but with a red nose. I have a couple of little teddy polar bear beanies on the go too but they won't take long (?) and finished a zombie bean bag for DS1 last week (he dropped hints that he would like one). I am printing out a design to tranfer onto a t-shirt for OH as I type. My favourite make so far for most of my nieces and nephews is bags (little totes and drawstring kit bags) made from this fabric from Ikea (worked out about 90p a bag) which I have filled with little crafty supplies and v cheap crafting books from The Works and added a little set of fabric crayons so they can colour in their bag to personalise it. I have totally copped out on the older DN's though - they are getting one of these filled with sweets and a voucher. Haven't even started on the foodie gifts and I'm starting to panic about them. Particularly when I read how far ahead the rest of you are!

Yes please Wombat. I bought Grana Padano (can't afford Parmesan!) in Aldi today in preparation.
The recipes I've got say stained glass window biscuits can't be frozen, but I have never tried. Personally I wish everything could be frozen, I don't have the time or energy to do everything at the last minute.