Poncetastic Christmas 2014

[HopeAndStories]

(Posting FellatioNelson's OP from previous years )
_

OK, first of all, I know it's still September by we need to start this thread now because as you all know, having a truly Poncetastic Christmas involves precision planning, strategy, bravery, heroics, and frequently martyrdom. A bit like the war in Afghanistan, only with nicer food and sparkly shoes.

So, if you, like me, actually want to make the next twelve weeks of your life a misery by hand-crafting your cards, finding a huge bucket for Nigella's turkey in brine, pickling pears, shrivelling oranges in a low oven for those rustic au naturel decorations, dragging half a holly bush back from the woods, and just generally being a smug annoying jobsworth ponce, join me on this thread.

Feel free to post photos of previous tree-trimming, cake icing or table centrepiece triumphs, discuss this year's bauble colour themes, debate the merits of Delia versus Gordon, road-test a selection of canapes and cocktails, (all in the line of duty) and link to lovely inspirational photos/craft ideas for a truly Poncetastic Christmas.

Warning: If your idea of a good Christmas involves Pizza, ITV, gravy granules or anything with 'Aunt Bessies' on the packet, this is not the thread for you.

Oooooh I love this thread!!
Feeling a bit frustrated as waiting to move back into our house in mid-November!
I have blackberries vodka on the go in a Kilner jar though!

Yippee - feeling good now!

hopeandstories I'll add this link but it's in china I think, do a search on eBay for "christmas decoration superman" as an example. here

Here is one of my dc's tree, most seem to be from the same seller:

I love the peppermint bark wildflowers I bet it went down a treat! Also loving the sound of the annual hot chocolate party.

I'm trying to think of ways to make Christmas engaging for a (then) 15 month old. We have a Father Christmas slot booked at a farm, and I have inherited a lovely advent calendar similar to the one pictured but with an empty house, and each pocket has a piece of furniture with velcro. I want to put activities in as well but really that is more for my benefit. I've got a Christmas Yankee Candle to get the house smelling festive, twinkly lights of course... any other ideas?

dashing you could make quite simple but lovely pompom garlands too, similar to the crochet ones. Like the ones pictures but in your colour scheme..

oops sorry wrong picture! Here is the advent calendar..

I love peppermint bark Wild. Love the idea of a hot chocolate party too!

I'm making hampers again this year, and instead of the big bottles of chocolate vodka I've made before, I want to make lots of little bottles so more people can have it for less money (like the size of the tiny bottles of spirits you get in gift packs at the supermarket) to put in them. Does anyone know where I could get some empty bottles that size please?

The pic is of the big bottle I made (I regret not photographing it once the scum from the top had gone!)

It's mars bar vodka btw- and so good!

Thanks for the link Flanders

Dashing I'm a crocheter and amateur poncer What would you like crocheting? I always have a project on the go and would be happy to help.

For my own home I want to make a tree skirt and some velvet bows for my tree (red and white theme)

I'll start soaking the fruit for Christmas cakes and puddings at half term and then bake the cakes once the little darlings have gone back. I'd be the only one drinking flavoured spirits so I can't justify them hic

The hot chocolate party began when the DC's were 3 and 5 and has been going for 7 years now... we have a soup pot of hot chocolate, lots of twinkly lights, toasted marshmallows on the chimnea and a huge assortment of sugar based treats .
The DC's invite three friends each plus family.

Miniature bottles used t be available from Lakeland but they weren't the cheapest option, around £1.20 each. I needed 12 for 'drink me' at DD's mad hatters tea party.

Umlauf, DD will be 3 this year but she loved festive music classes such as jiggy wrigglers and jo jingles. Perhaps there is something similar near you?
We have also made reindeers with handprints each year... it is scary ho much bigger they become each year.

Can I join you? Am a bit of a newbie poncer, and tend to ponce in fits and bursts. We've nearly finished decorating/rennovating our house, it would be lovely to make everything lovely and sparkly this year!
We have a very bright and light kitchen diner - any tips for making it atmospheric for Christmas??

Hope have you tried TK Maxx for little bottles? I almost bought a load recently because they were cute, but I didn't have any use for them. I can't remember how much they were though.

This is the first year I've decided to put a proper effort in to Christmas as I'm not at work any more but I don't really know where to start. Can anyone recommend any easy things I can do to get me going? Wouldn't mind making some flavoured vodka for my Dad. I did him a coffee hamper last year which went down well so might do another hamper, but he's not really in to food just drink!

Sounds lovely Wild.

I'll have a look at Lakeland, thanks. Like I need an excuse to shop there

Lots and lots of fairy lights mabel. And candles. Then more fairy lights and more candles

I'll look in TK Maxx tomorrow Felix. I'd have never thought of looking there

felix tell me more about the coffee hamper! I'm doing one for my brother this year - he had a fancy machine for his birthday. So far I have the stencils for making pretty chocolate patterns and two latte spoons...

wild thank you. We live abroad and there aren't many classes on offer but a new English language members club for families has recently opened and they might have things going on for Christmastime. I'll investigate!

Yay!
I finally get to ponce along with the best of you!
So far I've done the cake, it's maturing in a cold cupboard as we ponce. Ive picked the pinecones ready for the silver spray and tartan ribbons and this week will be all about designing the table centrepieces.
First year in our new house and cant blimming wait!

Ah. 'Tis now properly the Season. The Poncetastic thread has started.

Well done for starting HopeAndStories.

Raising a glass to absent friends - for Fellatio for starting us off all those years ago.

Dashing - I am sorry to hear you are so unwell. We are all happy to help you create your perfect Xmas.

Umlauf - I love that crocheted stars garland you linked. It's gorgeous. I can't crochet - could learn though! How difficult would it be for a complete novice?

I had a read of my posts on the 2010 thread - funny to look back now!

I go all out with decorating the house and I honestly think DH will divorce me if I buy any more decorations! We have two 7 ft trees plus a few little ones. And last year I put some branches ina large glass vase with lights in it and decorated that in the dining room. It looked lovely so will do it again. We only use our dining room at Xmas and this year it will be me, DH and DS plus my dad, my sis, BIL, 5 year old niece and possibly MIL. They will all come to stay for four days over Xmas. Can't wait!

DH made plum gin. Might try another alcohol one.

Need to make my cake. Have a pudding from last year that we didn't use. DS wants chocolate cake.

Need to start getting organised! Am in decluttering mode at the moment in preparation.

Umlauf what coffee machine did he get? Is it a proper one or one you put the pods in? My Dad has a Tassimo so I bought him some packs of his favourite pods, a pod dispenser, a nice mug, a bottle of Tia Maria, posh biscuits, some of those wooden sticks with the crystalised sugar on (cheapest I found were eBay but I think you can make them?). It was all last minute as I was incredibly pregnant but if you wanted to really ponce it up you could add a homemade bottle of baileys or something similar, bake posh biscuits or make chocolates, make a little jar of vanilla sugar. I found loads of ideas on Pinterest.

If he's got a proper coffee machine (sorry don't know the technical term!) then check out Pact coffee. They do wonderful pouches of fresh coffee in different varieties and you can get your first one for £1 then cancel. Bargain!

Here's a picture of the finished product. It looks a bit thrown together because I was rushing so not as good as previous hampers! I'm going to go all out with handmade decorations for my ones this year.

DH is the only member of the family that eats Christmas pudding so I made him individual ones last year and I made the chocolate chestnut torte from the BBC good food website as well for the rest of us. It was so good modest that DH abandoned his Christmas pudding on Boxing Day to join in the torte fest. Apparently DH and DD1 were having a heated discussion about whether DD1 should give me her Christmas present early while I was making it as I was struggling with a balloon whisk and a small handheld electric mixer. DD1 had bought me a lovely stand mixer and DH didn't want to see me suffer with inadequate equipment

When I make it again this year I NEED to ponce with Christmas stencils for the cocoa dusting.

Chocolate chestnut torte sounds amazing

felix that does look fabulous. DBs machine does both but I got him pods for his birthday so don't want to repeat! I love the TiaMaria idea, and the wooden sugar sticks, I hadn't thought of that. I think I'll try and make some flavoured syrup too, DS and I are going to make biscotti for his nursery staff so I'll put some in the hamper.

cider poncetastic legend I spent many nights feeding reading those old threads. With crochet, I really rate the Attic24 blog - her writing and patterns are simple and easy to follow. I started crocheting a month ago using that blog and youtube tutorials for the basic stitches, and I can do a lot already. It is much more fun than knitting, in my opinion!

I will be lurking as usual on this thread. I have poncey aspirations but unfortunately my creativity and technical skills to actually pull of a true poncetastic Christmas are sadly lacking. Pesky job does tend to get in the way of full-on Christmas poncery too.

I love the idea of a hot chocolate party! I might do that if we don't do a Halloween party...and hopeandstories - that Mars bar vodka looks scrummy. How do you make it please?

This year I am definitely doing a Brussel sprout wreath for the front door. Last year DH bought a hideous home made wreath from someone at his work. It was expensive and I was furious with him as I wanted to do the Brussel sprout one.

Hurray for a Poncetastic Christmas, so pleased to see this thread

I have two Pinterest boards, one for food & drink and the other is general Christmas shenanigans! Have a look, I'm really pleased with them

There 's always a section of brain whirring and thinking about Christmas time but it's definitely gearing up now. Yey!

Umlauf - I am so far from being a Poncetastic legend it is untrue! But thank you!

I will have a look at that blog - thanks.

As of an hour ago we are now hosting a Xmas drinks party in December! So even more excuse to go all out!

forcookssake I am following you! Your food board has made me very hungry

ooh can I join?.
Now the girls are both in school this year I have plenty of pontastic time .
Already started o. the presents and have plans to make a lovely garland to hang up the stairs.

We may also be hosting Christmas for the very first time in our own house! We moved house 2 weeks before Xmas last year so all in all it was a bit of a nightmare.
In our new garden we have lots of very large Holly bushes. Anyone any suggestions of how to make use of them?