Poncetastic 2017

[Annwithnoe]

Since there doesn't seem to be a poncetastic thread, and to avoid confusion with thread titles, would I be out of order to start this one?

First order of business, a toast to our dearly missed Fellatio Nelson, wherever she may be and a quote from her original thread:

^
"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".

^

newaveragebear yes and the authentic old-fashioned bulb fairy light didn't include blue! None of the pseudo-retro ones get this right. I have some old ones from the 1980s (from my parents' tree - I kept them after they switched to tasteful white in the 1990s) - but I don't really dare put them on these days, for fear of some kind of conflagration. There is no blue amongst them - only yellow, green, pinky red, pink and white.

demented I bet your Christmas pudding vodka will be amazing! Well done for being so organised. My DH said he'd like to make the cake this year, but I've asked that he does stir up Sunday properly so I can get my wish!

So far I've just been pinning (and following all the new boards I've found here) but when our visitors go on Tuesday I'll look out my craft supplies.

I'll start easy with making Christmas cards with DH as I think people will really appreciate them. I'm learning to crochet incredibly slowly so don't think I'll make anything other than elf on the shelf blankets, but I do need to think of how to use my commute constructively......perhaps it will just be chill out time though!

I'm sure I remember blue fairy lights from the 70s and 80s. Hmmmm! Possibly a false memory!

Today is Christmas cake baking day for us - we soaked the fruit last week - can't wait for the whole house to smell Christmassy!

We were going to do it yesterday, then I decided I wanted it to be October before we did it, make it feel ever so slightly closer to Christmas 😊🎅🏻🎄

Wayfarer yes, my original vintage set has pink, orange, 'gold' which is like modern white, red and green.
We also had some seriously spiky covers that were coloured and went over the white bulbs, in those colours too!

I've decided I'm just going to burn the pinecones as they are instead of wax on them (DH said it would make a bloody big mess in the stove) so instead I'm having a go at making some pinecone t-lights holders, I'll post pics later if they turn out ok I made a pinecone tree years ago and it still looks great now, took some making though but was worth it I put the kitchen roll next to it so you can see the size.

Right, I'm joining Pinterest.

I went for a walk in our local pinewoods yesterday and have lots of fir cones to dry out, plus some branches and a couple of holly cuttings to plant (we've moved and our new garden has no holly bush, well no anything really so I need to establish some bushes for future poncing). No Yule log yet though. Couldn't find The One.

Any ideas for table decs using cones/holly/cinnamon/citrus etc gratefully received. Usually go with baskets, pots and candles but it's very ad hoc.

Also, where's good for craft supplies online? Our local independent has gone off the boil.

I absolutely love that tree, it's gorgeous!

Late to the thread and to the poncing.

to Mr and Mrs Badger.

I am poncetastic in training. I'm no good with food but will give most decorations a go.

Sarah Raven's book has arrived! Yes, good grief, this is heavy stuff for a novice poncer, but it's a lovely Sunday evening read.

I have ponced round the garden and am eyeing up some roseships. Now some people on the internet suggest waiting for the first frost to increase sweetness, but it's so mild at the moment it feels like that could be ages. Anyone any poncing experience with these? I plan to make little bottles of syrup, possibly for presents if enough.

I also agree that classic fairy lights had no blue in them, just lovely warm pinks, oranges, yellows and greens. Blue and purple lights just look wrong to me; so un-Christmassy.

Love the pinecone tree!

Trying to decide if I have the courage to start these felt decorations

mmmcrafts.blogspot.co.uk/p/twelve-days.html

Discovered them last year but decided I had left it too late... very tempting though!

I had to ask my big sister (@whydoesitalwayshappentome) about lights and she remembers blue ones as well! Obviously we were special (or we both have false memories!).

Tagging went odd there: @whydoesitalwayshappentome

No there were definitely blue lights. I remember going out to buy spare bulbs for them when I was little @NoWordForFluffy

Those were the days! 😁🎄🎅🏻

I'm a tentative poncer so I'm loitering with interest. I've never hosted Christmas, my mom just won't hear of it. I work full time in a school so that last couple of years have been somewhat rushed.
I'll be on maternity leave from the middle of October this year, so have built up a wonderful fantasy of making wreaths, handmaking gifts, beautifully wrapping the presents (instead of walloping tonnes of Poundland paper on them at 4am), all whilst the baby is lulled gently to sleep by Christmas music. I am prepared for this to fail spectacularly however, so I'll probably just be reading this thread consumed by jealousy and covered in baby sick!

Hm were the 80s blue ones very pale, actually almost white with a slight tint, but a blue plastic flower shade around them? I think that's why easily forgotten - the pink, red, yellow and greens were really vibrant.

Yes, kind of glacial blue.

My pfb came seven weeks into my ML and I did a lot of poncing in that time (hand quilting etc). Once he was born that all stopped, though, as he would not be put down. DC2 had long sleeps in carrycot so I guess it depends what kind of baby you get. Annoyingly you don't get to choose.

I know! My other two were easy babies (they grew out of it ) so I'm fully prepared for this one to be hard work!

Oh I love a Christmas ponce

I'm debating when to start my mini-Christmas Cakes - I made them using cleaned out big sweetcorn cans last year and gave them to DH's aunties/great aunties with some other home baking and they went down a storm. I need to check my Instagram to see when I did my fruit-soaking last year.

I had some crochet Christmas baubles come up in my Facebook feed the other day and I'm considering getting some of those to give the illusion of further poncing that I've not had time to actually do...

I don't like Christmas cake (nuts, peel, icing so I make my own mincemeat and pudding) but there's a lot of Stir Up Sunday on my FB today.

I don't like Christmas cake or pudding! I love a mince pie though!

Harvestmoon those decorations are so beautiful!