Poncetastic Christmas 2021

[VivaJen]

Welcome to the 2021 Poncetastic thread. With a nod to Fellatio (wherever she is), at the stroke of midnight, let the poncing commence.

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.

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 jobs worth 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 canapés 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 Bessie’s' on the packet, this is not the thread for you".

Typically @NoWordForFluffy that's one of the years I don't have. Do you think this looks similar?

I'll have to source some Calvados but it sounds lovely.

No, there's no suet in this one. I'll try to get a better photo, but I'm manic at work today.

Thanks, but please don't go to any trouble. I'm happy to try the one I linked as I use vegetarian suet relatively frequently anyway.

Well, I've been for a walk in the woods and collected a huge branch with suitable little branches coming off it! Lugging it back to the car was no joke. It's now drying in the kitchen. Have I scavenged it too soon? How long should I dry it out before spray painting it?

Thanks for the link @lachy
Will spend my evening with a big gin ha big a look through all that Christmas goodness! 🤩

Thanks @VivaJen that video looks really helpful, I think I’ll bite the bullet!

@RubyFakeLips, hopefully these are more clear.

I bloody love this thread!

I’ve got the time to properly ponce this year and I’m beyond excited about it. I shall be doing personalised gift bags, personalised baubles as place settings, felted penguins, a personalised stocking or sack for DH, a couple of sacks for cousin’s children, Christmas t shirts and engraved wine glasses. DH (who thoroughly encourages any Christmas related poncery) has booked us both onto a local wreath making class so we can have a wreath for our door and a wreath for my aunt’s grave and is going to book us onto another one when we go away in December so I get more practice at it and we can take one to the in laws in Wales and another for a grave there.

I’m just debating on whether or not to spend £45 on a personalised envelope embosser I’ve seen on Etsy, just saying Merry Christmas with love from the Sn0tnoses. All the bills are paid so I can afford to do it. It’s just taking me to a new level of Christmas ponciness and I’m not sure I’m ready for it yet!

Well, I've been for a walk in the woods and collected a huge branch with suitable little branches coming off it! Lugging it back to the car was no joke. It's now drying in the kitchen. Have I scavenged it too soon? How long should I dry it out before spray painting it?

Have you got a dehumidifier you could use? If not, I definitely don’t think you’ve done it too early. What colour are you spraying it?

@Sn0tnose the envelope embosser sounds fabulous! Could you also use it for gift tags?

@WisestIsShe Yes I could! And that has now justified it, thank you! 😁

Quite a successful shopping trip , went to Wilkos and they had paper white bulbs , 8 in a bag for the bargain price of £2
No baubles or anything yet , Halloween is the celebration of the moment ! 🧙‍♀️
No luck with the Works and the felting kit ( though there was a giraffe that was tempting ) lots of crafty stuff for children …. But as mine are in their 20s and have moved out …..

Waterstones say that The Christmas Chronicles is out of print , but can be ordered on their website , so I’ve done that

Forgot to go to Marks to pick up their Christmas food to order , I’ll leave that treat for next time

Now I want an envelope embosser ! Even though I had never heard of them before
This could be a pricey run up to Christmas

Not sure what sort of Christmas we’ll be having ,DS doesn’t think he’ll make it home as he has a newish job ,( and I think he fancies 2 days on the Xbox while his GF is with her family !)

Just joining the this years thread. I'm not doing loads of poncing this year as there's only dh and I mostly. I managed to get in an m&s order for a nice veggie dinner before all the slots got booked.
I'm not sure whether to make a cake this year really.
I've also just received a really lovely felt garland Christmas stocking advent sewing kit that I'm going to make for one DGC. It's lovely and colourful and vegan friendly 'felt' She will love it.

The mince pie recipe from the Good Housekeeping Get Ahead for Christmas magazine from two years ago, has been reproduced in this year's Christmas Collection which is in the shops now (red cover with a yule log). I made them last year, having tried a variety of different mincemeats in the past and they are absolutely delicious. Both the easiest and tastiest mincemeat I've made and the pastry is really good as well.

I made the mincemeat on Monday evening - just threw it together while I was cooking dinner - and then made the pies yesterday. Most of them made it to the freezer except for the obligatory quality control portion. I treated myself to a new pie tin and got the one the recipe recommends - the deep bun tin from Lakeland - and am glad I did.

Surely a personalised Christmas envelope embosser is the very pinnacle of ponciness? Definitely go for it!

@Sn0tnose how do you do your personalised baubles? I've already got stag place names off the bargains thread but can see no harm in poncing about with some baubles too!

Looking for ideas to Christmas up the bathroom if anyone has any please? Fancy a twinkly, candlefest in there but no shelving to speak of for candles

@NigelSlatersXmasTaters bathroom is my favorite to do! White flowers in crystal or glass vase (with fresh cranberries for maximum effect), lots of white candles and white lights strung along the mirror and shower curtain rail, if you have one. One biggish Santa or Snowman or whatever is also white and sparkly and will look amazing in candlelight as well.

@Sn0tnose I'm glad to be of service!

I bought the embosser (picture from the Etsy page, so not my surname). I know it’s only what I would have written in the card, but if I can do gift tags too, then it’s actually something I need, rather than just want. @WisestIsShe a very apt username!

how do you do your personalised baubles? I've already got stag place names off the bargains thread but can see no harm in poncing about with some baubles too! @NigelSlatersXmasTaters I’ve got a Cricut (invaluable to any Christmas poncers) so I cut names out in a nice font and pop them either on a plain bauble, one of those fillable baubles or a flat acrylic bauble shape with a bow on it. I’ve seen people on Etsy who’ll do the names for about 70p each and you can apply them yourself. 8cm baubles are usually the easiest to use.

Looking for ideas to Christmas up the bathroom if anyone has any please? Fancy a twinkly, candlefest in there but no shelving to speak of for candles What about those adhesive and removable picture hooks? They’d be enough to hold up some kind of garland that you could put battery operated lights in. Or battery operated fairy lights.

Thank you, loving the bathroom ideas.

I need more Christmas candles I think!

Ooh love poncing for Christmas! I shall be cake making, wreath making, stained glass boiled sweet biscuit tree decorations making, chilli jam making and lists and lists of food/cocktails/games ideas 😁. We do a family boxing day party with a Christmas themed quiz and a santa sack of 'prizes' for the winning team - got that to organise, also thinking of a Christmas themed bingo...... Love this thread!

Oooh love the embosser! Correct decision made there I think.

I've just ordered a load of new stamps for cards from noolibird (thanks to whoever recommended them last year) so excited to get going with that.

I've also ordered The Christmas Chronicles which will hopefully arrive today.

Anyone else more excited about their pre-Christmas presents than their actual presents? 😂

Loving the personalised stampers and embossers.

In reply to pp who thought these might be the pinnacle of ponciness. While I think they are up there, reaching the pinnacle would require hand cutting and screen printing your own design for your stamper

Joining after lurking for a bit.

Great grandmother was a cook at a big house (a la Mrs Patmore in Downton ) and as a result Christmas dinner is a poncefest source of generational pride passed down the family. DH on the other hand sees Aunt Bessies as a staple of christmas. This will be only our second year cooking at home and he did the cooking last year. Time to show what he's been missing!

I'm going on maternity leave from Monday and looking forward to trying some other poncy christmas crafts, though I will admit crafting is not my strong suit! I have taken a notion to make a felt garland of little characters to either put in the tree or drape somewhere

@NoWordForFluffy Thanks! Thats so helpful and kind of you to take the time. I've decided I'm going to go wild and make both recipes (the one I linked and the one you posted). Mainly as I went and bought quite a cit of cider last night, not realising how little was needed. You can never have enough mincemeat. I'll be able to tell you which I thought was best in about 12 weeks