The 2023 Poncetastic Christmas Thread

[VivaJen]

Welcome to the 2023 Poncetastic thread. With a nod to Fellatio (wherever she may be) 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".

There's a vegan version of the BBC Christmas good food magazine.

Thank you. I'll look out for BBC vegan.

Speaking of magazines. Has anyone bought the Scandi Christmas magazine £9.99 in Waitrose?

@HannahDefoesTrenchcoat I got this cookbook last year and really impressed with it. I had the mushroom wellington and this year will probably try the nut roast.
Non Vegan DH liked the wellington and I made extra individual ones for the freezer.

This is the contents. The thing I was most impressed with, the bakes are mostly yeasted rather than a vinegar/baking powder rise.

The cooker goes in on Tuesday so fruit is soaking in rum and amaretto for first batch of cakes. Decided to make traditional as well as the stout and chocolate one. Parents will have half of each with us.
I am so desperate for a roast dinner!

Thank you @BeastOfBODMAS I will have a look.

I make the Jamie Oliver gravy every year, I don’t find it a faff at all and it makes the most amazing gravy with no pressure on the day (we don’t do roasts often so I don’t get much practice). We have a heavy duty potato masher which is perfect for grinding it all up after a few hours in a low oven. The smell is amazing but definitely leave out the star anise.

Well I got my weekends mixed up, DS is coming over on Friday, whoops, so all the more pumpkin pie for DH and me (DD isn't into spices in sweet things so not a fan). I also made 6 mince pies with the leftover (flaky) pastry and badly sealed jar or mincemeat. All delicious, although the next mince pies will be with my usual shortcrust.
Picture of pumpkin pie 🥧

I love this thread, I feel all warm and fuzzy thinking of everyone pottering about to make Christmas lovely.

I am a would-be poncer but regrettably without the space to host. However, this thread has inspired me to have a go at wreath-making. We were a bit disappointed with the one we bought from the florist last year and I felt I could do better (and cheaper!). This thread has also made me realise that my main hobby is planning for events – I love the lead-up to Christmas; lists galore! If we ever get a place big enough I’m going all-out Mrs Christmas for December.

@5foot5 thanks for the wreath inspiration! If you have any more tips I’m all ears.

@AtLeastThreeDrinks I'm a planner! May not get round to everything that features on my "to craft or make" list but love the run up to Christmas nonetheless.

I've just booked our panto tickets for Boxing Day. Super late to it this year so had to settle for 2 lots of 2 seats but that's ok, it's been a bit of a muddled year.

I bought an Advent candle today - no idea at what point each day we'll burn it, but I like the idea of marking the passing days with it 😊. I bought some sweet robin clips for the tree too today, and a lantern yesterday that I just haven't put away 🤷‍♀️ It's making me happy watching the flicker of the fake candle in it. Pic attached.

Still need to sort out my pink tinged village too - I'm holding off on the church I couldn't master I think. I'm exceptionally slow at crochet atm as some of my fingernails have separated from the nail bed (thanks chemo) & I can't feel properly 🙄

Get ahead gravy ready to go tomorrow then off to fair trade sale for soup and a mooch then to music shop to look a guitar for DGS and a special concertina for DH. He so deserves it!
Today we did workshop of Christmas songs and I did an art class. I can’t sing and am not at all arty but I had a lovely day.

Yes @lucysmam, I can definitely get on board with an incomplete yet poncy list! I also like the idea of an advent candle but would most likely forget to burn it in time. Hope your treatment is going well – I sometimes see your weekend threads ❤️

@LaChatte that pumpkin pie looks incredible!

Thank you, it tasted really good too the stars were to try and hide the fact that the oven was a bit too hot 😁

@LaChatte that is a thing of beauty!!

I’ve splurged on a poncey cakelet tray. 🎄🎄🎄

@YuletideSolace that's awesome!!! What are are planning on making with it

The gingerbread gin is incredible. I use this recipe which I got from a previous version of this thread. Love the idea of using it to make espresso martinis.
Gingerbread gin

Im now also wondering about making some sort of pumpkin spice infused alcohol. Maybe vodka would work better for that?

OK will definitely make some Gingerbread Gin. Thank you @GetDressedYeMerryGentlemen

I've just made Gingerbread using a vegan magazine recipe. It's OK but not quite as nice as this one that I normally use.
I'm going to try a mash up as the main difference is that the vegan one uses vegan cream cheese instead of the egg in the BBC recipe. The BBC uses dark brown sugar instead of light and includes cinnamon as well as ginger.

Sorry that's more detail than you need about my quest to make DCs favourite things in a vegan version. Having been veggie all my adult life I'm disproportionately irritated by the new vegan in my house 😅

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gingerbread-bunting

I wish I had the willpower to be vegan! I've been browsing Amazon for vegetarian Christmas recipe books, has anyone tested any?

I wish I had the willpower to be vegan!

Ah. You may be on to something here. Perhaps I do too? 🤔

I usually make Delia's Parsnip Roulade for the vegetarians plus an M&S or homemade nut roast.

I think I may make the Bosh mushroom Wellington for new vegan.

We have meateaters too, fussy ones and elderly ones.

I have a rather old Rose Elliot Vegetaroan Christmas book but not a more recent one.

Thinking about doing paper whites this year where do you get your bulbs from??

I always get mine from Sarah Raven (make sure that wherever you get them from they are suitable for forcing)
I start mine Remembrance Sunday and they bloom all over Christmas. I plant on pebbles in hurricane lamps and stunt the greenery by adding diluted alcohol when the shoots reach 3 inches.

@VivaJen I’m not quite sure yet. I’m thinking I might make up a cake batter and divide into 3 lots, then do one gingerbread spiced, one vanilla and one chocolate. Maybe even a 4th (orange?), so that each little motif has its own flavour. Keeping the decorating as simple as possible (icing sugar on the snowflakes, icing accents on the gingerbread men, white or maybe green bow on the parcel, red berries and bow on the wreaths).

@lucysmam in DK the advent candle is usually lit at breakfast - it’s very dark there in the morning, same as here, so it’s a lovely way to start the day with hygge. Otherwise, during dinner. I’ve got little individual candles to burn and I think I might designate a little time daily with a book (Nigel or otherwise).