I did the paperwhites several years ago but it turns out neither DH nor I like the scent. Might do hyacinth this year, but if I do I'll buy in my poncing at the last minute instead of lovingly nurturing them from bulbs.
I've got crochet hook and wool from a few years ago but as yet have never attempted even a tiny star or snowflake...I aspire (in my head, not by action, clearly!) to become good enough to make a whole village à la @lucysmam. Someday.
I've got half a cross-stitched card somewhere in my crafting stash. Might finish that this year.
Yes I thought the seed cards could probably be made quite easily but that was never going to happen, tbh, so I bought them instead!
We're going to make mincemeat soon; have made Delia's and Mary Berry's in the past but last year we tried the Hairy Bikers' recipe and DH liked it a lot so we'll do that again this year.
I've already got boiled beetroot of various colours in the freezer ready to roast on the day. Will make braised red cabbage soon. We were thinking of doing duck so I already have two stashed away in the freezer but now we've settled on rolled sirloin instead. I might still do one duck as a supplement, though. Will also pick up a small turkey as we must have sandwiches over the festive period but prefer not to have the bird as centerpiece for Christmas dinner.
I bought a Nordic Ware pan last year but ended up just admiring the beauty of the tin and didn't get around to actually making the dinky little cakelets...so that's definitely a priority for this year. Need to do a practise run!
This year I'm going to treat myself to the book Advent by Anja Dunk and am going to do at least one thing from there - Dried Pear Fruit Loaf, in lieu of Christmas cake.
@EternallyDelighted yes I would buy a homemade mini Christmas cake for sure. I'm toying with the idea of making a small batch of tin sized cakes, icing one for DH and possibly one for BIL too, and freezing the rest. I think if you set yourself up with a festive namechange on your account and then report one of your comments and ask MNHQ very nicely to change it for you, they would be quite happy to retroactively apply it to this thread (if it matters enough to you!).
@LalanbabaI have made a few different ones (mostly Nigel's recipes from Christmas Chronicles) but can't actually remember any right now other than cranberry gin which I just found on t'internet -- was a great festive colour and worked very well for us and our tastes in cocktails. We don't make much anymore because we don't see many people over Christmas these days and we don't want to drink too much ourselves (middle aged now and feeling the effects much more keenly!), but I might still do one.
@NoItsStillNighttimeDarling that takes poncing to a whole new level! I heartily approve! 😁
@Hohohopeful that's really lovely. There's a special kind of happiness in welcoming friends into one's home at Christmas, I think.
@RainbowZebraWarrior I had to really give it to one utter numpty on the Christmas Fridge thread a few years ago. My god the madness was strong during lockdown.
Also thanks for linking on thx Preamble Thread, totally forgot I'd said I was going to do that. 😳🙄
Welcome to everyone, and may we all be filled to the brim with festive fun and cheer!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄