Poncetastic Christmas 2024

[StiffyByngsDogBartholomew]

@vivajen hasn't posted on MN for a year so I've taken the bull by the horns. I can't wait any longer !
Wherever you are, Fellatio, here's to you. I hope you're brining a turkey and had crafting authentic organic woven tinsel somewhere.
"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".

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@lucysmam With your orange slices, what do you do with them? And do they smell a bit?

I could do some this week with the hot weather we are having but never know how to use them.

@StiffyByngsDogBartholomew have one of mine (see pic)!

@TheSandgroper I plan to put them on the tree to deter the kittens - someone mentioned it on the kittens & trees thread. No idea if it actually works 🤷‍♀️

Our local coffee shop had made a simple garland with the slices spread along just a piece of string and hung from a beam. It looked lovely.
I might hang mine in the window with some bay leaves?

I might give it a go, then. I have often thought of it. Some newspaper, a tea towel, orage slices, another tea towel and into the back of the car.

Thanks all.

Your car would smell lovely @TheSandgroper.

How long do orange slices take to dry in an air fryer?

Oh so many beautiful, beautiful things and delicious treats. Really love seeing them all and hearing about them.❤️

Meanwhile I'm trying to keep my sanity in this building site!! 😭😭

Hoping I'll be able to have a week or so of hygge in the lead up to the Big Day.

I've seen some lovely orange slice wreaths and I'd like to make one for the kitchen window and one for the dining room.

I did manage to buy some more little Royal Copenhagen snowmen/women/children to add to my collection; I've enough now to make a little winter village scene.

@LaChatte absolutely adore the lovely little felt ornaments.

@CrushingOnRubies the poinsettia is fab!! Did you know they do Christmas houses too? I've seen some really good Lego Christmas villages.

@maisiedaisy64 if there's burgundy in the pattern I think a burgundy tablecloth would also be very effective - it would make the crockery really pop! One of those paper ones from a supermarket works really well if you don't want to buy an actual tablecloth this year.

@Trumpton brilliant table setting!

@lucysmam and @StiffyByngsDogBartholomew the treats...oh my goodness I'd like some please!!

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@MissMarplesNiece they took maybe 4 hours on 70° on the dehydrate setting. Before that they were sat for hours on 30° because I was scared to turn it up 🤣

@NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights you're welcome to share 😊 <passes round sweet treats>

Not sure about Christmas houses but I got my dp a Lego Christmas tree last year. He was away on a pokey flat for Christmas and I knew he wouldn't decorate so encouraged him to be a bit festive with making a Lego tree

Despite raging toothache all weekend we got the tree up, it's not as lopsided as it looks ...

Any recommendations for really nice Christmas crackers ? John Lewis had a poor selection

We got these from Asda on Saturday. They were £12 and the contents look pretty decent.

Ohh they look great

@Carriemac I noticed that the ones in Morrisons were nice and quite reasonably priced. I'm planning to go back next week.

@TheSandgroper I'm thinking of having a garland along the mantlepiece in my kitchen.

I haven't even thought about crackers!

@MissMarplesNiece air fryer oranges - I do think some are slightly caught but they'll look nice on the tree.

May do some more for cake decoration purposes if I don't go to work tomorrow ...

Today I played my easy piano version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas twice. Tomorrow I might go mad and play a few more from my Easy Carols book - The Coventry Carol and the Zither one are favourites.

I realised yesterday that we haven't got any crackers (can't buy them here). I do however have a load of cracker snaps so I might have to make some, I'll see how motivated I am tomorrow!

I don't play an instrument but I've been singing "Gabriel's Message" all day. I love the Coventry Carol.

Well, I have been to the green grocer and have an orange.

Tip…. Freeze the orange for a while then it slices thinly and evenly

@Trumpton Thank you. Will do.

Do you suggest wafer thin or just “thin” for the slices?

Ooooh thin because you need some peel to hold them together.

@Trumpton Thanks heaps. A job for tomorrow evening before packing the car on Thursday morning.

DS sketched an idea for an oil burner he wanted for Xmas so that's what I've been up to today. It'll hopefully look a bit brighter once fired, but it's pretty close to his picture so I hope he likes it 🤞🏻

Looking at the photo I now cannot unsee a shocked mouth as the hole for the candle 😂

I've just caught up on a months worth of posts as things kind of got away from me here (although I knew I wouldn't have chance to be poncy this year).

Some of you are making some beautiful things. @Trumpton I love the Moomin theme!

@lucysmam I know I'm very late in replying but I'd be very grateful for the book if you still have it

My only poncetastic achievement is that I've finished 2 out of 3 cross stitch cards (and am desperately trying to finish the last one this week 🤞🏼)