The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles Readalong 2024 Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Welcome all new and old friends.

The journey continues.

Ah, @Bearsinmotion your tree looks amazing. As do your wonderful garlands and amazing fireplace.

Ours has been dragged out. It is it's 7th year since being originally decorated and hidden in the cupboard each year. Prior to that we had a very tasteful tree with vintage decs, but they were lost after a flood. Mr Darcy usually gets stressed when it blocks his access to the windowsill and radiator, so we've put it in a corner instead.

@BobBobBobbing I hope you have a restful evening after your travels. I've always loved the phrase 'balm for the soul' it's beautifully descriptive.

Here's our crazy tree. I can't even remember where I got the massive pink flower from at the top. I think it was just a panic buy after losing the original star I'd used for 30 years.

😁 nothing wrong with that!

I may have to freeze some though as we don't want it to go stale or mouldy!
DH has T1 diabetes and I'm trying to up my protein and fibre and not my sugar, DS is quite limited in what he eats and DD has a tiny appetite.
Cakes going off are a reality in our house.

Oh, I missed your post @drspouse that stollen looks impressive!

Fingers crossed for a peaceful night all round, as our dog has been sick for the past couple of hours, but seems ok now thankfully. She was allowed to roam the farm while Dad attended to the bees. Let's just say that the bees are next to the cow shed. I'd like to think she's learned her lesson, but she's a daft show cocker, so probably not!

My wreath is up and the concierge has decorated our entrance hall. Your wreath is stunning @RainbowZebraWarrior and I love the fact you have a rainbow tree. @Bearsinmotion thanks so much for posting your tree - all the more beautiful for knowing the story behind it.

Love the crazy tree @RainbowZebraWarrior and very jealous of the stollen @drspouse ! I may rustle up the courage to try that myself next weekend!

The Tree is up and it is NVN but special to us as every ornament has a history. The two bells near the top are all that remain from my childhood and originally belonged to my paternal grandmother. I have used All The Lights this year 🎄

Loving the trees, wreaths and other decorations. Beautiful.

Another act of kindness here. I usually attend a wreath and table ornament making day but am not doing indoor socialising this season. My friend made a table decoration for me and has just dropped it round. So kind.

I am on the lookout for a very good pot grown tree. I did start a thread but it has died a death.

Yes the stollen recipe does make a massive loaf; I usually make two smaller ones. I think it'd freeze quite nicely.

I'm trying to decide whether to just use our faux tree this year. On the one hand it would be a bit simpler. On the other hand a real tree does really make Christmas for me. But I did buy some faux candle lights and they would probably look better on a faux tree...I'll see how I feel tomorrow!

Such lovely photos of trees, wreaths, decorations, lights and candles. Feeling rather festive tonight. Happy Yuletide everyone! ☺️☺️

I can't find my wreath! Must be up in the loft. Was wanting a new one but I think I might wait 'til next year.

I did get the outdoor lights up and they're happily twinkling away. ✨✨✨✨✨

@ElectiveAffinities I've was thinking to myself the other day how much joy there is in the simple things like Clementines with leaves attached. 😊

Beautiful trees and decorations, everyone.

@NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights well done on pairing your clementines with 'advocados', just like the stallholders in the market this morning! ☺️

@drspouse I've bought many a pot grown tree over the years, including from M&S, independent florists, NT properties etc. The best one I've ever had was from Sainsbury's. I bought it the year DD was born (2001) It lasted beautifully for 6 weeks in the kitchen, with little to no attention. I then planted it in the front garden. It is now about 12 ft tall. Bearing in mind it snapped in half during a storm a few years ago. It is a Nordman fir, which always seem to come out well in reviews. I guess it might also just be the luck of the draw, but I worked at Sainsbury's from October to March one year soon after, and we never had one returned. (As opposed to poinsettias that tended to die within days of getting them home)

@Bimblesalong that's so lovely (both the centrepiece and the kindness)

@IDareSay your tree also looks amazing. Lovely to have some heirloom pieces remaining, even if it's only a couple of bits and pieces. You've reminded me that my Mum and Dad went to Malta for their honeymoon after being married near Christmas time. They have some Maltese Mr and Mrs Claus baubles squirreled away somewhere still, I hope.

Beautiful wreath and entrance hall @LillianGish I remember your similar pics from last year. Also, a photograph from around now from your DS' snowy balcony in Berlin if my memory serves me correctly.

@ElectiveAffinities I love the cheery postbox topper, and the market stall clementines (especially with their leaves and in baskets, complete with prices per pound!)

@NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights Gorgeous bowl! I also couldn't find my wreath this year, which I why I bought a new one.

I love outdoor lights @NowLightOneThousandChristmasLights. So grateful to everyone who puts them up to bring pleasure to others. And to everyone who leaves their curtains open so you can see their tree twinkling away inside. DH and I were checking out the Christmas trees outside the florists in our neighbourhood and trying to decide when we should get one. I love a real tree, but I think an artificial tree is better than no tree and if it’s beautifully decorated who cares really?

Well remembered re the snowy Berlin balcony @RainbowZebraWarrior. DS is back at uni in Birmingham this year where the snow has already been and gone. He’s just informed me he and his German friend there are planning a German biscuit baking session to recreate the Berlin Christmas vibe for their housemates which sounds encouragingly Nigel adjacent. It’s lovely to see grown up children taking up the Christmas traditions - rather like passing the baton forward as my mum passes it back me.

Evening all. Some gorgeous trees on here. I’ve got serious FOMO so will put mine up tomorrow with lights but no decs for a week I don’t think. Mainly as I’m lazy.

I went to a craft fair today. It was fairly awful TBH. Loads of tatt but I did get a beautiful mug for my secret Santa and a very sweet motivational dinosaur calendar for my friends birthday.

I put my outdoor lights up when the clocks turned as the evenings are too gloomy otherwise. I live in a little egg box house in a gorgeous part of our city so even thought the house is an acquired taste, the surroundings are amazing.

Love the mouse @RainbowZebraWarrior - did you use a pattern or are you just a creative genius?!

We were supposed to put our tree up yesterday but owing to work shifts it isn't going to happen now until tomorrow and I'm a bit grumpy. I'm travelling next week back to England for Christmas and I wanted to enjoy my tree for a bit longer before I go. Trying to cheer myself up by remembering that a shopping spree is Sorstren Greene awaits.

1 December

Mistletoe, malt loaf and a salad of cobnuts

I need to track down a supply of mistletoe. Along with bunches of Holly and ivy, it's soft green stems have long decorated this house at this time of year. Mistletoe is heavy with folklore. Viscum albums, the variety of the genus that produces the white, translucent berries is the one I need to deck our halls at Christmas.

@AgathaMystery love your outdoor lights. It's a great idea ro do it when the clocks change. We are late this year. I need to try and organise that today.

@noodlezoodle I hope you manage to enjoy some Christmas tree time before leaving for England. Hopefully there will be much to enjoy once you're here, too. Mr Fuzzy Wig the mouse is entirely 'freehand' I had been planning to make him for a week, then just grabbed my felting bag yesterday morning. He's far from perfect. Especially close up, but he's turned out largely as I imagined him.

@AgathaMystery I lived in a house just like that when they girls were little before I got divorced. It was the lightest and most practical house we lived in and I loved it, whatever the naysayers thought of it! Your lights look beautiful.

Students making biscuits are impressive. I think the best I could muster in my student years was a toastie!

Still no sign of my nativity set. WHERE can it be?!

Nigel's chapter today reminds me of my old house (my post divorce, post above mentioned house) in which we were lucky enough to have a small portion of what was an old orchard as a garden. The trees were covered in Mistletoe. I used to go up the ladder, cut it, and tie it in bunches with ribbon, then flog it at the girls football matches, as a seasonal addition to my tea stand (all
profits to the club social fund). We made so much from it one year that it paid for all the girls to go skating for their Christmas trip and enough for a pizza party afterwards.
I saw some in the florist near us yesterday, a paltry amount, for £14! I was underpricing wildly in which case as I used to give a huge bunch for £5.

Good Morning!
It's been an unexpected busy week here and I'm having a quiet morning with a hot coffee catching up. School and barnehage were closed for planning day, so it's a nice 3 day weekend for us. We need it as we moved house! After moving to the mountains from the fjord/town last year, we weren't sure if it would right for us or just a romantic idea where we snowboard, pick berries and mushrooms but wasn't practical in "real life". So we took a short term rental.

However, 12 months on, kids have never been happier, husband's health is showing signs of improvement, I've actually tentatively started to whispers make friends and talk to people. It was The Best Decision. We got offered a long term rental, 2 doors down, so we took it! It all happened very fast, in a snowstorm and -19 degrees, but totally worth it. Yesterday everything was finished, unpacked, old house deep cleaned and mince pies made at the new house.

Friday evening in the village was the annual Julegrantenning, where the Christmas tree was lit, all very koselig.

We make mini Christmas cakes for teacher gifts and took one to our new neighbours last night. I'm always amazed every year that Norway seems to have all the ingredients, all the love for marzipan but no Christmas cake. I write a little card about the traditions, ingredients etc to go along with it.

Our outside lights are up and the big stars in the window too. I'll get some pictures later.

It's so lovely seeing everyone's trees and decorations. And especially hearing about everyones traditions. As a family we've collected our own over the last 15 years of travelling.

Happy Advent to you all.

Ah congratulations on your new home @IngenTing-I hope you will be very happy in it.

Congrats on your new home @IngenTing - how exciting!!

@piscofrisco yes the light in this house is amazing, and every bedroom has big built in wardrobes. 5yrs on it still feels like a treat after our last house - a 200yr old beauy Cottage that was similar inside to The Holiday cottage but also dark and rather freezing!

Looking forward to seeing photos of your new house @IngenTing. Advent calendars and candle at the ready here - we have refillable calendars which were a gift for the kids from our Berlin neighbours when we moved there nearly 20 years ago. I have also remembered to get out the tea light advent calendar I picked up for a song in the January sales. I’ve just removed the wrapping and it is scenting the room beautifully before I’ve even struck a match - just need to figure out where to put it (posed on the piano for the photo with my candle holder of choice, but obviously it can’t stay there).