Poncetastic Christmas 2025

[welikebeingcosy]

Added by MNHQ upon request:
OK, first of all, I know it's still September but 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. A bit like the war in Afghanistan, only with nicer food and sparkly shoes.

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 jobsworth 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 canapes 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 Bessies' on the packet, this is not the thread for you.The days are getting shorter, the leaves are starting to brown, that can only mean one thing- it's time to ignore the waves of Halloween decor all over your local The Range and head to the woods to start picking your own holly for that perfect Kirsty inspired wreath.

We want homemade stuffing recipes perfected by November, the handmade crackers draped in the most delicate of embroidered ribbon, mantle pieces draped in the most Scandinavian of wooden carvings, specialised stamps for the personalised wrapping paper ordered by next week and the word craft to be your official middle name by new year.

Happy ponceing and may Nigel and Nigella's fairy lights guide you on your way to getting the last box of rosemary and sea salt crackers in your own personal Bethlehem.

I was just wondering if anybody had set up this thread yet or if I was seriously jumping the gun, but it looks like great minds think alike! I'm starting to feel cosy, and wondering if this is the year we build out a fireplace & mantel, so I can hang the stockings I quilted last year 😀

Christmas this year will be a bit different for me because I've been having some immunological problems with chronic hives, and I'm on a very limited low histamine diet for medical reasons. No Christmas cake, no mince pies, no alcohol 😢 But we're also not hosting this year - no in-laws! No stress! No small talk! Just me, DH, our 3 little boys, and one v close uni friend possibly. Can't wait for the total opposite of last year's Christmas day, when I was battling the onset of flu, up all night breastfeeding youngest, and still dragging myself out to church with the in-laws and cooking the world's biggest turkey. This year might even be a pyjamas year for me for the first time (though I do love a pretty dress and a red lip on Christmas...)

Can't wait to hear everybody else's ideas and plans! What poncing is in store? Who is hosting? What is everyone most looking forward to? 🎄

Please can I join? I am already starting to plan my menu!

My own personal Bethlehem!! Crying laughing!!!

Hooray!
I was sitting last night with my tasteful planner, shortlisting homemade edible gift ideas, thinking it must be nearly time.

How have you all been, old beans?

Namechanged but I had a Poncetastic thread baby and she still accepts my knitted jumpers

Love a Pontastic Christmas always have and I will never change. I always add something new or a little different each year but keep the majority the same as we have a saying in this house which is, "You don't monkey with tradition."

Every year I decorate my dining room window with white chalk pen, lots of inspiration on Pinterest for different beaded swags or how to draw branches and always a wreath with different leaves. It is one of my favourite things to do.

I am decorating some new baubles to add another colour element to the tree, basically clear plastic baubles you fill with clear varnish, swish it around and pour out, then add glitter of your choice inside, hot glue the lid back on once dry. Glittery baubles without the mess. You can do the same with paints.

There will be new stockings made, embroidered with our names, and I will be embroidering some napkins too. I have an embroidery machine, I cannot hand embroider no matter how many cross stitch cards school made me do.

My handmade by me needle felted tree topper fairy will be getting new wings as hers are a bit tatty. I just need to get my youngest child back to uni so I can clear his stuff from the loft and access the Christmas boxes. There are plans for a santa on a train going round the bottom of the tree but we shall see how far I get.

We have a set menu for Christmas, tradition remember, it is on a spreadsheet and I also have a spreadsheet with all the food shopping items on, the buy aheads and everything in sections. So I don't have to make a new list every year. My Mum was a very organised person who I really admired. She is no longer with us but I raise a glass to her every year.

Yay! It’s back

I had a very stressful run up to Christmas last year and poncing had to take a back seat. Teen DD had a MH crisis in early September 2024 and it was overwhelming trying to get her support with health and education needs. So delighted to see this thread as I have more headspace now (and DD is at an education setting part time) and I'm really looking forward to indulging my inner Christmas ponce.

I always make a Christmas cake, but also want to do a batch of mincemeat. Might have a stab at knitted gifts for my parents (who will appreciate them)

Hurrah for the Poncetastic thread!

I have already begun my poncing and have many lists already on the go. The aim is to actually turn the list into actual things rather than just 'dream projects' Once our Scarecrow Festival is over this weekend, I intend to ponce in earnest. For now, we are jarring honey and making candles for our stall.

My Poncetastic Autumn wreath is already on the front door, though.

I was wondering if there would be a Pontastic Christmas thread this year. I was in my local quilting shop yesterday and they were putting out the Christmas quilting cottons - so much lovely fabric, so much poncing to be done.

Yay! I might not have much time for poncing this year because the next few months we will be dealing with some difficult family stuff, also our house is small and we don't host for many but I love these threads and will chip in when I can.

I've got my parents for Christmas this year, plus possibly a waif/stray friend of DD's whose parents are abroad. That means lots of help (good) but a massive challenge to stop my dad spoonyfuckering about with the dinner. Last year we went away to Krakow for a magical short break before Christmas but I don't know if we will mange anything similar this year. I would love to so fingers crossed.
I would like add to the 1.5 items I have made from the felt 12 days of christmas ongoing project. Probably I should start it before Christmas Eve

i'm so happy you're all here already! i was
a bit apprehensive starting the thread as i'm new to the poncetastic world, but i found the thread last year close to Christmas and knew it was a bit of me! I think I'm going to build my ponceing up in stages.

Septermber will be about sourcing fairylights and putting them all over the house and then in October I might start looking at different things I can make for decorations.

Last year I couldn't even drive and it was my first Christmas with my dd in our forever home and I was still unpacking but I ordered a tree at the last minute to be delivered and bought her too many presents to compensate for not having done many christmas activities with her and it was too much for her, so this year I'm doing a small amount of presents and putting all my energy into ponceing around! I've been learning to drive and really hoping I'll be passed by Christmas so I can go and pick out a tree, but if not, oh well!

I'm just going to pop a placemarker post here for now, and come back once I've showered.

I looked for the thread a few days ago but figured I must have been too early in the month so seeing it today makes me happy 😊

Um, I just checked when Waitrose was opening its Christmas orders!
Due to the fact my son’s boss is a Scrooge and won’t give him more than Xmas day and Boxing off, (despite not getting it last year either), we are no longer flying to the US to spend it with family. So just the three (me, DD and DS) of us. No matter, I have decided on a burgundy and gold theme, have ordered a table centre piece and wreath already. We will feast on a takeaway the night before , french toast and bacon in the morning after presents, then a traditional Christmas dinner at about 4pm. Scrabble and a movie to end the evening.
And we are going to the US for Easter instead, time off granted, flights already booked.

I will pop on to say hello, although I’m pregnant and baby is due at the end of November so the amount of ponding I get done may be dictated by how early or late they are!

Not hosting this year (for obvious reasons!) but would like to have enough time to ponce cards, wrapping and a bit of baking. And of course to knit some incredibly cute Christmas baby outfits.

I love the autumn wreath @RainbowZebraWarrier

Hello my people!
Paperwhites ordered. Theme for sunroom sorted! Christmas embroidery going well. Blank card stock for homemade cards purchased.
yay!

I’m looking forward to poncing this year as we have a new porch which will be perfect for the oversize garlands seen in Knightsbridge (I’m not in Knightsbridge). Got three fake Christmas trees ready to be transformed into poncetastic perfection 😍

Thank you for the thread @welikebeingcosy

@Queenageooo a new room to decorate how exciting

i think I might be in a more poncey mood this year. Last year with one thing and another I just wasn’t. But I’m on my own till near Christmas so unless I’m really brave I can’t access the loft. So I’m thinking lots of handmade bits to do most of the decorating then a very late put up of the tress and things.

@ChrisCracker Congratulations! My two eldest were born 16th Nov and 1st Dec, so I have also had limited ponceing opportunities in recent years, but I highly recommend snuggling a newborn surrounded by fairy lights 😍Magical! If nothing else gets done, prioritise a cosy, warm and twinkly spot to sit and soak everything up after little one arrives.

@Queenage I've never thought to chop up christmas trees to make a garland, this is a fabulous idea! I also have a porch that I didn't decorate last year, I would love some greenery, baubles and maybe some solar lights wrapped around too at least. How will you affix your Knightsbridge style decorations to the porch? Will you install hooks or something? Would love recommendations for outdoor decorating.

I am already out of routine - normally my first bit of poncing is getting hyacinth bulbs into a dark cupboard for forcing, I've always done it when the DCs go back to school but my youngest is off to uni this week so we haven't had back to school to remind me. I also need to get some paperwhites, I found a very tall straight glass vase in a charity shop which was perfect for them last year.

Yay! Love this thread!
Since last year I have moved house, we were not sure if it was going to complete or not last year before Christmas so didn't have much time to pomce while packing. I've also become a single parent officially since last Christmases pretty likely but not definite situation, I've worked through the sadness somewhat and am now keen to push forward into my new solo ponceried happy future.
This year I have picked 2 kilos of plums from a tree on waste ground round here, must have been part of a garden once! And made lots of jam and started plum brandy! I've never made this before, I usually make sloe gin.
The new house has a (freezing, leaky) conservatory. Not very nice to be in in winter but looking forward to poncing it and the house is on a side street with no front garden rather than culdesack with like last one so I have an audience for my first poncey christmas window display! 😁

I’m so glad this thread is back. I’m currently out of work and it’s nice to have something to look forward to. If I don’t get a job soon everybody will be having homemade gifts… so this might be the place to be. I usually make my Christmas cake in October but as I have some spare time I might make it in September this year.
I’m also planning some autumnal poncing. I made a beautiful wreath last year. I’m going to salvage the bits of dried foliage from that and add some new bits to make a lovely new one.

@skeletonbonesplum brandy sounds amazing. We were given a huge bag of plums and made plum and cinnamon jam which is gorgeous. I’m loving the brandy idea even more!

Meant to say, thanks for starting the thread, OP, but I rather missed the traditional opening to the thread, so I've just found Fellatio's original OP from 2010. 15 years ago! A respectful nod to the lovely FellatioNelson, who was the OG. Cheers, Fellatio!

"OK, first of all, I know it's still September but 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. A bit like the war in Afghanistan, only with nicer food and sparkly shoes.
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 jobsworth 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 canapes 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 Bessies' on the packet, this is not the thread for you."

As you were...

❤️❤️

will always be one of the best opening threads on mumsnet.