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.

@ACrackerAQuackerAndADanishCharm

i don’t know Danish coronets, like crowns? Could they be cornets? Like cones?
can you link for me?

Yes that was meant to say cornets/cones! Made out of thin card and embellished as you wish. Will find you a link but can't right now. Will definitely come back tonight. 🎄

@Trumpton here is an example. 🎄Christmas cornet 🎄

Will look for some photos to illustrate various designs.

I like those! We generally hang mini baskets on the staircase garland each with a sweet in so I will ring the changes this year and make the cones!

What sort of things make good fillings? I see that they are not just hung on the tree but round the house, and I wondered about doing a ‘cone hunt’ for my godson who is coming late December….

Poncey throw I’m making for mother in law. Attic 24 pack.

Lovely throw! @Peachypips78 ! Such a lot of work.
today I have been remaking Scandi visions. I bought two from ikea and took them apart to give me 4 fronts that I backed with plain black.
also made 10 cutlery holders for the scandi themed Christmas table.

I have been inspired by the Traitors knitted choc covers to make the annual Sylvanian scene as Traitors inspired. All the DGC love it.

I finished my Fererro covers for my friend yesterday and I'm cross with myself for being organised and doing them now as I want to do traitors ones instead 😂

They're usually made big enough to hold a small handful of sweets, maybe 3 or 4 wrapped chocolates for example. Traditionally they would have had dried fruits

I’m trying some forcing snowdrops instead of paperwhites this year (the smell 🤢 and I forgot about the unscented ones till I read on here!) but it’s just been sooo mild I don’t know if they will come on. If I had room in the fridge I would put them in there!

I have started drying orange slices and orange peel shapes to do all sorts of things nearer the time. I feel more ahead and on it this year than I have for a few years for several reasons so I am embracing it!

Also been weaving lots of mini wreaths from willow to use everywhere too. Next I’m going to try making a chain of them.

What are visions @Trumpton?

Cushions maybe? 🤔😁

@Peachypips78 @HannahDefoesChristmasHamper
Yes! Cushions! Why would it auto correct to visions? I have many more cushions than visions in my life.

Thinking of Trumpton's Scandi Visions now.
I'm sure your sunroom will be such a vision.

And meanwhile I have been asked to make a willow wren as part of the Christmas trail around the port. I have made one and will take it to the Town Hall on Monday. Photos to follow.

I've just come across this account on Insta and she has quite a few ideas which I really want to try for Christmas decorations
crochetcrazyhelen

OMG her little satsuma wreaths are amazing! I love the fact that they look so easy / instant as I think about the idea of drying orange slices every year. I then realise I cba with slicing them then being in the air fryer for hours on end so never bother. This is a brilliant alternative. Also, waste not want not.

<skips off to Hobbycraft for some wire>

I've just asked DH to pick up some glycerin to preserve the leaves that are falling at the moment, I'm going to try and make a wreath and it would be nice if it lasts longer than a couple of weeks.

@RainbowZebraWarrior I dried orange slices in the air fryer last year - they didn't take overly long on the dehydrate setting!

I’ve been making some of these and they come out really well! The kids are loving making them too. Trying to preserve some berries in glycerin at the moment which I might add to them

Brilliant idea about the berries. I'm off to the shops later for glycerine (thought I had some in the cupboard but can't find it)

Brilliant idea about the berries. I'm off to the shops later for glycerine (thought I had some in the cupboard but can't find it)

Sorry about the double post. Stupid text staying in the text box after posting.

I'm going to do some upcycling this week. I collect these little wooden Northumbrian cracket stools and have one in every room (handy as strp stools / foot rests) My latest one is awful though, but it was cheap. It has a mahogany like stain over the pine, so I'm going to paint it Arsenic green then stencil some Holly leaves or something similar and sit my Nisser on it (Danish elves made by Maileg)

The cracket stool is still sitting in the car, but I will post some before and after pics when done. Wish me luck, as I haven't done any stencilling since 1993!

Well now I want a cracket stool, I feel like it's a piece of furniture that is definitely missing from several rooms in our house.
Finished off the orange peel wreath with a sprig of rosemary and some old wrapping ribbon (my family have been unwrapping presents carefully for years as they know I keep anything reusable). It looks quite sweet, but would look better with satsuma peel as the orange had a bit too much pith. I'll be putting it on my crafting club program at school as I think the kids will enjoy making them (and it's something they can do at home too). This week's session is making those flower-shaped bows from waste paper (sooooo many teachers mess up their photocopies that there's a constant supply of waste paper). I'll be doing snowflakes at some point too (one of my classroom walls is navy blue and looks amazing with snowflakes covering it).
Most of my colleagues hate this time of year at work as we have loads of extra work but I love it (not the extra work, but the general atmosphere). Also we have quite a few kids who don't have idea living conditions at home so making my classroom as welcoming as possible makes a difference, I love seeing their faces once I've put the tree up 😀

Clearer picture as the other one has confusing twigs in the background!