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.

The Domestic Gothess Christmas cake is delicious. Infact all of her celebration cakes are foolproof.

@HannahDefoesChristmasHamper and @RainbowZebraWarrior Hello to my fellow low histamine Christmas ponces! So happy to feel a little bit less alone in this. I've only been eating this way since about June and I think I'll struggle to resist Christmas food (wine & a good cheeseboard are my favourite parts of Christmas), but the risk of ending up in A&E again with breathing difficulties and swelling is a strong deterrent.

Fudge and pavlova are both excellent suggestions, thank you, and that pudding looks delicious. I've made a couple of crumbles recently which I've really enjoyed, but I definitely appreciate more options for festive treats. Are you both planning to make everything fresh for Christmas dinner? Are you doing turkey? I don't want to derail the thread, but please do share your plans :)

@Terriblytwee
Thanks for that recipe for vegan Christmas cake it looks great. I generally make the cake around now but she says if not using alcohol to make it nearer the time. Hmmm, I might make it soon but freeze it.

Very happy to discuss so have started what may be a very tiny thread I suspect as there is little about it in MN in general

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5416017-low-histamine-christmas-ideas

Hopefully the lovely @RainbowZebraWarrior will join us and share her chef wisdom and passion for good food and we can see what festive treats we can whip up from the dusty choices we have left.

Joining in as it’s going to be a strange Christmas as our DD will be in Australia. First Christmas apart. So on the day it’s just the two of us. I’m doing some early Christmas treats for before she leaves at the end of November, all her favourites. I also bought a couple of boxes of my favourite seasonal treat - pruneaux d’Agen fourrés. Lakeland do them, and they are so good!

I live near Agen. You think the stuffed prunes would be cheaper here, but they are definitely not 😂

I just looked those up, I like plums but have never eaten a prune, I don’t think buying a £30 box would be a good way of testing whether I like them, but I’m sure tempted!!

I love Guillian seashells, I must find and test some poncey versions for Christmas.

@FurForksSake@DanceWithYourBalloonLakeland do them for £14.99, and I had a voucher for 25% off. They also had them in the sale just after Christmas last year at £5 a box!

Right, I’ll look in the sale and give them a go!

Agen prunes were a revelation as I’d gone my whole life hating them from childhood (probably dodgy tinned ones) but these are delicious!

First time stumbling across this thread - how brilliant!

I’ll have a one-year-old DC this Christmas, so opportunities for full-blown poncery may be limited 😂 Didn’t even make a cake or pudding last year thanks to a horrendously tough first few months for me healthwise post partum - MIL had to step in!

Hoping to make mincemeat soon and try my hand at mince pies this year.

Hello @PumpkinSparkleFairy sorry to hear you've had a tough time. I hope there's some Christmas magic sparkled your way this festive season.

I want to make pralines. I also love guylian seashells and Thorntons alpini's so I'm trying to find a way to create something along those lines. I've made traditional truffles for years, but I find them sickly and there's always the issue of short shelf life if you make them with cream. I may Road test a couple of ideas at the weekend.

8 jars of Chilli jam have now been made so that's something else ticked off my poncing list

@RainbowZebraWarrior I’ve made rose and violet creams in the past and truffles, it has never even crossed my mind to make a praline. If you do road test please do share the results!

Paperwhites, I’ve read really conflicting things online. I’ve grown them in water before but I haven’t done it for years. I’m sure I started them off around now, and put them in my unheated garage.

Any advice?

My garage hopefully will have a ceramics kiln in before Christmas which will raise the ambient temp a bit.

I bought the fruit for the Christmas cake today. husband tells me we have lots of dried fruit in the cupboard. I’ll audit it and then make puddings and cake from what I’ve for.

@FurForksSake

Here is the link to Cornell University paper on alcohol and Paperwhites.
https://flowerbulbs.cornell.edu/forcing-research/pickling-your-paperwhites/

I start mine on 12th November on pebbles and water and keep them cool and dark until they are about 3 ins high. Then bring them into warmth and light. Tip the water away carefully and replace with alcohol and water 1:7 ratio.

if I feel they are getting ahead of themselves then I move them into a cooler place for a few days.

This year I am using Ziva Paperwhites as they are supposed to be less fragranced. I get mine from Sarah Raven.

I’ve gone for ziva also. I’ll pop the bulbs in the garage for now and get them going in November, thanks.

How wonderful to find this thread!

I ordered some Bethlehem olive wood star tree decorations for my son's catechists, to give them at his last First Holy Communion session before Christmas.

I also picked up the Good Housekeeping Christmas Collection (as it is now called - used to be the November issue!) to have a peruse. I am definitely going to make fig infused red vermouth to make their fig negronis, and I am tempted by their fig and stilton crinkle tart, and make-ahead rosti-topped fish pie and nduja sausage rolls for the freezer. Also their Kendal mint cake or homemade After Eights (basically the same recipe!) if I have the time (!)

They had a huge amount of good ideas for 'seasonal' suppers round that time of year including some you can make-ahead, and I'm pleased as I was so stumped last year. It is going on the shelf for the BIG CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LIST planning.

This thread has reminded me I didn't get as far as making mini Christmas cakes and cheddar flapjacks for the cheeseboard, despite plans to, last year. How many tuna tins does a 20cm recipe fill, and how long do you need to cook them for?

Cheddar flapjacks? They sound interesting..

I think the idea came from this thread last year: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/christmas/5234268-christmas-cheese-board

Scrambling round for Christmas recipes means I have also realised I don't have a lot of the recipes I use reguarly, written down. I depend on them being online. has anybody successfully had their own recipe book printed?

If anybody is interested the recipes I use again and again are:

Nigel Slater Christmas Pudding
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/dec/11/foodanddrink
(enjoyed by people who 'don't like Christmas pudding')

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall digestive biscuits and oatcakes
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/oct/06/foodanddrink.recipes1
(even fussy toddlers like them)

Gizzi Erskine's Boxing Day Pie/Leftover Turkey, Ham and Leek Pie Filling https://www.instagram.com/p/B6eBGTBh32G/?hl=en
(an ingredient list as long as your sleeve but just iconic)

Gizzi Erskine's Winter chopped salad
https://gizzierskine.substack.com/p/left-overcompensating-boxing-day
(only came out last year but was repeatedly asked for the recipe by people I served it to)

Jamie Oliver's toad in the hole (for the Yorkshire puddings)
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork/classic-toad-in-the-hole/
(add 30-50ml water in place of water to make really fluffy)

Nigella's Bar Nuts
https://www.nigella.com/recipes/bar-nuts
(I have to make double/triple batches as everybody asks me to bring some more next year)

NYTs Fesenjan
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017040-fesenjan
(was all the range a few years back when pomegranate molasses was the must-have ingredient)

Has anybody successfully printed their own/Christmas recipes? Who did you use?

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing. I’ll be bookmarking those.

I do wonder if Guylian seashells themselves are fine if part of a sort of 70s Xmas-haul aesthetic? We live in a 60s cube, and quite frankly, trying to pretend it is a Georgian rectory is a bit silly. I lean into the Twiglets tubs, orange and lemon slices, 'Eat Me' prunes and those 'party mix' pretzel tubs with the individual compartments (sherry glasses compulsory) as part of the fun.

I’ve just been down a cheese flapjack rabbit hole, I may need to make a couple of test batches. One of mine loves crackers so teaching him to make some will be good.
DS1 (12) made eclairs today so might make profiteroles for Christmas now he’s learnt the basics.

So after spending way too many hours marking papers and lesson planning I forced myself to take some time to do something nice. I have chosen my colours and started cutting things out. DCat decided to ''help''.

@FurForksSake my favourites how did making violet and rose go

I’ve started some wire work Christmas decorations. I have Just bought the material to attempt some re-usable fabric Christmas crackers. They look complicated so wish me luck!!