The Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles readalong 2025 - Part 2

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Hello all, and welcome to Part 2. We Continue our CC journey.

For anyone who has not already had the pleasure, the annual Nigel Slater Christmas Chronicles read along is a real time annual MN tradition.
The Christmas Chronicles (Notes, stories and 100 essential recipes for midwinter) book began on 1st November.

We continue to read along and comment with the book which is set out in diary form. I will make a post each day (or let you know if there is no entry on a particular day)

Some regulars to the thread already have the book. For anyone new, it's a challenge to see of you can pick up a bargain. Vinted has come up trumps in the past, as has ebay. A rare and precious charity shop find is always a bonus. Don't forget, you can also listen along to Nigel's dulcet tones via Audible.

So, welcome to old friends and new, and don't forget that reading by candle light is particularly enjoyable. Cire Trudon may be one of Nige's candles of choice, but it's somewhat pricey. We don't discriminate against other less expensive brands - even if they are NVN (Not Very Nigel)

Pull up a chair, light a candle, grab a cosy blanket and join in!

I absolutely love A Thousand Feasts @Lemonbaytree - almost more than Christmas Chronicles. It is peak Nigel - full of musings and observations on all kinds of everything, in his own inimitable way. It’s a book to dip into rather than read from cover to cover, in bite size chunks (and indeed some tiny little nibbles). There are no recipes though there is a lot of food writing. If you enjoy the bits in CC where he gives you his rules for Christmas card writing, thoughts on candles and all his lovely descriptive passages about his garden, childhood and the seasons then you won’t be disappointed. It is also more portable than Christmas Chronicles (indeed it was the book I was carrying for ID purposes when @Bimblesalong and I had our rendez-vous!) and it’s an excellent bedside companion when you just want a short snippet before lights out.
Bimbles your candlelight swim session sounds marvelous - and I share your disdain for the Mark Spitz types (or in my case Leon Marchand) racing through the water.

Thank you @LillianGish, sounds right up my street. I'll add it to my Xmas list!

The Christmas lights on Sloane Square in London were looking very nice, I thought…..

Beautiful windows @LillianGish. We are in Paris over NYE I think-any tips or recommendations gratefully received
Love using A Thousand Feasts as an identifying object. If we ever need to form some sort of spy network or resistance this is how we should all know each other!

27 November

Vienna, a city of sugar and whipped cream

Vienna sparkles. A city like a Christening cake. Horse drawn carriages, as polished as a Chelsea pensioner's boots, go clippety-clop on cobbled streets. Fir trees with golden baubles guard the doorways of the jewellery shops. Icing sugar cakes hang in gilded cages in bakeries, and strings of white fairy lights dangle between the houses like diamonds.

I have found a lovely traditional Advent calendar from a website called Carousel. I got one that apparently "adds more to the scene" as you open up the windows! It feels a little bit N (although he wouldn't have bought his online and certainly not one with a sprinkling of glitter!) 🤭 They have so many gorgeous traditional calendars. It took ages to decide which one to purchase! I hope these provide some inspiration 😊

https://www.carouselshop.co.uk/products/christmas-advent-calendar-wintry-city-traditional-picture-advent-calendar

I’m starting to imagine we could institute a meet up- perhaps several places in the uk, right at the start, or end, of CC!
In my imagination, women of all ages start trickling into the town square, laden with bags of candles, crafting materials and home made baked goods, photographing plants in pavement cracks and interesting bits of stone as they go. On arrival, they start rummaging through the bags to dig out their CC, but have already been spotted before they produce it.
And we settle in for a chat and a flapjack.

That's very similar to one I had last year @WhoAteMyBiscuit , I think the festive street scene calendars are my favourite of all.

When dd1 was tiny, we had a shop nearby with a huge selection of those 'Christmas village' buildings, all lit up and playing tinkly tunes. It was her absolutely favourite thing in the whole world. I think she would still go there now, at 22, if it hadn't closed down .

I’m so excited, my lovely DP has bought me the St Eval advent calendar. I won’t see him until the 1st so he gave it to me last night - he’s the kindest most generous person but doesn’t always quite ‘get’ my taste so this is a big deal 🫣😊 Very much looking forward to a different candle to try every day throughout December.

I have DH's bug🤒 so I am prescribing myself a day off, mostly in bed. I have two baskets besides me, knitting and books. I have opened the curtains and the window and am sitting in bed with a hat and scarf on. I have just had toasted chocolate and fudge sourdough from Sainsburys which was divine. My Arne and Carlos stocking is nearly finished as I made good progress yesterday evening while devouring two episodes of Foyles War. I am planning on knitting the Christmas balls this year so need to order more yarn ( one of my fave things to do!)
Nigel will be listened to in bed today, along with a catch up of A Year of Wonder, which if you haven't heard of it, is a year long guide to discovering classical music, by Clemency Burton Hill with a You Tube play list. It is excellent! I read that and The Daily Stoic every day, plus I am doing A Poem for Every Autumn Day at the moment. It finishes on the 30th and then I move on to my annual Miss Read books.
Sorry, waffling here, must be the bug😷

Plus I bought the Christmas cake ingredients yesterday to cook today before I succumbed to this virus. Sorry Nigel!

I used to have a traditional advent calendar which I used for several years. It was 3D - 4 pieces that slotted together to form a house. I loved it, the first year discovering each hidden picture, the following years trying to see if I could remember what was behind each window. Like many of my childhood treasures it got lost in one of the many moves that were inflicted on me woe is me . The last year I had it I must have been 12 so in all likelihood I wouldn't have been interested in it much after that anyway.
Love the idea of some of you meeting up, laden with candles, flapjacks and a copy of CC 😂

@WhoAteMyBiscuit that is gorgeous! I think I might treat myself to it.

For anyone who missed out on the St Eval Black Friday sale, they have just done a final restock.

https://www.st-eval.com/collections/black-friday-2025?utm_source=ST.+EVAL+-+B2C&utm_campaign=1c9bad8153-NovC010&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-7103c79be5-434329818&goal=0_281309aff0-1c9bad8153-434329818&mc_cid=1c9bad8153&mc_eid=5f2fd17731

Jealous of your st Eval advent @CoastalGrey. That was so thoughtful of him!They have just had a sale restock on their website if anyone missed it the first time.
@PrizedPickledPopcornthis sounds absolutely ideal!

Cross post @RainbowZebraWarrior! St Eval really ought to pay us some sort of commission!

Haha. Indeed!

Although I'm just browsing now and most of the stuff I couldn't get first time around is still showing as Sold Out, so I'm not sure exactly what they have restocked!

So, I can’t smell my Inspiritus candles when they burn. So far, just the stick candles, not a nightlight or tin.

Is it the scent, or me? I’m reluctant to get more, if I can only smell them before I burn them!

I have bought a red frankincense one from aldi, so I’ll see if that seems better.

Sorry you are poorly @IlovetoKnitandRead. I’ve woken up feeling not much better-though I did take something called Benylin Mucus cold yesterday that I got in B and M on a desperate whim, and which did actually help quite a bit (If like me you feel like your ears and nose are full of gunk I can recommend it). Quite the thing this bug. Don’t think I will make my event tonight and I’ve got the right hump about it tbh.
We have a weirdly busy for us time coming up-big family birthdays, work things, Christmas of course, friends visiting. Really hoping this is my last stint of annoying flu and covid and ear infections and whatever else of the year as I think I’ve had everything going!
In bed with the daschund and one Jack Russell, the other is in with my DD1. Listening to an Audio book of this poet DD and I follow on Insta, (Lucas Jones-if anyone is in to modern urban poetry). I’ve just bought her a signed book of his for her Boxing Day birthday which she will love I hope.
DD2 is coming home for the weekend so I have to get up today and clear her room a bit-it’s full of clothes she didn’t take to uni all over the place and boxes and such. But that will be all I manage I think.

I have the inspiritus stick candles so I will burn one later and tell you what I think. One thing to note, if they are the mini ones (as mine are) then I don't think one would be enough to fragrance a room. I remember reading something yesterday (gawd knows where) that you need a lit candle every 10ft for scent purposes.

Ah. Found it. It was from Elle Decor.

Mine was delivered yesterday and I am very pleased with it! The printing is excellent quality and there is plenty of glitter to add to the Christmas effect (be warned! The glitter will follow you around! 😆).

Hope you feel better soon @IlovetoKnitandRead

I must not buy any more candles - I'll almost certainly get some in Christmas presents so being restrained until then.

I'm spending today getting the house ready for visitors - I live alone but I absolutely love having people coming to stay for a few days. Really looking forward to getting the place properly clean and tidy, and smelling extra nice, and getting good food in, and especially making the spare room feel cosy and welcoming.

I was going to engage them in making Christmas pudding but I'm having second thoughts (possibly because I see the giant Christmas cake every time I open the cupboard and that's going to take some getting through). Maybe we'll do mince pies instead, with the added benefit that we can eat them this weekend. I need to wrap a few presents for them to take home with them, and post my friend's advent calendar as we won't be catching up in person as soon as I expected.

Have any of you been to Vienna? It's been on my list for a while!

I know the sort of shop/Christmas display you mean! They do look so pretty when it's getting dark outside and you look into the window and see the village - even more magical if they have a little train going through! Such a shame the shop is no longer nearby but you have some happy memories with your daughter 😌I have just remembered that the actress Teri Hatcher ramdomly popped up on my Instagram feed last Christmas with her Christmas village she made that sits on top of her grand piano 😂To be fair it was really good - I'll see if I can find the video and pop the link on here

That’s good to know! I sit right next to it, but maybe the scent is rising to the ceiling 🤣

I usually find DS’s candle perfumes the whole upstairs. He lights them every evening, as he sits gaming in his room. I’m now fussy about what we get him, as we all get to experience it!