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!

Thanks lovely. I feel like a Para superhero now! I'm on daily codeine anyway for my long term pain, but just remembering to take them on time. They do nowt much really for my chronic pain, but I was really surprised last night at how effective they were for falling-down-everyday-injuries. My wrists and shoulders are feeling it today from the impact.

I've just spent an enjoyable 5 minutes deleting a load of stuff from my Alexa to do list. Book boiler service, oven clean blah blah. All can now wait till after Christmas. Focus on the stuff that has to be done now, so my car is booked in for MOT this week, some appointments and my craft fair on Saturday. I am NOT looking forward to new roof shenanigans next week. I hate having people working on my house. I did contemplate booking into a hotel, but no doubt I need to actually be here.

I am also rather taken by the Solstice meal and am also nicking the idea. DD and I are having a celebratory veggie banquet on Christmas eve to celebrate a year of her being vegetarian. I've been suggesting all sorts of lovely creations, but from her perspective it looks like garlic bread and hummus so far!

Gosh. Must get ready and head to school.

Poor you @RainbowZebraWarrior . It's a bit shocking and upsetting falling over as an adult. Hope you heal up quickly. I'm in bed drinking tea with a candle on (not a candle person, this thread got me interested, TKMaxx delivered with an Aery one) eeking out the time before I need to get ready for work.
@WeMeetInFairIthilien I love a packed, random tree. Ours won't go up until 20-somethings are home, as yet unconfirmed, but is always a shambles, in a good way.

Oooh this is lovely. Really lifted my spirits!

Oh god I hope you're OK @RainbowZebraWarrior that sounds like a nasty fall, and how annoying about the new trousers!
I'm on strike today so I'm going to try and get a move on with getting the tree up, I'm more or less on top of work stuff now so I'm allowing myself a bit of fun time.

Thabk you. Arnica cream definitely helped save the day as my knees don't look anywhere near as bad as I was expecting (still not a pretty sight, but as I don't get them out these days, nobody's going to see)

@RainbowZebraWarrior bless you, falling, hurting knees, ruined trousers and a muddy puddle.

☕️💐🕯📖

Blimey @RainbowZebraWarrior ! That’s spectacular, take it steady today. 💐

Sympathies, @RainbowZebraWarrior . I took a tumble over the summer and landed on my nose. I was a scabby creature for a week or so.

Gosh what a nasty fall @RainbowZebraWarrior hope you feel better soon. Falling as an adult is such a shock. I fell down the stairs over the summer (totally my fault, I was leaning over to look out of the window, being nosy to see what the neighbours were up to) landed so hard on my coccyx, I could have just lay down and cried!
I'm just having a cup of tea with a NVN gingerbread Malteser reindeer - highly recommend 😀

Oh poor you @RainbowZebraWarrior - falling as an adult is the most embarrassing thing - I’m so glad someone came to your aid and that nothing was broken. Very hard to style it out after a puddle roll, but rolling is definitely the way to avoid serious injury even if it makes the fall look worse than it is. Obviously instinct kicked in.I think the best medicine is probably @WeMeetInFairIthilien’s photo which is spectacularly comforting - I just want to step into it snd sit down with that cup of tea.

Glad the tree meets with approval 😅

Every year, I take a photo on the first morning it is up. There is a silk covered bauble that I always have near my seat. My DM bought it for her DM in 1981, her first married Christmas. It has a verse about a Mothers love being the very heart of Christmas. My DNan didn't get to meet her great-grandchildren, but when I had DD, my DM passed it onto me.

Oh, and I do apologise. Despite it being a teacup, it did in fact contain a black cinnamon coffee. Café Royal do a Nespresso compatible pod, which I order from Europe, every winter

I don't think the Spode Christmas Tree has a coffee can/demi-tasse, so make do with a teacup.

EDIT: Hold the door - I've just found there is a set of espresso cups and saucers 😱

Oh no @RainbowZebraWarrior , it really shakes you, falling. Impressed with the ninja roll though - I fell down our front step last summer and sprained my ankle really badly. Did not do any sort of roll and can confirm when I watched it on our ring doorbell that I looked every bit the wally I felt! Take it easy today.
I have no work on and ocado has come so I am making the (Jamie) christmas gravy today! I like to have that stashed ready in the freezer. I really ought to muck out the pantry too, it's chaotic in there and I am sure things are going out of date at the back. Not sure if I can be bothered (bet Nigel doesn't have his so full he has no idea what's what! I imagine it perfectly curated, with just one jar of perfect marmalade, etc.)

Ouch @RainbowZebraWarrior - I hope it all heals up quickly. I fell over (downhill) in the middle of a trail race last year and instinctively rolled too - the man behind me said I looked like an armadillo 😁

@RainbowZebraWarrior rubbish about falling, but the goalkeeper roll sounds like a perfect response.

That tree is along the lines of our non-symmetrical, heirloom, child-made chaos that dangles from it!

Bizarrely, seeing as I do quite a lot, dad and the boys tend to decorate our tree, once we get one lol90,,ooooioii989oooooooooooooo0opo0pol00ooooooooool0llooooooooooooooooo0l9,99,9ooooop [ o9 vcv9p o9opi l00oooo oooooooooooooc po9pppppppppppoalc
pplppppippfooiioooooooooo ooooooooooo oooooooolooooooooooooooooooo9ooooooooooooooipoooooiilooll

@frozendaisy cat?

sorry guys trying to fix a key on the keyboard

No prizes for guessing which key?

Let's see if it's fixed enough?
Well it's not perfect it's not touch type anymore but it's sort of held together if I bash it a bit it might bed in who knows?

I thought 🐈 too!

@RainbowZebraWarrior sorry to hear you fell over. It is horrible and really shakes you up.

@LillianGish I so enjoy your Paris photos, even though they make me rather envious. I love Paris. One of the very best things I have ever eaten was a simple stuffed tomato in a small restaurant in Paris. Twenty years later my DH and I still talk about that tomato! 🍅

@WeMeetInFairIthilien your tree is beautiful.

I am thinking Nigel with his dipped ink quills might have the right idea right now!

(we do not have cats, wouldn't be fair we go away randomly and yeah not for us right now)

I am also being NVN by already misplacing presents. With the added complication that it's the youngster's birthday before Christmas.

But just terms of presents I think most of the main gifts are purchased now, need some smaller but you know nice boxes of chocolates which I will get by the end of the weekend. Then I can post what needs to be posted and get round to slowly wrapping, I don't mind wrapping, nice if it's not done in a flurry.

I have started to add what we need for hosting over Christmas which is a whole other heap of lists. But there is no point in worrying about any of this just do a bit when you can really.

Hope everyone else getting the December bug.

This keyboard key isn't going to last very long. I will just add it to the list of jobs.

I’m getting the December bug @frozendaisy, but I have two different speeds. At the moment I’m calmly enjoying stringing up lights and decorations, putting up the wreath, baking cakes and pricing up Christmas trees at various florists with DS. I’ve bought a few gifts, ordered some stuff online and will get down to writing a few cards over the next few days (following Nigel’s rules for Christmas cards). It’s all very relaxed and candlelit and interspersed with strolls around the city which is looking ravishing. When I arrive in the UK on December 20 - the day before my mum’s 89th birthday - I shall swing into frenzied mode as she won’t have done anything! There will be a supermarket dash for the turkey, ham and other seasonal essentials, a scramble for a Christmas tree (the spindliest little runt as Nigel puts it - ie whatever is left) then a frenzy of decorating the house. Fortunately the kids and DH love to pitch in (DS will be making a list and checking it twice for the food) - there’s an element of ‘let’s do the show right here’ and in a funny sort of way it actually takes the pressure off because it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you forget something, well it’s only to be expected - as long as you have the turkey you can pretty much improvise the rest. As DH says, when we’re all sitting there on Christmas Day in our finery with a glass of Champagne in hand opening a few pressies with some festive tunes in the background everyone will agree it’s the best Christmas ever and mum will be so grateful to all of us for going over and making it happen.

In case this is of help to anyone, I highly recommend this company. The trees I have had from them have been beautiful and lasted so well I felt guilty taking them down in January.

sendmeachristmastree.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOoo95OtaW_Dawe4e0a4jpBfFxK1ywwumGVlkATyfNYQks9Wu_Mzn

Oh no @RainbowZebraWarrior hope you are staying warm and feeling a bit better so horrible falling over as a 'grown up'. I really enjoyed Nigel's descriptions of the Christmas markets and the beautiful baubles I'd love to go one year! Not ever so festive here ongoing works in the kitchen following our leak which is a real pain - no tree yet but hopefully the house will be a bit more back to normal and we will get a tree at the weekend. I've got a wreath making workshop with a friend this Thursday which I'm really excited about never done one before. I'm not the most artistic but sure it will be fun and very festive. Any tips for hanging on the door with ribbon gratefully received - DH is keen not to have an over the door hanger!

outdoor command hook @imp2007has always worked for me and leaves no mark on the door when removed.
I have been to purchase my tree. It was quite dark by the time I got there, and I’ve ended up with a very beautiful but very chubby one which looks monstrously large in the room… still he is in, will start decorating in earnest tomorrow.