Posted on 12/14/2007 5:20:05 PM PST by snugs
How prepared are you for Christmas?
A lot of singles I know and who live on their own do not really do much for Christmas in the way of decorations or buying any special food etc for Christmas. A lot of them get an invite for the day to spend either with friends or family members and therefore their sole preparation is buying a few gifts for the people likely to be at this event and maybe contributing either monetarily to the host/hostess or taking a few food/drink items on the day. So as a single you think you are prepared and will not be caught unawares but you maybe wrong so I thought this weekend I would offer a few suggestions in order that we may not be embarrassed this year
Many stores in Britain and I suspect in the US have tins or large boxes/cartons of sweets (candies) or biscuits (cookies) only available at Christmas and Easter and many have offers on such as 3 for the price of 2 or a special price for buying 2.
A large tin of chocolates or toffees are always acceptable and even if the recipient does not consume them at Christmas often the best before will be Easter or even beyond, having a couple of these in the house can often be useful for that unexpected gift you get, such as a long lost friend or relative ringing and saying I am in your area today/tomorrow can I pop in and almost certainly they will have a card and a small gift for you.
Also if you do not use these for gifts at Christmas they can be used at Easter or for a birthday present next year. In particular Scottish Shortbread is a good one to give as this is a traditional Christmas/New Year treat.
Another idea is that there are presentation boxes of nuts and dried fruit they make a nice gift and again can be stored for Easter or given as birthday presents if not used.
If you are a baker why not make an extra batch of cookies or candies such a rum truffles or home-made fudge or toffee or even mince pies, keep a few little fancy cardboard boxes and some ribbon and they can quickly be used to create up a present for the unexpected visitor.
A tip also if you have been invited out for the day and you think you have the gifts thing covered in case of an unexpected fellow visitor why not take an extra couple of bottle of wine and bottle bags with you so that you can make the person welcome and they have as least one gift to open if present opening is part of the day's celebrations.
Next weekend really is time to pick up a few items that cannot be bought until the last minute such as the vegetables, fresh cream and fruit. In addition no doubt there will be items that you forgot this week but really this is only the mop up and the real shopping is done.
Why not this week make a few bits like some biscuits (cookies), sweets (candies) or maybe a craft project. These will either do for emergency presents or extra items to hand out over the Christmas period especially if you are visiting friends and relatives why is better than giving a personal home-made gift.
One of my favourite and easiest sweets to make are peppermint creams. I will post this recipe shortly along with a couple of others that make good gifts or great nibbles to have around just in case someone drops in to wish you Christmas cheer.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
yes, you are right. I am rescuing all sorts of animals all the time.. but I know my limitations.. as in a 30 foot snake.. and I will call on you for sure & am equally sure you will show up within minutes (WFTR AKA Superman)
Before tonight’s bonus questions I will answer my own from yesterday.
How did you buy your gifts or are buying your gifts this year?
I did a mixture of online buying and High Street shopping probably 60-40 online being the 60.
Are you more an online or mail order shopper than a shopping mall or High Street shopper?
Yes I am generally more of an online shopper for “things” mainly because I do not drive and there are items I cannot find in Ashford, also I like some older items especially cooking wise so I often buy old items from Ebay. Food though I still go the stores and choose.
I still send cards and presents though not as much as I used to as over the years you loose contact with people especially if you and they move, I tend to send cards and gifts to those I am in daily or weekly contact with.
This thread is my ideas for last minute gifts.
My musts for Christmas are:-
Christmas cake - homemade
Mince pies - homemade
Sausage Rolls - I will make them this year
Christmas pudding - bought
Chocolate Ginger - bought online from Ebay
After Eight Mints
Turkish Delight
Nuts in their shells
Above are just a few items I could go on and on
Shop in the Internet!!!
It’s the ONLY way to fly!!!
Sieve the sugar into a bowl and bind with half the egg white. Add peppermint essence and mix to a smooth firm paste, adding the remainder of the egg white if necessary.
Roll the pastry out on a board dusted with icing (confectioners) sugar to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Using a small plain cutter cut out rounds and leave them to set. Christmas time you could make stars or trees etc.
Leave to set
If you wish you can make chocolate mints by carefully and quickly dipping each peppermint cream halfway into melted chocolate. Leave them on greaseproof (parchment) paper to set.
That sounds easy....and yummy! Thanks!
We just started with the Christmas thing and had to move lots of stuff because our complex decided they were going to fumigate the whole building. So we had to take everything out of the kitchen cabinets and pantry and out from under the bathroom sink.
Then we had to put it all back.
Between all that and the rain, there wasn't much decorating getting done.
The day they fumigated we had to take the dog and leave for the whole day and so we made use of going up and visiting my dad, but the dog threw up in the back seat again.
I was laffin’ my butt off at the snowman doing the limbo.
Bring milk and water to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the sugar and butter. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves. Return ot the boil and cook the mixture stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 238F.
Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut and vanilla. Beat briskly until thick and creamy.
To make coconut ice balls, stir in the pink food colouring and leave the mixture to cool slightly. Take small amounts between your fingers and roll them into balls. Place the balls in individual paper cases and leave them to set completely.
Alternatively you can make the traditional two coloured coconut ice. Pour half the mixture into a greased 8 inch square cake tin (pan). Colour the remainder with pink food colouring and spread it over the white layer. Leaver the coconut ice to set and serve it cut into squares.
Makes 2lb of coconut ice.
My sister told me that my older sibs picked my name. (I was a late baby, so they were teens)
Bill, you do realize that they were not Seventh-day Adventists though, right? :)
Sigh...
Bill, you might want to explore timberdoodle.com
I’m big on “tools, not toys” Learning toys, err, tools.
My heart goes out to you, but the ones who prey on others are quite good at feeding what others want to hear.
I’m so sorry.
Are you into animal rescue?
On Christmas and Thanksgiving mornings I make cinnamon rolls and serve them to the family all gooey and warm from the oven.
Ah, I'm getting senile. You're right. They were Jehovah's Witnesses. I knew a guy in my high school prayer group who was Seventh-Day Adventist. I knew that I'd heard the name somewhere. LOL
Bill
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