Christmas Prep: other people’s ideas

So I’ve written a few posts about how I’ve been preparing for Christmas and of course all the gin, jam and chutney heads in that direction too.

However, I’ve also been enjoying reading about lots of other people’s preparations. I’ve asked to share some here, hope you enjoy.

Vegan Clementine Curd by The Grumpy Olive

Who doesn’t love little oranges at Christmas? I used to always get one in my stocking. And the smell of oranges, all rich and citrusy has got to be a quintessential Christmas smell. So whether it’s as a gift or just a seasonal treat, try this clementine curd from Simona, Frederica and Cristina at the Grumpy Olive. I’m not sure what I want to eat it with first – toast, crumpets, english muffins….

Christmas Scavenger Hunt by Jane at Hodge Podge Days

I have a fear that the last week before Christmas is going to be long. The boys will finish school a full week before the big day and himself and I will still have three more days of work. So how to keep them occupied?

With a scavenger hunt, that’s how. Specifically, Jane’s Christmas Scavenger Hunt.

Some of the items will be easy enough, but others they’re going to find tricky. I think I’ll let them off with pictures or Internet search hits for the things we might not have around. Or maybe I’ll get large boy to hone his IT skills by taking pictures and making a PowerPoint of all the items!

Jane has loads of other wonderful Christmas posts that you really ought to explore too. If I have the time (and the organization) I really want to make a Christmas button wreath.

Christmas Horror Books from Kaili at Owl Book World

As regular reader know, we’re a family of bookworms. While the boys are very tied to their favourite styles and authors, I try to be a bit more adventurous though. Usually I branch out into a bit of sci-fi or historical fiction, with a bit of non-fiction to keep things serious from time to time.

However, when I saw Kaili’s post about horror books on a Christmas theme I was really intrigued. This is a great list of a mix of short story collections and spine chilling novels. I think I’m going to give The Christmas Bell by L.A. Detwiler a try and hope it doesn’t give me nightmares.

4 Couples Christmas Traditions To Keep The Romance Alive from Sarah at Mom Wife Wine

I love Sarah’s down to earth blog, full of practical ideas and when I read this post it just seemed such a caring thoughtful approach. Sarah’s come up with 4 traditions to help glue a couple together during the festive season – when we can all get a bit more stressed out and grumpy with each other.

Gingerbread Cake by Elle Grace Deveson

Be careful venturing into Elle’s blog – it’s full of delicious recipes and they may prove dangerous if you’ve got a sweet tooth! This gingerbread cake looks particularly mouth-watering – what could be more festive and warming than that!

Chatsworth Christmas Market by Molly at Lovely Local Indie

I’ve got to admit that Molly (and Lisa coming up next) is a blogger that I interact with quite a lot, I read everything she writes and as we’re relatively local, I take her hints, tips and reviews seriously – often noting down recommendations for lunches or days out.

We went to Chatsworth Christmas market seven years ago according to Facebook memories. But I wasn’t blogging then and it was a long time ago – my main memories are the snood that I bought (and wore today) and large boy, aged almost-3, trekking with determination across a muddy car park.

However, Molly’s perspective is much more recent and therefore more relevant than my cloudy memories. If you’re interested in visiting this year or in the future, pop by Molly’s thorough and thoughtful review of all aspects of visiting Chatsworth’s market.

Beautiful Christmas Decorations for the Whole House by Lisa from The Procrastinating Mum

Lisa is another firm favourite, she’s been kind enough to host a guest post from me on her blog and contributed her thoughts on losing herself to my Lessons in Loss series.

It’s not all deep introspection and philosophy with Lisa (or me) though. She’s put together a wonderful list of beautiful decorations and where to source them, to save us from finding them all ourselves. She has excellent taste (just look at those partially eaten gingerbread people!), so you can surely trust her recommendations.

Christmas Movies I Adore by Jamie from JamieAdStories

I’ve only “met” Jamie recently, but his blog is just this fabulous eclectic mix of recommendations, poems, personal perspectives, podcasts, and creative writing. I subscribe to his blog and read pretty much everything with pleasure.

This isn’t just any old list of Christmas films, there are plenty of those already. No, this is a from-the-heart, instinctive list of Jamie’s personal favourites. There are even two in there that I haven’t seen, but others that I love too. It’s always so nice when you read something and feel a big overlap as well as discovering something new.

Thanks!

I want to thank all these bloggers for being awesome and sharing some great ideas in the run up to Christmas. I hope you (whoever has read this far at least) enjoys at least on of their posts. I’m trying really hard to get into the festive spirit (with only partial success) and they’re certainly helping me out!

(nope still to early to say merry you-know-what).