Sorry..... Christmas!

kittykat · #21 (**permalink**) 12-Oct-2008, 12:13

I was thinking of doing truffles this year, though it seems that whenever you take them out the fridge to roll them they melt from the heat of your hands....do ya think that wearing gloves might help, the plastic ones you can get from hair dye...probs sell them in the chemist!

Also you could make your own hampers?

Also charity shops are quite good, can get new books, jewelery etc for half the price

Norman · #22 (**permalink**) 12-Oct-2008, 17:48

I love the hampers idea... Only thing with those is they end up mounting up in cost don't they??? What sort of stuff would you put in??

kittykat · #23 (**permalink**) 14-Oct-2008, 10:46

Hmmm you could put home made food, i.e. chutneys, chocolate, gingerbread cookies, bubble bath, wine, pasta etc, have a look at some of the websites in there, if you buy in bulk from cheap shops, then you can just make your own labels and jazz it up a bit!

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ham...ient=firefox-a

Felicity · #24 (**permalink**) 14-Oct-2008, 11:32

We always make salt dough decorations for the tree!! It's great fun (still!) and cheap! Buy paints in the colours you like and some festive cookie cutters and make as many santas, angels, stars, reindeer, fairies and fir trees as your heart desires!!! :-) Kids love it and it makes the tree look more personalised. Then you can either store them for next year or make new ones in different colours each year.

Prob a recipe for salt dough online somewhere.

Have fun!! :-)

vickifairywings · #25 (**permalink**) 14-Oct-2008, 12:32

i love christmas

everyone is so fed up of me giving them gifts tho! as i am a manager of a cookshop, everyone gets a cooking related gift! seems like a good present to me anyways

dizzygee123 · #26 (**permalink**) 14-Oct-2008, 15:11

Unfortunately 2 of my 3 no longer believe in the big FC so I'm a bit sad about that. For cheap ideas I got the free booklet from the Children's society last year ' Batteries not included' which has loads of ideas of how to make christmas a special time without all the commercial trappings.
One I really like (but haven't done) is covering the doorframe with wrapping paper and letting them burst through on christmas day to get to the presents!!

and here is a recipe for chocolate reindeer droppings:-

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup of cocoa
3 cups quick oats (readybrek?)
1 cup dessicated coconut

Boil sugar, milk , butter and cocoa together. Remove from heat and add oats and coconut. With a tablespoon make droppings onto waxed paper. Leave to set. You can add raisins too to make extra droppings.

Norman · #27 (**permalink**) 14-Oct-2008, 18:07

Ha ha ha - love that idea!!!

This is great! Keep the ideas coming!!! xx

kittykat · #28 (**permalink**) 14-Oct-2008, 18:22

Girls I just bought these boxes to put my truffles in at xmas.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-CHRISTMAS-CRACKER-BOXES-WEDDING-FAVOUR-FILL-YOUR-OWN_W0QQitemZ120314043420QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item1 20314043420&_trkparms=72%3A1301|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3 A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

just under 3quid, will buy some xmas tissue paper and then glitter glue the persons name on the front! So that's 10 gifts for probably just over a tenner once you've bought ingredients/tissue paper or glitter glue! And you can always buy more boxes