December the 25th

"December the 25th, me dears, December the 25th, the dearest day in all the year" - December the 25th, Leslie Bricusse

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Father Christmas Gets An Upgrade

Alright! I admit it. I couldn't save these treats for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve - they were too tempting, so my present wrapping evening got an upgrade instead.

With chilled M&S Clementine, Cranberry and Pomegranate Bucks Fizz, Christmas Pudding Cookies and Mince Pies I have made a new tradition, a new celebration - Present Wrapping Night.

So, we settled in on a cosy night and enjoyed this festive fizz, wrapping presents and enjoying these treats.

One of my earliest posts talked about buying the things you love at Christmas, and I love Christmas at M&S. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas in my house without M&S, it's a tradition, but I don't have one thing that I buy from M&S every year, because every year they have something new and desirable for me to try like Chocolate Clementines and Sprout Juice (so wrong, it's right), so trying their new and exciting offerings is my tradition.

I have to say the cookies were so indulgent, and really tasted of Christmas Pudding, but not overpoweringly so, and they had lovely chewy raisins in them.

From this Christmas forward I'm combining two traditions - something from Christmas at M&S with wrapping presents on a cosy night in with Christmas movies on in the background to make Present Wrapping Night an occasion.

Sorry Santa

X

PS - Has anyone tried M&S Sprout Juice?

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This Week's Preparations

The inspiration behind this blog was to make my chocolate coins go further this Christmas by finding the treats that give the most, because I've just moved into a new house.

This Christmas is going to be all about mix and match - a little Aldi here, a little Waitrose there, a little Co-Op here, a little Poundland there, as you can see from this week's preparations.

The tree is up...

(Sorry about the wall, we are decorating)

Christmas ales, mulled wine and mulled cider, and an impressive looking magnum of Prossecco, all from Aldi...

The Snowman and The Snowdog toilet paper and kitchen towels, Burts Hand Cooked Roast Turkey and Chesnut Stuffing crisps and Robin matches (for the woodburner), also from Aldi...

Amazing offers from Waitrose. 25% off Heston's Christmas cake and mince pies, and 25% off Bollinger Champagne...

Keep Calm And Don't Get Your Tinsel In A Tangle washing up gloves from Poundland...

Celebrations and Quality Street from Co-Op, currently on offer...

And now I'm celebrating having my tree up by watching Home Alone. Keviiiiiiiiiin!

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Stir Up Sunday With M&S - Part Two

I have never made a Christmas pudding before - until today's Stir Up Sunday. It's so much easier than I thought it would be.

I picked up some ingredients in M&S and, following their recipe, I soaked my fruit in brandy overnight. Once the fruit is soaked, there are only three more pudding steps.

Mix...

When you mix it all together it smells just like Christmas.

Spoon...

Steam...

M&S's recipe makes a plentiful pudding mix for a really plump, round and fruity Christmas pudding. I had a little bit left over so I made a mini pudding so that I can have a little sample before December the 25th.

Given that the recipe is so easy to follow, and it smells so good, give Stir Up Sunday a go. I recommend buying quality dried-fruits from M&S, because the ready-to-cook puddings are so good these days, you want your own to be just as moist and fruity.

If cooking isn’t your thing M&S has lots of extra special ready-to-cook puddings to top off your Christmas day dinner.

Collection Intensely Fruity Cranberry & Clementine Christmas Pudding, £7.50

Collection Intensely Fruity Christmas Pudding, £7.50

Classic Recipe Christmas

Pudding, £3.50

Classic Recipe Alcohol Free Christmas Pudding, £3.50

Gluten Free Christmas

Pudding, £4.50

[thedearestday-blog]

Stir Up Sunday With M&S

Make your Christmas pudding with M&S on Stir Up Sunday – 23rd November 2014

Get your festive preparations well under way by making your Christmas pudding on Stir Up Sunday, 23rd November, the last Sunday before advent. M&S has all the ingredients to help you whip up a moist and decadent fruity favourite!

  Ingredients:

 225g/8oz Caster sugar

340g/12oz Sultanas

340g/12oz Raisins

225g/8oz Currants

50g/2oz Glace cherries

110g/4oz Plain flour

1 lemon, zest only

5 Free Range eggs, beaten

1 level tsp Ground cinnamon

1 level tsp Mixed spice

5g/1 level tsp Ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

150ml/5fl oz French Brandy

55g/2oz Flaked almonds

Method:

Soak fruit in brandy overnight. Mix together the ingredients and spoon the mix into a pudding basin. Put a circle of baking parchment and foil over the top and make a string handle. Steam the pudding for 6-7 hours. Remove pudding from steamer and store in a cool, dry place until Christmas day. On Christmas day reheat the pudding by steaming again for 1-2 hours. Serve with brandy butter, rum sauce or custard.

[thedearestday-blog]

Stollen My Heart

The family came for a pre Christmas visit this weekend, and it ended up being a bit of a warm up for December the 25th because I made a seasonal pie on Saturday (ham hock and mustard pie with cheesy pastry - all home made), and I cooked roast belly pork with crackling on Sunday which we had with stuffing and sprouts.

So, since I was having a practice in preparation for my Christmas baking and cooking, it seemed fitting to slice up and share some stollen cake. I bought Aldi's Holly Lane marzipan stollen, which is my favourite because it is dusted with plenty of icing sugar, although I did spy their Specially Selected stollen at the weekend which is covered in flaked almonds, so I will have to try that one too.

Here's a picture of the stollen with my other Aldi purchase, Specially Selected Christmas Chutney, made with plums, apples, spices and orange zest. I'm saving this jar for our Christmas buffet, I think it will be amazing with cheese and crackers on Christmas night.

Have you seen my Christmas tray by the way? It was a present from my Aunty and Uncle after they had seen my blog.

[thedearestday-blog]

Monty the Penguin

It's here. The John Lewis Christmas advert. Get a tissue, let's hear it for Monty the Penguin.

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Christmas Biscuits

Have you seen M&S's tins of Christmas biscuits? They are always amazing. Once the biscuits have all been enjoyed, the tins make really nice keepsakes, perfect for storing Christmas baking in.

I was in M&S today and one of this year's tins, 'Santa's House', was half price, making them £5. There is always something in the design of these tins that makes them special, and on these ones the lights on the roof light up.

I also spotted tins of Scottish Shortbread and these huge boxes of chocolates half price, making them £4.50 and £6 respectively. We were offered a sample of shortbread, and I can confirm it's delicious. The Store Assistant told me these offers may end this week.

While looking at the Christmas decorations I also saw these little friends in M&S. They are not for sale, unfortunately. How amazing are they?

[thedearestday-blog]

Chocolate Coins

Did you hear that Cadbury will no longer be making their chocolate coins?

But never fear - Christmas isn't cancelled. Last week I posted that my local Aldi had sold out of chocolate coins. Well, they have returned, and I have bought some, which I plan to use as decorations on my coffee table in these small glass Ikea bowls. They were only 50p a bag.

Read the full Cadbury story here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2810079/Christmas-tradition-threat-Cadbury-s-announces-no-longer-sell-chocolate-coins.html

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Magic and Sparkle

It is so easy to want to get carried away when shopping for December the 25th. The other day I was looking at 'Christmas at M&S' online, longing for the Vintage Santa Bedding Set, the Bauble Bath Mat and the Frankincense and Myrrh candles - how wonderful it would be to be able to change the decor throughout my whole house in December. It got me thinking, there could be a way to indulge in some extra magic, on top of the traditional, 'makes Christmas, Christmas' must-haves:

Make a list of all of the essential and traditional trimmings that make your Christmas, not including the food and beverages for your main celebration meals. My list would include: crackers, (several) tins of chocolates, a huge cheese board, board games, festive tea towels, the Radio Times Christmas issue, Christmas movies and TV specials. Enjoy shopping for these and buy the things you love.

While you are doing your Christmas shopping, if you see a little something that would add an extra touch of magic to your Christmas, look out for it in the changing pre-Christmas offers and compare the prices in different shops. If you find it at a price that's good value, get it. If you don't, remember it was never on your 'makes Christmas, Christmas' list, it was only a nice to have. Your Christmas will still be magical because you will have bought the essentials that you love.

Bookmark the room and table decorations that you would buy if they were in the sale. When the sales start it will be really easy to go through the folder from the comfort of your own home, without having to suffer the crowds. Sometimes I even find a little lull on Christmas day to check out the sales. So far I've bookmarked the Vintage Santa Bedding Set from M&S.

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The First Purchase Of The Season

I've been browsing the Christmas departments in the shops for a couple of weeks now, to scope out the offerings and offers. Although the full Christmas ranges haven't appeared in the shops yet (wait until after Halloween for that), I wanted to see if it paid to start stocking up early, but it felt a little bit too early to do anything but browse, until this weekend.

What spurred me into action was realising that the price of the large tins of chocolates (Quality Streets, Roses, Heroes and Celebrations), a staple of most of our Christmases, had risen by £1. I'm holding out on buying these for now. I'm hoping that they will be on offer again before December the 25th, but I did make my first purchase of the season in Tesco, to get the bauble rolling.

In Tesco, the After Eights were just £1.50 (usual price £3.50), and the Lindt Chocolate Santa and Gold Reindeer were two for £4 (usual price £3 each).

It seems like many of you haven't thought it too early to start your Christmas shopping in October though. My local Aldi supermarket had completely sold out of chocolate coins. I will be keeping my eye out for those coming back in.

[thedearestday-blog]

This Christmas

This Christmas I want to have treats and trimmings and food and drink aplenty. I want to decorate my home and host friends and family, and have them leave my house with a warm glow that they can't put down to anything in particular, but I'll know it's down to the gorgeous food - the 'good spread', washed down with festive drinks well stocked for the season served in Christmassy surroundings.

But I need to find the most value giving way to put on my extravagant spread, because I want to get carried away, and buy, deck, adorn, cook, make, pour, give and celebrate - but my pockets are filled with only chocolate coins.

So follow my blog, as I'm already finding the treats that give the most and thinking up creative ideas to share to make my favourite season of the year less Scrooge, more Fezziwig with only chocolate coins to spend.

[thedearestday-blog]

The dearest day

"December the 25th, me dears, December the 25th, the dearest day in all the year"

- December the 25th, Leslie Bricusse