Sunday 17 December 2017

It's beginning to look...


... a lot like Christmas!  With just one week to go (3 full and 2 half days of teaching left) I'm beginning to feel a wee bit Christmassy 🎅  On Tuesday afternoon (my non contact time) I did my huge supermarket shop for the meal on Christmas Day.  I had planned out my menu before and made a list of ingredients I needed to buy specially.

However, as I was shopping I came to realise that instead of making some things from scratch (like the cranberry sauce and a GF Christmas pudding) it was actually cheaper to buy some things ready made.  It was £1 for a jar of quality cranberry sauce instead of £2 for a tub of fresh cranberries plus the sugar/orange juice/spices.  The GF pudding was £4.  Just buying the dried fruit and nuts alone would have cost me that.  Then I still needed the suet, treacle, brandy etc so it was a no brainer.

In the past I have made absolutely everything from scratch (including the bread to make bread sauce!!) Equally I've also bought everything from the Marks and Spencer Food Ordering service!! Now I have a happy medium with a mix of ready made and home made.

So, this year's menu will be:

Prawn and mango cocktail
Cheddar Jalapeño Sticks (veggie/fussy option)

Roast turkey
Stuffing
Pigs in blankets
Gravy
Carrots/sprouts/sweetcorn
Roast potatoes
Cranberry sauce
Festive stuffed peppers (veggie option)

Christmas Pudding and custard
Trifle

I decided to do everything gluten and dairy free instead of offering guests a choice so has cost a bit more than 'normal.'  Excluding alcohol the food bought specially came to £53.65.  I used £30 of my Nectar points to bring it down to £23.65.  OH has ordered the turkey from the butcher so that total is everything except the bird.  I bought 2 bottles of Prosecco that were 'reduced' to £7 each but it's only me that likes it (no one else really drinks alcohol) so suspect they might be gifted.

Now I need to think about presents.  I usually give the 'kids' money to spend as they like plus a wee parcel to open.  I might make some edibles if I have time but as usual I will not be going into any shops to buy anything.


My tree is up complete with my 'tasteful' collection of Santa ornaments 😁 The Teenager took some of them for his tree but I still have lots of them. Apart from 3 wee angels that sit on my sideboard I don't have any other decorations and I rather like it that way. 

For newer blog readers HERE is an old post about how my Christmas came to be low key.

17 comments:

  1. Christmas off the merry-go-round is much better, for so many years I stressed myself trying to get the perfect Christmas, I worried and no-one noticed if anything was below my expectations.Life is also simple here and we both enjoy it much better. I love your santa Christmas tree.

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    1. My tree makes me smile and that's all that matters to me :-)

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  2. I found the original post (via the link) very moving. For very good and valid reasons a lot of you loved family traditions have had to go by the way this year. I've been through the sadness and am now feeling a little tingle of excitement at the thought of doing things differently.
    J x

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    1. Over the last few years I've created new traditions and done things differently. I'm very happy with my simple Christmas now :-)

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  3. What you describe in your original post is so familiar to me. For years we spent the festive period driving up and down the motorway visiting people, going for drinks with people because it was expected and all that kind of thing. We had a moment when someone actually said to us that her husband had suggested she keep going out with us because we "might be useful" at some point!

    That started our simplification, we still travel a little bit but we do see the inside of our own home from time to time now!

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    1. I've never understood the people being useful thing. In my experience the people who thought that way weren't the kind that I wanted to stay friends with anyway :-)

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  4. I love your tree :-)

    It sounds like you have Christmas your way ... and that's the best way to do it.

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    1. Thanks! Yep, Christmas my way no matter what anyone else thinks xxx

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    2. Wishing you all the very best for Christmas and the New Year. xx

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  5. DH and I on Christmas Day as DD and SIL are off to Fuertaventura as they like a sunny, childfree season in an adults only resort. We'll have nothing fancy or different but be grateful for all we have. Social Bite was our charity of choice this year so hopefully other people in Glasgow will have a warm, nutritious meal in the warmth of a shelter. Any other gifts are tor friends's grandchildren and consist of a book and handmake booksack or soft toy. Need to clean the house and put up our own made decorations. Catriona

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  6. Ooo, a sunny Christmas sounds lovely! Love Social Bite and everything they do. I've supported them the last couple of years instead of sending cards xxx

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  7. I do hope all those Santas get along with each other x

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  8. Things are slowly changing for us at Christmas time. Oldest son and DIL have moved out of province, we always went to their house on Christmas day. Instead last year we went to friends for the 'big' day and have the same invite this year. We still have about 10 in on Christmas eve when I do a mass of appetizers and we open gifts. DH's ex and partner come on Christmas eve and we go to their house on Boxing day! Very civilized !!! It took many years to get to that point though! I haven't made Christmas dinner for the family for about 15 years and I don't plan on changing that any time soon!!

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  9. Love the tree. Good idea to price out the options for the dinner re homemade vs store bought. I have always done a low-key Xmas here and this year only know for sure that one of my three sons will be home. I haven't heard from the others but suspect they will show up.

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  10. Love your minimalist Santa tree, and well done with the food shopping. It must have been a great moment realising that some things were cheaper ready made, saves time, washing up and faff! Have a great Christmas!

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