The second of the Christmas magazines

... that I have bought I am quite taken with is this one.  Country Living Christmas. I must say that generally I like the Country Living magazine but this Christmas Special has some lovely ideas in it.

There are some lovely ideas for decorating the home both inside and out ideas for wrapping presents,  I often get ideas from magazines like this as I see something and think well I could do that and this with it and make it "mine" = inspiration to create your own. Gets the creative juices moving.  There are also instructions on how to make a "Wild Wreath" from natural materials gathered from the hedgerows or from the garden.

There are a wealth of instructions for a "Home Made" Christmas which is what I aspire too more than anything else. Makes for the tree, Christmas crackers, pretty decorations, a sack for Santa, Advent calendar bunting, a Children's wish jar which is basically an old sweetie jar with slips of paper in.  Each time a child thinks of something that they would like for Christmas (I suggest doing this from September onwards) pop a slip of paper in the jar with the child's name and the item that they would very much like on it.  Add some glitter to the jar or some of those gilt table decorations like stars and moons etc. then pop a decorated luggage tag on the outside of the jar.  Parents will then have some idea of the things that their children would like for Christmas and have a running reminder of what they would like. I think this idea is particularly charming as it makes Christmas really special for the kiddies and helps build up their excitement and anticipation.  Perhaps we could do one for bigger kids too!

There is also a lovely article on a gingerbread maker with individual gingerbread people which I would quite like to replicate but in the form of a garland.  I have funnily enough never made gingerbread before and it is something that I would quite like to try this Christmas.  There are some tips on how to make the perfect gingerbread house and also pictures of some stars made with gingerbread with a coloured see through pane which I think is made out of boiled sweeties.  There are lots of lovely food recipes too.  Including a section of home made food gifts to give as well/ or to use at the end of a meal.  Chocolate dipped orange peel, Calvados and vanilla preserved pears, Cherry pudding with kirsch butter, cranberry and sloe gin jellies with syllabub.  there are also lemon and vanilla hearts, sloe gin truffles, Christmas pudding liqueur, chocolate and cranberry fudge.  There are lots of other recipes too.

This is my personal view and I just thought that I would share my thoughts with you.  There are some lovely articles and a lot of things to make.  All in all a very good buy.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

xx