I have always loved the idea of Christmas, the decorating, cooking wonderful foods with my Mum and younger brother, covering my dogs in tinsel and getting glitter all over the house. For today’s blog you can find cosy recipes below for Christmas treats and a few ideas of crafting and things you can do over the holidays!
I
am really excited about Christmas this year as it is my first ‘adult’ Christmas in my own house with Jon and Walter and we have already started making our own decorations, sorting out presents and just getting everything ready.
This year I have found myself even more in the spirit of things, most likely from having Scandinavian friends visit a few weeks ago as we talked about snow, cosy jumpers and snuggled under blankets and watched movies. It’s probably fair to say that all families have their own Christmas traditions and ideas of what makes the perfect holiday.
Because life can be stressful and full of hustle and bustle on a daily basis, it’s really nice that we all find a few days a year where we can have lots of fun and relax together, Christmas being one of them. I usually tend to plan Christmas gifts throughout the year and get things when I see them, but this year I’ve been so preoccupied with other things I haven’t managed to do this.
For Christmas this year I will be going back to the country and spending it with my family and Jon’s family which is always a real delight.
Christmas foods
Christmas Cake
This is something I personally don’t like the taste of, but always try to make. When I lived back in the countryside I made mini ones and decorated them with icing flowers, wrapped them in cellophane and gave them away as gifts.
Coconut ice
Making this is so much fun and I’ve grown to really enjoy the taste of it over the years! It’s also super easy and a great way to add a treat to the Christmas nibbles throughout the day! It is also quite a festive thing for me, as my mum taught me to make this at Christmas as a child and it’s become an unwritten tradition for us.
Peppermint creams 
I could sit eating these little sugary things all day, but they are made with icing sugar and peppermint oil (and not much else!) They’re simply divine, and perfect to give out with coffee after a large Christmas roast dinner.
Stained glass cookies
These are really fun for kids to make and really yummy too! I’ve got a crown, butterfly and Christmas tree I like to decorate with these every year. They’re incredibly elegant and are something you can also create to hang on the Christmas tree. If you make a little hole in the dough before popping it in the oven you can tie a ribbon through it and watch it glisten on the tree as the colours dance about the room. Beware though, dogs and Lucys are fond of these and they wont last long!
Christmas Crafts
Felting
You don’t have to be an expert to felt. A few years ago my Mum and a family friend and her daughter decided that we wanted to have a go at it! I had bought my Mum some felting kits from a trip I took away, she bought the special needles and the others provided refreshments and glittery things to add-on to our creations. We made some Christmas angels and I think they looked quite spectacular.
Decorations
You can make Christmas decorations out of almost anything really. You can make them out of leaves, holly, pinecones and branches. A great way to glitz them up is to sprinkle them with glitter and spray them with silver or gold spray. I also like to make dough or clay decorations to hang on the tree or give away as gifts. These are very cheap and easy to make and I find make Christmas that little bit more unique.
Knitting
I have to confess, this isn’t something I am very patient with. I always give it a go at Christmas and almost always give up. My Mum and friend Kaja however are very good at this and often knit me beautiful things! I have the cutest head warmer from Kaja and some wonderful jumpers from my Mum. If it is something you are good at, I would suggest knitting some socks for friends and wrapping them with a ribbon. You can knit pretty much anything. Just don’t knit underwear or a swimsuit for someone they won’t appreciate that.
If you would like any recipes please just ask, I am always happy to share! Keep an eye out for some more cosy blogs from me and have a lovely weekend X
Her Country Living 