Four weeks to Christmas: get on top of the last of it
A simple guide to help people get the essentials out of the way and to allow you to takethe “bah humbug” out of your festive period
This week sees Thanksgiving distract us from the Christmas cheer. But let that not distract you from finishing what needs to be done to ensure a stress free Christmas.
So over the last two weeks we have been getting our preparation done. The gifts are ordered. The travel is arranged. You know where you will be spending Christmas, you now know how you are getting there, and you’re simply awaiting the big day. Doing the usual rain dance to make the travel gods happy — let’s hope that a single leaf or blizzard doesn’t mess up your plans.
Finish the shopping
So you have made the list and checked it twice. You have established who was naughty and who was nice, and you have now ordered the gifts — either online or by braving the stores to fish out the last few items. If not, then make this week the week you finish the shopping. That way, by December you won’t need to venture out into the stores at all for ANY Christmas shopping. Imagine an entire December without having to buy a single Christmas present.
Cranberry Sauce
This week, you may want to try your hand at filling out those little gifts you were a bit stuck on. Nothing says a person means a lot quite like a homemade preserve. Here’s an easy recipe for Cranberry Sauce from SimpleRecipes.com.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 cup (250 mL) water
- 4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
- Optional Pecans, orange zest, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.
Method
1. Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse them. Pick out and discard any damaged or bruised cranberries. Put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add the cranberries to the pot and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.
3. Once the cranberries have burst you can leave the cranberry sauce as is, or dress it up with other ingredients. We like to mix in a half a cup of chopped pecans with a few strips of orange zest. Some people like adding raisins or currants, or even blueberries for added sweetness. You can also add holiday spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice.
4. Remove the pot from heat. Let cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a bowl to chill in the refrigerator. Note that the cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
WARNING – On numerous occasions will the cranberries burst and shoot boiling liquid up. Be exceptionally careful and avoid burning yourself with the popping cranberries
So that will bring most of your Christmas preparation to a conclusion. Meaning December will be a month with no stress, no fuss and you can now reward yourself with another Christmas cocktail to congratulate your good work so far.
