Chewing over

Don't get drunk before the turkey goes into the oven. Mind the allergies. Make lists. Nobody's ever too full for the pudding (as long as it's not trifle). Food wasting is the cardinal sin of holidays. You might falter before panettone but you CAN bake a delicious julekake. 8 pound turkey cooks in 3 hours. Do you really need a starter? Serve cheeses for keto dieters. Gravy is more important than a roast. Absolutely everyone loves roast potatoes.

Some surprisingly good and some completely useless Christmas tips; bad puns and pretty snowflakes; my Christmas commandments and common sense cooking advice: all here in Christmas Collection.

... In early December the playlist begins to drift out of the WM’s study. Cavalry, Emerson Lake and Palmer and the Drummer Boy are my favourites; I can take Sting and Status Quo but Mariah and Macca make me reach for the earplugs around the 5th.

A little before or after, the dreaded question ‘whatdoyouwantforchristmas’ starts flying about. I know – some of you have bought, bagged and maybe even wrapped the pressies around last March or earlier, in the sales, but that’s not me (or most of us, let’s be honest). So we browse, peruse the tedious ‘gifts for her or him’ sections on trendy sites, the brave ones venture out into shopping centres and all get equally frustrated. Now I’m NOT the type to purchase Christmas gifts 8 months in advance but I do have a handy tip: make notes. Throughout the year, when your nearer or farther mention things they hanker after (and that’s to exclude the Lazzara yachts and private islands), make a note. You’ll be grateful for this on 15th December.