THE FIVE FILMS OF XMAS

Home Alone 1 & 2

I was tempted to just pick one for the list but I couldn't they are both perfect films. For any heltered human being out there the plot is as follows -. The story sees an eight-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) left home alone (and getting lost in New York alone) during Christmas time and having to fend off two dim witted burglars. If you haven't seen it is bound to be on during the festive season so give them a watch.

The Muppets Christmas Carol

I don't know anyone who doesn't think this film is brilliant. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol retold by the Muppets treatment; what's not to love? Michael Caine stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchet, while Gonzo and Rizo narrate the film as we meet many familiar Muppets along the way. And not forgetting some excellent songs; though the song 'When Love is Gone' is a real let down.

Scrooged

Another Dickens adaption, Scrooged sees Bill Murray's character  getting to grips with the ghosts of his past, present and future, only this time there’s a darker twist. The tale of Scrooged is moved to New York, where Murray plays a cynical television executive; slowly loosing all those that care about him and his own happiness, until he learns the true meaning of Christmas. I somehow missed this film for my whole childhood and only watched it on a train about 18 months ago. It really is a must watch if you haven't seen it.

Trading Places


Another film I hadn't seen till fairly recently. When two billionaire brothers have a one dollar wager about the respective merits that Nature vs Nurture has on a man's character, they decide to 'trade places' of one of their best and brightest employees(Dan Aykroyd) with that of a petty criminal (Eddie Murphy) sit back and watch the mayhem unfold. There is a satire on the behaviour of bannkers that is still revelvant in Christmas 2012 as it was Christmas 1983. All in all it is one of the finest films, starring SNL cast members and a masterpiece in John Landis' considerable back catalogue.

Jingle All The Way


I'll admit that this film gets a bad name; Schwarzenegger lacks comedy talent, the script is quite clunky and the premise is paper thin. But I loved it. It may have had something to do with the fact I must have been about 8 when I first watched this and Arnie was a hero of mine but really what's not to like?

Arnold plays Howard Langston, a workaholic dad who feels like he doesn't spend enough time with his son and decides to try to redeem himself, by granting his son's Christmas wish. He goes in search, on Christmas Eve no less, to find his son the must have  toy: the all-action, and completely sold out "Turbo Man".

It may be a bit of a turkey but it is Christmas after all.




BY CHRIS

A (LITTLE) BIT OF SPARKLE

 Okay, I give in. Let's have some sparkle.

I know I said I'm trying to avoid the sequins and glitter this Christmas, but Dahlia do it in such a beautiful way, that actually, you could wear these pieces all year round. 

The muted and dark colours work wonderfully against the embellished sparkling collars and skirt edgings - much better than a lot of stuff you get, wear once, then realise once it hits January you'll look slightly ridiculous in a massive red sequin bow dress. But, having said that I'm tempted by the Zig Zag Sequin Tube skirt... at least it's not red.

Head on over to Dahlia's Facebook page now for your chance to win an accessory of your choice, a garment of your choice and goodie bag!

BY FERN

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY VEGAN CHRISTMAS!

The Christmas season is finally upon us. A time where we’re filling our diaries with various parties and work dos so we can finally let loose and eat, drink and be merry. But it is also a time that strikes fear in the hearts of vegans everywhere, as they approach the buffet table only to find their meagre offerings of a lone tub of hummus and some limp looking carrots hidden amongst the otherwise carnivorous feast.

 But help is here! The great thing about vegan food is anyone can enjoy them*, so I’m going to show you three easy recipes that should keep your veggie and vegan friends smiling over the next few weeks.

  

SAUSAGELESS ROLLS
– Makes 8
(Recipe can easily be doubled up to make more)

 

The sausage roll is the staple of any British buffet table and with a couple of simple substitutions I’m going to show you how easy it is to make it vegan friendly whilst still tasting great. 



2 partially defrosted Linda McCartney sausages (I used the rosemary and red onion ones but the normal ones work just the same) 

1/2 pack of jus-roll puff pastry
Dairy free butter (melted) 





1. Take your puff pastry and cut it a little less than half so there’s roughly 1 inch left when folded – you can place your sausages in the pastry and fold before cutting to get a more accurate measurement

2. Take your partially defrosted sausages and place them in the pastry
 
3. Heat dairy free butter in microwave (roughly 1 tablespoon), careful so not to burn, and brush on the edge of the pastry so it seals
 
4. Fold and press edges with a fork then spread all over the top with remaining melted dairy free butter
 5. Cut into 8 and place in oven for 20 minutes, at 200 degrees Celsius (fan oven)



Enjoy hot or cold! 

 



EASY PEASY CANAPES 
 – Makes 15 of each
(Recipe can easily be doubled up to make more) 



With these canapés you can pretty much use your imagination. I’ve chosen these two combinations that couldn’t be easier and are a burst of flavour in one little bite. 

 

1/2 pack of jus-roll pastry

Roughly 4 Cherry tomatoes (number varies depending on size) 

English mustard (I used a squeezy bottle for ease)
 
1 red pepper
tomato puree
 
1 bulb garlic
 
1 tub dairy free butter

 

For the canapés cut half a pack of ready rolled puff pastry into 30 squares, it doesn’t matter if they’re uneven as it gives them more of a homemade look!

 

 Tomato and mustard canapés 
1. Take 15 squares of pastry and put a blob of mustard in the middle, leaving a bit around the edge


2. Slice your cherry tomatoes into roughly ¼ inch circles and place on top of mustard


3. Spread melted dairy free butter around the edges (I had some left over from the sausageless rolls so used that)


4. Place in the oven for 15 mins or until golden at 200 degrees Celsius (fan oven)



Red pepper and tomato canapés 
For this use the remaining 15 squares of pastry 

1. Mix roughly a tablespoon and a half of tomato puree with 1 crushed garlic bulb and then place them on the pastry as with the mustard in the above recipe 
2. Chop your red pepper in little squares, around ¼ in size, and put two pieces on each canapé. 
3. Spread some melted dairy free butter around the edges
4. Place in the oven for 15 mins or until golden 200 degrees Celsius (fan oven) 

MEDITERRANEAN COUS COUS SALAD
– Makes 1 large tub 

Instead of the boring traditional salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato, why not try something a little different? This salad is super healthy and delicious and will add an extra little something to your buffet table. 

200g Couscous

400ml boiling vegetable stock

1 courgette

1 red pepper

½ tub cherry tomatoes

1 aubergine (I was unable to get an aubergine so I replaced with another courgette)

1 red onion (I hate red onion so I left it out, but it does add more flavour)

1 lemon
Olive oil, or olive oil spray 
 

1. Chop up all your veg into bite sized pieces and put on a baking tray. Drizzle them in olive oil, or olive oil spray for a healthy option and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for 30 mins at 200 degrees Celsius (fan oven). 
2. Whilst your veg is cooking place couscous in your tub or bowl and cover in the boiling vegetable stock. 
3. After 5 minutes the couscous should have absorbed all the water. Squeeze your lemon juice over the couscous, mix and leave to sit. 
4. Once your veg is done mix it into the couscous and add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy cold or can be heated up for a warm salad. 


Remember there are a few simple things you can do to help out your vegan friends this festive season: 

 • Try using egg free mayonnaise for things such as potato salads, or non-dairy butter for sandwiches and cooking. Dairy free products are easily available from most supermarkets and health food stores, but you still need to double check as these are usually aimed at those with a dairy allergy.

 • If using pesto in any of your recipes you’ll need to check that they don’t contain any hidden animal products like rennet. If you’re catering for vegetarians you’ll also need to check your cheese. 

 •Make sure you keep any food containing animal products on separate plates and label your vegan food clearly to let your animal loving friends know how much you care!

* Dietary restrictions permitting.

BY JENNI

TWENTY-SEVEN NAMES

I've been aware of label Twenty-Seven Names for some time now, but I've only recently looked properly at their clothes, and I am in love.

They look to have summer garden parties in mind, and to me, seem reminiscent of childhood dresses I used to have, and never appreciated, but now wish existed in my size. Oddly enough though I bet they'd look equally amazing on a cold Christmas night. I don't think I'd even want to pair them with thick wooly tights, just brave it with a cosy coat and a pair of boots.

BY FERN

DIY: CHRISTMAS WRAPPING

I love Christmas more than is probably healthy for a 20 year old, and preparations usually start at some point in October (even with restraint). I always seem to be stuck with the dilemma of either tacky and overbearing wrapping paper or paying loads for a tiny bit of the cute stuff, so I thought I’d have a go at sorting some myself this year. As well as being cheaper, you can suit it better to the person who’s receiving the gift and it shows that you’ve put an extra bit of thought and care in to the process. The ones I’ve tried use things that I already had lying around the house and a cheap roll of parcel paper, and I managed to do them on my bedroom floor in pyjamas after a super busy weekend, so there’s hope for us all.

 The first takes advantage of the life lesson learnt in primary school; folding paper and cutting bits out of it. As well as using layers like this, I’m sure it’d look nice with different colours introduced. Red, gold or black would all work well with the parcel paper. The design could be changed too, maybe using a string of little ginger bread men or Christmas trees?

This one is just plain paper and a fancy pen. I had one of those silver markers, but things like Christmas trees in green glitter pens could be sweet too.
 

This last one has been done by sewing the design directly on to the paper. Admittedly, it would be tons better if I’d used a sewing machine, but mine is at home while I’m at uni so I’m quite limited. The parcel paper doesn’t tear too easily though, and it’s thick enough to handle a bit roughly when needed so the lack of sewing machine isn’t too much of an issue. My biggest tip would be to cellotape the ends and any loose bits underneath to make sure that they don’t catch or pull through the holes in the paper.

 

I’ve just used a snowflake in each so that you can see the technique clearly, but obviously they’re each open to a load of different ideas. I like them because they’re so versatile and easy, so there’s plenty of basis to build on. If you’re giving a few different things to one person, you could use variations on each gift so that they still have a theme but work together. Adding complimentary gift tags could also improve these. If nothing else, these definitely seem like they’d be useful when you realise you’ve run out of paper on the 24^th.

BY OLIVIA

DIY: GLITTER FEATHER GARLAND

Well, I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Christmas. There’s something about fairy lights and log fires and Christmas carols that I just can’t help but be drawn into. One of the reasons I have such an ardent love for Christmas is that you can get away with glitter on anything and everything!

So first I gathered all my feathers – goose and duck feathers. These should be available from your local haberdasher, or failing that, online. Make sure the feathers you’re using are well defined – the fluffy ones won’t work very well for this craft as they’ll lose their shape when you put the glue on them.

Once you’ve got your feathers, find your PVA glue and use a soft brush to coat half (from halfway along to the tip) of your feather in glue. Turn the feather over and coat the other side - it doesn’t matter if the sides are a little uneven, it adds to the look!

Now for the best part; glitter! It helps if you’ve put your glitter on a flattish surface – I put mine in an old saucer. Then just gently pull the glued parts of the feather through the glitter, making sure there’s a good coating on it. Turn it over and pull the other side through. Then set your feather somewhere to dry while you make as many more as you want!

Once you are happy with how many glittered feathers you have, it’s time to get your jute twine out! Or your baker twine. Or your string. Whatever you want really! Space your feathers along your twine to check how it looks, then start tying them on. I used a simple knot and this seemed to hold mine fine, they’re still going strong. However, if you feel you need something more, a dot of superglue or hot glue on your feather as you’re knotting it should be all that you need.

Yay! Now you can hang up your garland. It can go anywhere; on your tree, on your wall, wherever you want! And as it’s not uber Christmassy, it can stay up all year round.

BY JENNY

CLOTHED FOR WINTER

I usually find dressing for Christmas challenging. I sit for hours browsing the internet, looking at beautiful dresses but then give up because I'm always scared I'll end up looking like a Christmas tree decoration. For some reason, just because the Festive season hits we're bombarded with vast arrays of sequins, glitter and copious amounts of green and red - I don't want something I'm limited to wearing for one week in an entire year!

So, I decided to steer clear of the 'party' sections, stick to more everyday dresses and, instead, give a little bit of 'Christmas' with bags and shoes.

1. Dress; Topshop, Shoes; Kurt Geiger, Bag; Miss Selfridge, Nails INC 'Kabaret' .......... 2. Dress; TBA, Shoes; Topshop, Bag; Zara, Nails INC 'Maddox'........... 3. Dress; Kimchi Blue, Shoes; Office, Bag; Madewell, Nails INC 'Warwick Way'

BY FERN