Merry August! My first Christmas cake

It's August Bank Holiday!  And in traditional British bank-holiday style, the blue sky we were promised is no-where to be seen.  Hubby and I have spent the weekend in Kent with some of Hubby's family, and it has been either been pouring with rain, or at best, grey and miserable...

We made our way back around the M25 this morning and, realising that all the shops will be closed due to the bank holiday we decided that an in-house activity was very much on the cards - and for me, when we make the decision to 'do something' in the house, that always means baking!

I had a quick rummage in the cupboards, glanced at the calendar, and formulated a plan...

We'd spent the weekend lazing around with family, so I wanted to make a cake that represented that - and frankly, if the weather wants to turn, at best, autumnal then my baking can be something suitable for chilly day.

Deck the halls with bows of holly... fa la la la la, la la la laaa...

Yes, it may be August, but I have started my Christmas cake!

Currently, the dried fruit is sitting in a bowl of brandy, but once I am satisfied that the little shrivelled things have plumped up enough I'm going to start in the rest of the mix.

Having never made a Christmas cake before I'm really rather excited.  My mum has always been the one to make our family one.  Each year around October she complains that she hasn't started her cake yet, and threatens that this year will be the year that she doesn't bother... but then on Christmas Day, out she comes with a beautifully hand-painted cake.  It's may favourite part of the Christmas meal.

Even if my finished article isn't a patch on what my Mum makes, I figure that 3-months of 'feeding' a fruit-cake will turn it into something beautiful and boozy.

So I better get cracking...  There's only 120 days until Christmas!

It's [early] Christmas time

For my 8th birthday, I was asked by my parents what present I would like, and to this day I remember my answer. Without a second thought I knew what I wanted to wake up to when my birthday dawned: Christmas.  Unfortunately my birthday is in March, however that didn't stop my parents dutifully bringing out the Christmas tree, and having a big "Christmas" dinner to celebrate my birthday.  There was even Christmas pudding in place of birthday cake.  I had an absolute ball.

When you're a child, Christmas has an undeniable quality.  It's magical.  But as you grow older, and you can't get away with buying all your gifts from one shop and the budget has to stretch thinner and thinner, the excitement of the festive season somewhat dims...

I read an article in the Metro this morning complaining that supermarket chain Asda were already setting up their Grottos.  Even I have to admit that August is a little early for little children to start planning what expensive gift Santa will bring them this year. 

I do wonder whether the more time we have to plan, the more we plan to spend, and Christmas arriving earlier and earlier is a bit if a trick by retailers to get us to cough up more...

So this year I've decided to try and bring some of the magic back. I want to be that little girl that enjoyed Christmas so much that she wanted it twice in one year.  So this year Hubby and I will make a lot of our presents, spending the minimum financially, but the maximum in time, effort and energy.

Afterall, what is Christmas without a little thoughtfulness.