Xmas and all my ramblings

Christmas is 39 days away and reels of Christmas bakes and wrapping keeps appearing in my Insta, TikTok and Threads. Friends who know me well know that I love cute bakes, I love to make cutesy things not just for the girls but it gives a sense of happiness (siao! happiness come from me being busy). I always have and dream of being a tai-tai and do all these. Sadly (1) I’m not a tai-tai I have housework to do. Then by the time I finish or rather I can’t finish them as housework is never ending I don’t have the energy to do, then cooking how? (2) nobody eats. Who do I bake for? Give it as Xmas gifts? But we don’t have the habit of giving Xmas gifts except when the girls were much younger and I deliberately wrapped so many presents to put under the Christmas 🎄 tree. We don’t gift coz there’s no party with friends except when we’re invited to brother’s place for Christmas. Infact we haven’t been around for most Christmas as we’re usually overseas. 

Why I don’t give friends 🎁

There was a time a few friends and I would do it coz they often buys a gift for me and the family. Then I was obliged to get something for them in return. This is what I’m afraid of. I know gift giving is the thought that counts but more often we don’t really need anything and I also don’t even know what I’ve gifted is what the recipient wants too! I have friends who gifted me photo frames, body lotion etc... things that I don’t use. Bro gifted the girls make up before but they don’t use, the funniest and practical gift he gave them one year was panties. Haha! They have to wear right?!  So yah, don’t give me anything. I’m trying not to have things in the house that I don’t need. Unless you give us chocolates especially dark chocolate I’d gladly accept it 😂. Giving us other snacks is a hit and miss. Still, the best gift is angpow. We can keep the money and save it up or buy what we want.  

A consolidated of what has been appearing in my Insta for the past weeks apart from all the German Christmas markets reels 😢

Bakes with Xmas Inspo 

Credit to ohcakeswinnie. This is a real easy one to make, only thing I’ve cleared all of my Xmas baking stuffs either to Salvation Army or to my friend N who bakes. 

@ heartsonsweet. Meringe decoration started way back to 2019 or 2018. It’s a thing of the past, but when it comes to festive season it’s nice to have meringe decorated according to the season. They’re really cute if you know how to do it. I’ve been wanting to do this and am not even close to scoop meringue into the piping bags. Haha! 

Another thing that was trending for more than 9 years or maybe 10 (?) is cute deco marshmallow. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do too but it’s always either no time/no energy to do or who to give? 

@ jollythreads.christmas. So so cute. Cupcakes are easy to make then just spread cream on top and put sprinklers on it. But I’m not organising any Xmas party

@ domesticallyblissful. Brownie. Yummy! I love brownies but not when I have eat 11 or 15 other pieces as well. So simple to make but I only like to daydream. 

@ pausenbrotjunkie. Thi is so nice but will need a pan for this. Aiyoh! I cleared alot of my pans leh! Actually it’s quite a big pan, my family might not be able to finish the bread. Think think, they are content creators so they need to post these to earn money. I’m not so I can make ugly bakes, disastrous meals and nobody cares.

@ sa3naZan3as. Chocolate decorated, gives person some surprise when they put into their hot milk. When I think of the level of sugar in there ..... eh... no thanks but they're really cute. 

@ janespatisserie. Another simple cookie using the normal dough and simply sprinkling chocolate chips and Christmas sprinkles 

@ foodie.yuki. This reminds me of the Bahlsen cookies I see in supermarkets. I had an almost similar idea to use my cutesy countless chocolate molds. Oh man! I really love those chocolate molds, I had so many cartoon characters mold but they were huge in 2D with bulging tummy or boobs or face that one will wonder if I'm putting the chocolate on the cookies or putting the cookies on the chocolate. I gave away those molds. Lots of money spent there via Vpost then, no way am i going to spend on these again. Makes lovely gifts.

These were some of the hard chocolate molds I used to have - Sesame Street, Elmo, Dora, Strawberry shortcake, Disney etc… I had a lot! 

@ lifeisfullofgoodies. This is a hot cocoa cup where marshmallows, cocoa powder, chocolate etc.. are made. And all one needs to do is to put this in a cup of hot milk. It’s a nice gift, but honestly I feel not suitable to gift in hot Singapore. Gimme ice water please! But if I want to silently kill someone with diabetes, I might want to make these 

@ cathrynlaurawood. A simple cut out cookie and all one needs to do is to pipe chocolate on it. Simple! Will it be my project? But who to gift it to? I'm like hand itchy, heart itchy want to make something but ..... 

@ whimsycookiecart and @ pressedrecipe. A pretty cool envelope cookie where a note is left in between the cookie, like a fortune cookie. 

@ recetas_sweetfactory and  @ manuelidades.con.manu . Cakepop decorated reindeer. Omg! How can I forget there was such a thing last time?! I only made it once or twice. I gave the girls in che-che’s primary school for Children’s Day before. 

But are people still doing this? 

@ baking_again_today. This is one easy butter cookie to make with just a piping bag and colours. It’s just so cute. Should I make this? But then I remember I have a cookie press with christmas shapes. 🤭 I may end up not doing any bakes at all. 

Oh. I love advent calendar. This reminds me of the two or three times when the girls were young, I’d get a box of advent LEGO and they take turns opening it. 

So was happy when I saw these advent cookies 2 years ago. Honestly I was so tempted to buy the cookie set from customcookiecutters then.  They have many cute cookie cutters. 

@ customcookiecutters and @ littlebiskut

Cute right? From the same shop

@ patisserieblanc. This is nice but gotta manually draw the cookies with icing. Becoz the cookie is almost bare, it gives me the european kind of gingerbread cookie vibe. 

One do not need to be an artist to draw on the cookies. Two ways you can go about drawing on cookies. (1) you draw on the cookie with an edible ink first then you use the royal icing to draw the borders and colour the cookie. (2) use a projector and you draw on the cookie. I have the projector, the susan for cookie decorating and I’m no where near baking any cut cookies yet. 🤣🤣

A quick look into the account and I saw these cuter advent calendar

@ whimsycookiecart. Very classy looking advent calendar 👍

Xmas inspo using ingredients available at home

@ 金森幸子. This uses slice bread. Reminds me of my cheat pizza I use to make for the girls, now can make Xmas decorated pizza

Next 3 pics by the same person. This is cute. Using Pocky and white chocolate. Something I can do when I’m trying to act busy

And this uses cooked penne. Such a terrific idea! 

@ sheri_wilson_ . This is cute! I want to do this!

@ christmastokk

@ sachi.cafe. A Japanese lady who uses whatever is around in the kitchen for her works. I love the asthetic pics in her Instagram 

@ meri_kodomo_oyatsu

Favors that are Xmas inspo 

@ una10702. A smart way to wrap Ferraro Rocher 

@ adrianaa1._ and adrianas._ . The KitKat is packaged nicer than what I did 😄

@ _jenmagic_ . The snowman containers are so cute. 

Crafts that are Xmas inspo

@ studiomima.de . Candle-making has come a long way. I’ve always wanted to learn to make soap but was never able to find the time. Maybe I should sign up for class one day 

@ stulux_ . Okay I know I don’t exchange gifts but I do love to wrap presents. I like to make my corners neat when I wrap presents. Got me thinking long time ago that maybe I should work part-time as a gift wrapper during the holiday season 😂. But coz I’m slow and I want it neat I may get sacked on the first day of my job 🤣

@ quinns_arte. A thing of the past now. I can barely send cards to more than 3 people now. I love to make cards, I used to use my scrapbooking stuffs to make birthday cards but stopped when I got so busy with the kids and the house. Making cards is nice but it means one will need to have lots of embellishments at home. I’ve stopped collecting things now, so I’ll either buy that 1-2 cards. Sooner or later, it might even get to zero when everyone starts sending digital greetings. 

@ diyjoycrafts. This is so cute. Pipe cleaners and poms poms - I used to have a lot a lot, I would have been able to make these then. Now? Actually 做了又怎么样？use it to decorate my house? 🤭

Organizing with Xmas inspo

@ monicaawidener . Watching organizing home, cleaning home videos is always so motivational for this ah-soh. You see them open their empty drawers and put in a jar that has just been filled up with the asmr and the bloody long nails tapping (darn! I really hate those long sharpy nails). It’s fun to watch but I have no empty drawers to do that 😂. Content creators so they need to do that. It’s not practical for us to do that here, when things will probably lao hong and we also extended an open invitation to ants and cockroaches. Yeeks! No thank you. 

Lots more, I can’t name all.