December gardening tips

The shortest day of the year is rapidly approaching. The amount of time you can spend in the garden is limited. It’s going to be cold so some hard work to keep you warm is the order of the day.

The good news is that when you're done you can put your feet up by the fire and relax for the holidays.


Get stuck into any digging that you need to do and prune trees and shrubs.

You should now have time to sit by the fire and plan your gardening for next year. And perhaps you’ll get a chance to unwrap those gardening gifts that Santa left under the tree.

Here is a list of the top ten things you should consider completing this month - courtesy of the Royal Horticultural Society:

1.    Check your winter protection structures are still securely in place.
2.    Check that greenhouse heaters are working.
3.    Insulate outdoor taps and prevent ponds from freezing.
4.    Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those trained against walls).
5.    Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding.
6.    Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and remaining root crops.
7.    Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted.
8.    Take hardwood cuttings.
9.    Keep mice away from stored produce.
10.    Reduce watering of houseplants.

For more details on winter and December in your garden visit https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/december and follow the links.

Allison Homes' Run-up to Christmas Time Plan

Is the thought of planning your Christmas lunch for a house full of family and friends keeping you awake at nights?

We have got you covered.  If you are going to be the cook on the 'big day', here is your ultimate day-by-day guide to preparing for the family Christmas meal:


This weekend:

•  For fresh birds, order early to ensure you get the weight you want.
• Buy a frozen turkey to avoid the last-minute rush.
• Look for the Quality British Turkey mark for assurance of best standards in welfare, food safety and traceability.

Week commencing 11th December:

• Work out how long your frozen turkey will take to defrost.
• Make a note of when you need to start defrosting the turkey.
• Write a shopping list – check the cupboard for essentials such as herbs, spices, oil.
• Make a separate shopping list for fresh ingredients.
• Make the brandy butter and refrigerate it.
• Make and freeze the breadcrumbs for the stuffing.
• Decide on table decorations - buy or order them.

Week commencing 18th December

• Buy the bulk of your shopping - eg Christmas pudding, custard, chocolates, etc.
• Buy all the dry ingredients required for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and not forgetting Christmas Eve.
• Buy fresh food including the turkey (if you haven’t ordered one).
• If cooking a frozen turkey take it out of the freezer in time to defrost it thoroughly.
• Don’t forget to order chipolata sausages or buy ahead and freeze them.

23rd December:

• Collect fresh turkey, sausages.

24th December:

• Prepare the stuffing & the gravy. Chill until needed to cook.
• Prepare the sprouts and other vegetables. Cover and store in the fridge.
• Peel the potatoes, cut to the required size – cover in water with a slice of lemon.
• Make the cranberry sauce – cover and chill.
• For a frozen turkey check turkey is thawed – there should be no ice crystals in the body cavity.
• Don’t forget to remove giblets from the turkey. Check both neck and cavity!
• Cover the turkey loosely and leave in the fridge overnight at a temperature of no more than 5 degrees C.
• Calculate your roasting times.
• Lay the table.

Candles at home at Christmas

Candles have been around for centuries. Early candles were made from animal fat and beeswax. As production industrialised other materials were used – fat from sperm whales, vegetable oils and paraffin oils in particular.

Manufacture of candles declined after the invention of the lightbulb in 1879.

Despite this advance in lighting technology,  we still use candles to brighten our homes, to create a cosy atmosphere or to impart fragrance.

There is still a sense of something magical about burning candles. This perhaps comes from various religious and ceremonial uses that we can still remember.

You can use candles to make a beautiful centrepiece to your table at formal family meals – like Christmas dinner. Or, you can dot them around the home in designer holders to create a wonderful festive atmosphere.

Here are some of our favourites and where to get them:

• Yankee Candles has a huge range of candles of all kinds. Their candles are in jars and pillars, so they impart their relaxing and evocative fragrances without getting melted wax all over the place. Winter Glow, Berry Trifle and Christmas Cookie pillar candles are a favourite. Visit www.yankeecandle.co.uk for more.
• John Lewis stocks all the popular candle brands. Its website lets you shop by fragrance as well as brand. As well as candles the retailer also has ranges of diffusers, candle holders and gift sets to choose from.
• If you are looking for simplicity in design but a wide range of relaxing aromas, then the White Company could be for you. It has candles, votives, pillar candles and tealights galore. Visit its website for more.
• Stylish British parfumier Jo Malone of London has a nice range of candles for the home.  
• Going even further up market and for something a little different – particularly if you have money to burn – give Selfridges a try.

Whichever candles and fragrances you choose – enjoy. We hope you have a relaxing and cosy Christmas.

Christmas decoration ideas

Now that winter has officially arrived it’s time to start preparing your home for the coming Christmas festivities.

Here are some inspirational ideas to help get you into the Christmas spirit.

Christmas wreaths and Christmas centrepieces – You can buy these at good retailers. Better yet, why not create your own? It’s a good excuse to get out and about. Collect some holly with berries, ivy and pine cones. Get yourself a floral foam oasis ring from a florist. Cut sprigs of your favourite evergreens into short sprigs. Alternate them so you don’t get groupings of the same foliage. You can also add ribbons and baubles to mix it up a bit.

Christmas flowers – Fill you home with some traditional Christmas flowers. Poinsettia, amaryllis, cyclamen, hyacinth and bulbs all make beautiful floral displays that can last well beyond the festive season to give your home a cosy feeling all winter.

Trees – Fill your home with one of the most distinctive seasonal festive aromas by having a real tree. The top three for fragrance are;

• Norway Spruce
• Fraser Fir
• Douglas Fir

Baubles – Shop for bold statement baubles and match them with plain understated ones to match your colour schemes. Have a look at Pinterest for inspiration.

Traditional paper – Remember the old-fashioned paper chains and crepe paper hanging bells? Add some colour to your schemes with traditional folded designs and paper baubles.

Lights – Christmas lights can brighten up your home inside and out over the Christmas holidays. Choose understated single colour strings of LED lights to match your chosen colour schemes.

Candles – If you’re not having a real tree this year but still want to fill your home with the aromas of Christmas, light some festive candles. There are plenty out there and most of the major supermarkets have their own ranges.

New kitchen ideas for the New Year

We all do it, don’t we? As the year draws to a close and we look forward to Christmas and New Year celebrations we start to think about changing things around for the coming year. If you’re anything like us, you might be thinking about redecorating, buying new furniture or – changing the kitchen.

The kitchen is the hub of the house isn’t it? So, it’s the one space in the house that gets the most use – and as a result can start to look tired quite quickly.

Kitchen tech, designs and trends are changing all the time.

We have pulled together a few tips for things to think about if you’re thinking about a new kitchen with a few ideas for things you can add to it to spice things up a bit.

Design trends
The current trends for kitchen centre on industrial chic, exposed surfaces and cool blues. Natural materials are still a favourite, think wood and granite. The rustic look is in. Make your colour palette rich and moody if you a looking for a cosy space – otherwise open your space out using creamy white or pastel colour ways for an airy and fresh feel.

Small kitchens
If you have a small kitchen you need to maximise the space. Use light colours and glossy surfaces to reflect light and create the illusion of space. Search out clever storage and waste ideas to make the most of the space. Add a little pastel colour and illuminate well with white lighting.

Family kitchen
In many homes the kitchen is the family hub. If you have the space, create an open plan space and break it up into zones with islands, breakfast bars and dining areas with tables and seating. And if you have a pet, consider easy-to-clean but hard-wearing floor surfaces in designs and colours that won’t look tired. Use secure waste disposal and secure storage to keep your furry friend out of danger.

Technology in the kitchen
We’re all mobile these days. To keep your technology fully charged include wireless charging points and USB plug sockets in your kitchen designs. Consider using smart heating and lighting solutions like MiGenie, Hive and Devolo to control your energy use from your phone while you are out and about. Wifi connected devices like smart fridges allow you to track your groceries and order in food and drink that you are short of.

Cooking
There is a vast range of cooking solutions available from pyrolytic, steam cleaning and self-cleaning ovens to ceramic hobs and the latest energy-efficient induction cooking solutions.

Worktops
There is a wide variety of materials that can be used for worktop surfaces. You can choose laminates, natural wood, solid composite, quartz or granite. The choice of surface will be dictated by your colour designs, the toughness you need, your budget and ease of maintenance.

Some of the bigger DIY retailers have great ranges of kitchens, both 'off the shelf' and bespoke. Why not check them out for more ideas? Have a look at B&Q, Home Base  or Wickes. There are plenty of other options available online – just ask Google.

Stir it up!

This Sunday is known as ‘Stir Up Sunday’. There are two reasons. It is the last Sunday before Advent. During Anglican Sunday services there is a prescribed Collect reading from the Book of Common Prayer which contains the line: “Stir up, we beseech thee O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people”. It’s also a signal that Christmas is coming. Now is the time to start making the matured Christmas puds and cakes.

Traditionally, Stir Up Sunday is the time when the family gets together in the kitchen and mixes up the pudding. Everyone has a stir of the mixture and makes a wish for the coming season. The kitchen fills up with the smells of Christmas as the pudding is steamed.

Not everyone is a fan but Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a figgy pudding.

There are numerous recipes out there for Christmas puddings. We like this one from Mary Berry, which can be found here.

Of course, we don’t all have time, or the inclination, to cook a Christmas pudding. This is when shop-bought puddings come into their own.

All the major supermarkets will have their own versions of the classic pud. Here’s a list of the main ones;

• Aldi Specially Selected Golden Topped Christmas Pudding, 907g: £7.99*, Aldi (Serves 8)
• Iceland Luxury Christmas Pudding with a Brandy Sauce Centre, 907g: £6, Iceland (Serves 8)
• Lidl Deluxe 24 Month Matured Christmas Pudding, 907g: £11.99, Lidl (Serves 8)
• Morrisons The Best Pear and Pedro Ximenez Sherry Christmas Pudding, 800g: £8, Morrisons (Serves 8)
• Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Cognac Laced 18 Month Matured Christmas Pudding, 450g: £5, Sainsbury’s (Serves 4)
• Heston from Waitrose Persian Spiced Christmas Pudding, 800g: £14, Waitrose (Serves 8)

Whether you make your own pudding or buy one we hope you have a great time this Christmas.

*Prices may vary.

Allison Homes tips for a happy Hygge life

Hygge – pronounced (who-ga) – is a Danish lifestyle concept that is becoming popular in the UK. It’s a great way to make the melancholic late autumn and winter months more bearable.

The concept is ingrained in Danish culture. Hygge boils down to happiness and well-being - feeling comfortable and content, taking pleasure in the simple things that life has to offer.

In a book published earlier this year called the Little Book of Hyyge, author and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute of Copenhagen Meik Wiking defined Hygge as an atmosphere and experience. It’s about being with loved ones, feeling at home and feeling safe.

Sounds simple and wonderful doesn’t it? But how do we achieve Hygge in our busy modern lives?

Here a few tips we have gleaned;

• Natural lighting – turn off the electric lights and get out the candles.
• Have fireplace or wood burner? Light up and bathe in the warmth and light of a real fire.
• Get comfy. Take a break.
• Be here now. Put down your phones and turn off your internet connected devices and ignore social media for a while.
• Build relationships. Spend time with your family and closest friends. How about inviting them around for a night of board games and home-made treats?
• Take a break from the demands of healthy living. Cake is most definitely Hygge. Get into home-cooked comfort foods.
• Live life today, like there is no coffee tomorrow.
• Dress up in your most comfortable clothes, curl up in your favourite chair with a hot drink and read a good book.

 Whatever you do, be happy.