Only a couple more days to go!
The tree is up, filled with a mixture of bought and homemade decorations. The big glass baubles are a new addition this year, but old favourites, like this wee pig that my friend Annie from New Zealand made me a decade ago, always have a branch…
Last minute chocolate making is underway, although with our hot summer days, the tempering bowl has been cooling in the air-conditioned lounge room. We’ve made feuilletine-filled dark milk chocolate in the shape of dragons…
Twelve Days of Christmas..(the feuilletine often results in a few air bubbles)…
A new Nutella ganache truffle, dipped in a blend of dark and milk chocolate…
I didn’t end up using the Santa bags, but instead packaged the nuts, mini fruit cakes and an assortment of chocolates into small plastic bowls…
Finally, here’s my Christmas drink for the year, the risque sounding “Sex on the Beach” (I didn’t pick the name, it’s a well known cocktail)…
- 30ml/1 oz vodka
- 30ml/1 oz peach schnapps
- 90ml/3 oz each of orange juice and cranberry juice
- lots of ice
It’s over 30ºC in Sydney at the moment, and this is perfect sipping as we slide into the silly season…
♥ Wishing you all a joyous, blessed Merry Christmas! We’ll see you in 2014! ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Merry Christmas and happy New Years to you and your family. Thank you for sharing your world with us.
Lury
Happy Christmas! Love the tree ornaments. Very pretty. :)
Thank you dear Celia, Merry Christmas and happy Holiday, love, nia
Happy Christmas to you all in the sun. We have had a flurry of snow, some hail, some rain ~ and the sun is out, though it will have set in about an hour!
Happy Christmas to you all!
Merry Christmas, Celia! We’ve been busy with chocolates and tree trimming here too ~ it is a joyous time of gathering family and good flavors. Hope the coming year is healthy and happy for you and yours.
Merry Christals to you & your loved ones, dear Celia! your Christmas tree is lovely & fab! Great looking home-made chocolates,….Yum Yum yummmm!
I meant: Merry Christmas, of course. 😉
I love that tasty looking Christmas drink too,…sip sip sip! 😀
Merry Christmas!
I shall miss you until 2014, as I love starting my days with you. Your joy for your family, friends and life send me on my way with a happy start. Merry Christmas, Celia to you and all those you love!
You are drinking SontB and I am having my morning hot chocolate and waiting for the house to warm up!
Oh the Silly Season, my Dad used to call it that too!! And now to try that cocktail! c
Merry Christmas and a WONDERFUL New Year for you and your whole family, Celia!
it’s been another fantastic year following your blog, and learning so much from you!
Did you keep track of how many pounds of chocolate you went thru in your Christmas prep, Celia? ☺️ Everything looks so beautiful! Best wishes for a merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year to you and yours. (I would love to try the nutella ganache truffle!)
Merry merry, Celia!
http://www.emilyfranklin.com
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Love your pretty tree…it looks like you are ready for Christmas. Have a happy one with your family.
Merry Christmas from the Arctic Circle. We went to see Santa today and told him we had all been good. There is deep snow here and it is gorgeous.
The chocolates look fantastic and ready for all those lucky people you know. I was thinking about you this ,morning and how you are getting on in this heat. The tree looks beautiful ( tell small man) and I wish you and Pete and the boys a lovely time with family and friends xx
Merry Christmas to you all as well. Enjoy the break and I’m looking forward to another great year of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial in 2014.
Ha I could slide into the silly season with a cocktail or maybe two…
Love the decorations, aren’t the old ones just the best. Wishing you and your family a super gorgeous silly season and a fab New Year. Claire x
Thank you for another year of joy and interest Celia. I feel as though I know you and your lovely family and it’s a real honour to be able to share insights into your life. Have a lovely holiday time, and keep up the cool cocktails in this heat!
Mmm cocktails, isn’t the heart in Sydney crazy at the moment? We’re about to escape to the south coast! One thing we are doing this year is freezing edible flowers in ice cubes, so even the water jug will look festive! :-D
Cheers Celia, that cocktail looks perfect for this weather! x
cherry mistmas celia..x
Merry Christmas, Celia, Pete and the boys… have a lovely one! Thank you for your inspired recipes and friendship throughout the year. Look forward to seeing you sometime in January xox
Your chocolates are stunning and make the most perfect gift. I have decorations old and new on my tree too – just can’t discard the old! Happy birthday to your big boy too – 21! And your instagram image of The Strand was so pretty xx
Hi Celia, it’s been such a joy discovering and reading your blog thank you for sharing. Your tree is just lovely, homemade decorations are a treasure. My mother in law sends us some every year and it’s nice to have them mixed in with the bought ones, nice sentimentality about it. Wishing you all a food filled Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)
I love your tree Celia but I love the bookshelves behind it even more. A very merry Christmas and a happy 2014 to you, Pete, Big Boy and Small Boy — and the girls from all of us here. x
Merry Xmas to you and your family, Celia. I really enjoy reading your blogs. They are so full of kindness.
Love your decorations and chocolate Celia and you’ve given me lots of fun & inspiration this year, thanks so much. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.
Looks like you’re all set for Wednesday Celia! Your tree looks so pretty- very festive indeed. We’ve had 38* days so sipping a cool cocktail like that sounds very enticing for sure Xox
The biggest and best Yuletide wishes to you and all your family ~ and may the year to come bring health, happiness and good fortune . . . Love the tree and see Celi has already found her sexy cocktail :) !
Everything looks bright and festive. I love the cocktail- even the name- and would like just a tiny sip- a summertime Christmas seems odd- but then it was almost 70 degrees F here today- so actually it seems rather nice!
G’day and Merry Christmas! Hope you and your family enjoy a healthy New Year! Cheers! Joanne
Merry Christmas Celia!
As always your chocolates look wonderful. My hampers this year have some little dark chocolate shapes and dark choc feuilletine in baby cupcake cases. Thank you for teaching me yet another wonderful new skill!
Have a fantastic break. Here’s to 2014! xx
Merry Christletoe to you and yours Celia and thank you for all the pleasure I have had from your blog. I remember gazing at one of your chocolate hippos a few posts ago and thinking she and I could have some deep and meaningful conversations, but – here be dragons…they look wonderful.
The tree is so pretty and my goodness your chocolates always take my breath away.
Merry Christmas Celia!
Merry Christmas to you and Pete and the boys. I hope it’s the best day ever. I look forward to learning chocolate making in 2014!
Your tree looks just as I thought it would : gorgeous! You’re sure to make a bunch of people happy with your fantastic chocolates. I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas, Celia, and wishing you all things wonderful in the New Year.
Happy Christmas Celia! Your tree and chocolates look gorgeous, as does the drink :)
Hehe you’re too funny “I didn’t make up the name”. I think if you were to make up a name for a cocktail it would be even naughtier! ;) Merry Christmas darling!
I agree with Lorraine about the naming!
Just off to finish a batch of Christmas Pudding Truffles. Is this a sensible time to try tempering chocolate? Hope your instructions work.
Have a fabulous Christmas. x
Happy Christmas to you and Pete and Big and Small and Chooks and as for those bubble filled dragons! They look fab! xxx
Your chocolates are beautiful! Lucky recipients. Merry Christmas. Sue
Womenlivinglifeafter50.com
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2014.
Merry Christmas dear Celia. I hope you and your family get to have a lovely little break over the holly jolly time. A break filled with much deliciousness, and basketfuls of love.
*clink* to your Sex on the Beach :-)
Merry Christmas Celia! Everything looks wonderful & festive- sspecially the size of that drink! xoxoxox E
Wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas :) we’ve been sipping on sangria!
Merry Christmas Celia. Thank you for sharing. I always find inspiration, comfort and laughs in your posts. Have a good one! Hope your enjoying the cooler weather.
Your Christmas tree looks beautiful (and the chocolate truffles as well of course!). The nutella ganache truffle sounds especially yummy! Hope you had a great Christmas! – Niki x
I hope you had a very merry Christmas & best wishes for a terrific New Year. Your tree is beautiful. I have a separate box of very special ornaments & every year explain where they came from to my daughter so that she’ll appreciate the sentiment & use them on her future trees.
LOL! I chose the Mojito as my Christmas drink this year. Love your tree an the special decorations… the chocolates look amazing too :)
Belated Happy Christmas Celia and wishing you all the best for 2014. Sorry my comments haven’t been as regular but always love reading (and admiring) everything you cook, produce, write, serve up or create.
happy new year, love a good cocktail to bring in the new year!
Just catching up on blog posts, so a belated Happy Christmas to you Celia and a huge thank you for your wonderful, inspiring and uplifting posts in 2013. Discovering your blog earlier this year was one of my best ‘feelgood’ moments of the year :-) Wishing you and your family all the best for 2014!
Your chocolate look spectacular as always Celia. Those dragons are particularly cute. Hope you have been enjoying the festivities and I wish you a very Happy New Year.
Your chocolates look gorgeous!
I love homemade gifts. This year we made bath fizzes, a couple of different types of biscuit, and numerous things rolled in coconut. But the best part was when I received homemade cherry jam from my eldest daughter. I bet there is not too many 19 year olds that make jam.
Here’s mine! http://wp.me/p1AEg4-24K