Four and a half weeks to Christmas and the Glen Shopping Centre has put up their Christmas tree for St Mary’s Children’s Home.
You’ll find the Tree of Love in the Fashion Court, lower floor, just near the escalators and as in previous years, choose a tag from the tree. Each tag will have girl or boy, an age, clothing size and shoe size and there are also tags for toiletries and grocery items. Give the gift and tag to any of the friendly staff at the customer care desk or at the centre management offices. There are also tags for groceries and toiletries, and these can be handed at the customer care desk or at the centre management offices. All the gifts, groceries and toiletries will be taken to the children’s home by December 24.
This is such a wonderful initiative, please support it.
Simply Festive Christmas Market
Why not visit this Christmas Market at the Platinum Court at Mall of the South (near entrance 5) from November 28 to November 30, 9am till 6pm. There will be be an organic market but the focus will be on gifting and Christmas items
Gifts for pensioners
When one reaches a certain age you just don’t want to collect anymore clutter and ornaments. So when buying Christmas gifts for seniors, rather buy them an experience they can enjoy, such as dinner out at their favourite restaurant, theatre or movie tickets, a night or weekend away or a spa treatment.
Another great idea is to make up a hamper of their favourite treats. Buy an inexpensive basket or find a cardboard box and cover in Christmas wrapping. If they enjoy a tipple, buy a bottle of what they like, i.e. whisky, wine, Amarula, etc. and add some chocolates, delicious biscuits, a Christmas cake, tinned salmon, and whatever you know they enjoy. This is a gift which will last them and will also save them on their monthly shop.
Gift vouchers are also a good idea, or a magazine prescription, a gift which will keep on giving. If you know they enjoy their garden, a beautiful bush or tree will make a lovely gift. Or again you can make up a gardening hamper in a basket, adding gardening gloves, small gardening tools, packets of flower seeds, a lovely fragranced hand cream (for the ladies) and a gardening apron. Want to make it a bit more special, buy a book on gardening, choosing one which will benefit them (small gardens, patios and pots, vegetable growing, etc.). I’m sure any of the above will be a hit!
Pastry recipe for Christmas mince pies
I promised you this, so here it is.
Ingredients
500g flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
50g castor sugar
350g shortening (I use 150g lard and 200g butter or margarine)
175ml of liquid (150ml iced water and 25ml lemon juice)
Method
Sift the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Rub in the lard and butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the liquid slowly, binding together with a knife. Bring together into a ball, wrap in greaseproof paper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
Remove from the fridge, sprinkle flour on the work top and roll out the pastry. Use cutters, making the bottoms bigger than the tops.
Grease muffin or tart tins with margarine and place the bottoms in the tin. Add a spoonful of mincemeat mixture (dessert spoon) and place the tops above. Crimp down around the edges and brush with water. At this stage you can sprinkle caster sugar lightly on top or wait until the pies are baked and when cool, dust with icing sugar.
Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes on 200°C. Serve warm or cold with fresh cream, custard or ice cream.
That’s it for this week. Shop till you drop!
Julie
