Builders Rossendale top 5 festive things to do over the Christmas season.

The festive season is just around the corner.
Are you stuck for things to do? We are Carr family builders have created this guide on things to do over the Christmas period

1. Make mulled wine or eggnog for your friends and relatives

Why not try making your own mulled wine? It is very simple and easy to do and can make a fantastic gift. Get your children involved by making a Christmas label for the mulled wine.
It takes 3 minute to prepare, 20 minutes to cook and ready in 23 minutes.

To make mulled wine you will need:
1 litre of dry red wine
2 x 5 cm cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon of cloves and all spice
1 large piece of orange rind
1 large piece of lemon rind and last but not least for that sweet taste, adds four table spoons of sugar.

First get a heavy based saucepan and put it on a medium heat on the hob.
Pour the red wine in and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and all spice, lemon and orange rind. Keep this all on a gentle heat; do not bring to the boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar, once dissolved taste and add more if needed.
For the next 20 minutes keeps your mulled wine simmering on a medium to low heat to let the flavours infuse the wine. Then serve in glasses or mugs.

2. Decorate your house and put up your Christmas tree

It’s not Christmas without your Christmas tree so why not get the whole family involved by choosing one, whether you go traditional, artificial or one of the very modern ones. They come in all shapes and sizes.

If you are stuck for a craft activity you could create your own decorations to hang on your tree.

Use your Christmas card you receive from friend and family to act as another type of decoration.

For that festive atmosphere add some Christmas lights outside your house

3. Take some time out to go and watch a pantomime.

Christmas season is pantomime season and what is more relaxing than taking some time out to go and watch them. All the classic will be on such as Cinderella, Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss in Boots. For your nearest pantomime, pop down to your nearest hall or search on the internet.
It is guaranteed fun, friendly, family entertainment

4. Tips on how to carve your own Christmas ham

Here are some tips to help when you carve your own Christmas ham.
For a decorative look use a sharp knife to cut around the edge of the shank in a zig zag pattern approximately 10 cm from the end.

To get an even coverage, use a pastry to brush to brush the mustard over the clove studded ham.

For another way to give your ham a more decorative look, score the fat about 1 cm deep in diamond pattern but do not cut into the meat.

5. Make mince pies with We are Carr family builders.

We are Carr family builders are a fan of mince pies which is why we are delighted to share this recipe with you. It is a tradition among many families to make mince pies; it is also a fun filled activity too.
You will need:

250g seedless raisins,
250g sultanas,
250g currants,
65g mixed peel,
250g cooking apples – you will need to peel these and chop them finely,
125g butter – please soften,
Grated zest of half a lemon,
Grated zest of ½ an orange,
½ tea spoon cinnamon,
Pinch of nutmeg and all spice,
250g dark brown soft sugar and 250ml of brandy or dark rum

First of all make sure all of your dried fruits are chopped the same size.
Get a large bowl and mix all the fruit, apples, butter, zest and spices together until well combined.
Next you will need to dissolve the sugar in the brandy and pour it all over the mixture.
This will need to be left overnight so cover and leave.

Day 2 – stir the mixture and then place in dry jars for 3 to 4 weeks before using in your favourite home made mince pie recipe.
For something different, add a crumble style topping. You can even mix and match by using different fruits.

Once Christmas is out the way, it’s a good time to start thinking about those home improvement projects you’ve got lined up for the New Year, why not call we are Carr family builder. We can help you with any project big or small.

We hope you have an enjoyable Christmas planned and hope that some of our ideas interest you.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the team at We are Carr family builders and Builders Rossendale.