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Posted on by Debbie

I’m not a cook, a baker or a candlestick maker #WOYP

Please bear with me as I make this confession to you – I’m not apologising for my thoughts/actions just being honest!

What I don’t do:

🎄I don’t make a Christmas Cake every year (I never have so why start now?)

🎄I don’t bake Mince Pies (but I’ll eat them if you offer me some)

🎄I don’t google how to roast pork, chicken, duck (whatever) for Christmas lunch

🎄I don’t decorate my house for the Christmas season – qualification here: this year I have put up some big stars and the lights are twinkling on the front verandah as they do every night of the year. If the grandchildren or other visitors are coming we will put up the tree but usually we are driving elsewhere for Christmas so it’s not worth effort. all a bit hard.

🎄I’ll happily let others take over the cooking and planning of Christmas meals but will offer to help in whatever way I can.

🎄I’m not a foodie – there I’ve said it – but I’ll eat anything you cook for me and appreciate it.

🎄I’m not a scrooge or a sad-sack. I love Christmas and all the excitement and joy of being with family.

🎄I can’t wrap a present nicely to save my life but I always try hard.

What I am:

🎄I am generous in my praise, handing out of money for supplies, venue organisation and helping to plan activities.

🎄I’m fun to be around and get involved with all manner of activities.

🎄I’ll always laugh at myself and let others laugh at me.

🎄I like finding special presents for special people.

🎄I’m a gift to the world 🙂

Being silly - I'm a gift to the world
I’m a gift to the world – all wrapped up under the tree

So this month I’m not sharing a recipe but instead I’m sharing some of my favourite food-lookalike photos for you to enjoy.

Like this giant gingerbread house in Priddy near Cheddar in Somerset UK.

The Gingerbread Inn at Priddy
The Gingerbread Inn at Priddy, the glass bottle Snowman
The Gingerbread Inn at Priddy

Or this photo of two of my daughters making Christmas biscuits last year with two of my grandchildren

making gingerbread biscuits
Making gingerbread biscuits Christmas 2021

Or making gingerbread houses

Step 1 Gingerbread house roof on
gingerbread house before
Step 4: Have fun
Gingerbread House
gingerbread house
Gingerbread House - or what's left of it

So about now I’m feeling a bit of a fraud joining in with this linkup, but believe me, I have enough on my plate (metaphorically speaking) to last a while so I’m happy to share these gorgeous happy family shots from last year.

Christmas pyjamas 2021
Some of the family - December 2021
Granny Debs and papa G with three little ones
Eliza, Shawn, Patrick Christmas 2021
Playing catchies on the beach
with Mum Christmas 2021
Sarah, Emilia and Zach December 2021
family together at the beach December 2021
with the bike trailer

And my all time favourite combo birthday and Christmas celebration photo ever from 2015

Awkward portrait at Christmas
Awkward portrait

Feel like joining in?

It’s always fun joining Canadian bloggers Donna and Deb for their What’s on your plate challenge series each month. These posts go live on the first Wednesday of each month and you can join in too with a food related post, just by adding your post to their linkup.

I’m also joining Denyse for her Wednesday’s Words and Pics – another fun linkup.

What's on your plate contributor
What’s on your plate contributor badge
wednesday-word-and-pics
Denyse’s Wednesday Words and Pics

Hope to see you soon – please don’t hate me 🙂 I have written lots of positive festive posts before now and really do love the whole season!

We each have our own strengths and I know mine!

Deb xx

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Debbie - mother of a 40 year old

Deb is a young-at-heart & active 60+ blogger/retiree, after being made redundant from her 22-year career managing education programs in a men’s correctional centre (jail). She now spends her time reading, blogging, riding her ebike and travelling. Deb was awarded a Bravery Award from the Queen when she was 17 after a tragic accident – a definite life changing moment! She is married with 3 grown-up daughters & has 4 grandchildren. You can read more of Deb’s story here

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57 Replies to “I’m not a cook, a baker or a candlestick maker #WOYP”

  2. I’m glad someone else admits to not baking Christmas goodies! I’ve had to politely decline cookie exchanges, worry about what to do when neighbors give me box of homemade treats (besides a warm thank you) , and think about what to bring to potlucks that won’t look like I purchased it at the grocery. I have no idea what our Christmas day dinner will be…. I have days still to figure that out, right?

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    1. It was a fun post to write as some people take the whole decorating/baking thing way more seriously than I do! We’re all unique is my opinion and should love what we do 🙂

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  6. This was such a fun post! Good for you to relax about all the Christmas stuff, and instead enjoy the company of your family and help them if needed. The gingerbread house in England looks so cool! Is it up all year? I’m also intrigued seeing the gingerbread biscuit baking is a thing over in Australia too! I baked mine a few weeks ago.

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    1. Thanks for your visit Susanne, the pub in England usually just decorates for Christmas and its a real transformation! The gingerbread house and biscuits are quite popular here these days. Enjoy!

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  8. You and I have a lot in common! I am an average cook at best and have never made a Christmas cake, pudding or mince pies. My wrapping attempts look like I’ve been wrestling with an alligator. But I always say I have other talents! Thanks for linking

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  9. What a fun post, Debbie. I share the same “What I don’t do” list. In my family we do potluck or catering so everyone can enjoy the holiday meals. Thank you for your weekend coffee share and lovely photos.

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  10. Awww… I love that Deb. I’m never the cook or baker as well. I’ll usually buy the alcohol and maybe some nibbles or chocolate and that sort of thing. Nowadays I don’t even really decorate my house. This year it’s just mum and I so she has some decorations up but not sure I’ll bother.

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  11. how boring would the world be if everyone had the same talents – and your talents are vast indeed. Thanks for making me smile. As an aside I recall one year we arrived back from the UK on December 23 and I STILL put the tree up…

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    1. Thanks Christina, I can only be ME! I love sharing photos of our family as they make me smile every time I look at them :). All the best to you for the Christmas season.

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  13. YOU made me smile with delight at the images and the ways in which you described yourself. I admit Mum was an awesome cook and catered amazingly for Christmas but she learned from her very caring Dad. Mum handed over Christmas to me in 1985 and she always paid for and cooked the pork, and we kind of managed the rest …and I can tell, after a full teaching year I “still” did it all…and we celebrated Christmas in the house, and with decorations in a BIG way…and then I would “collapse” in a heap on Boxing Day. But I wouldn’t change a thing. It still seems very strange to me not catering Christmas nor decorating at all because we haven’t had any reason to the past years but once we are back in Sydney, I won’t put my hand up but at least I can help more. Thank you for sharing your post for Wednesday’s Words and Pics. It is great to have you be a part of this blogging community & there are two more Wednesdays before a little break until Wed 4 January 2023. See you next week too I hope. Denyse.

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    1. Hi Denyse, it’s lovely for you to have such great memories of your mum and her abilities and well done on taking over the traditions. I enjoy it all, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not that good at it!

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    1. Hi Anna, thanks for your comment, I just wanted to share some thoughts as everyone has their own strengths don’t they? We can’t all be the same in how we do things!

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  17. I love your title and LOL! I love that you are honest about not finding joy in cooking or baking. I totally get you are into the spirit without the festive trappings. Love love your summer matching jammies!!

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    1. Thanks Bernie, the jammies were my daughter’s idea and she arranged them all for us to buy in time. They looked great! I am all about the joy at Christmas as you point out, just can give the cooking a miss! I know how to entertain the family though 🙂

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  18. I had a good chuckle at your list of what you are not. I would put all your ‘nots’ on my list too. I have been thinking of putting up a tree this year, which I haven’t done since there were teenagers at home. But I probably wont. I have to say you look fabulous as a present.

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  19. Hi Deb – I can SO relate to this. I am SO NOT a foodie – and my Christmas meals are prepared with love but are very modest in their creativity. This year I’m taking up a notch and doing a large grazing/ charcuterie board to go with the ham and salady stuff + dessert. The family is all bringing stuff to add to the board and people can pick and choose what they want – I hope it’ll be fun and a new tradition of even less food prep than normal! We’ll see how it goes – I’m sure to forget to photograph it, but who knows? I might jag a pic or two – I loved all your family photos – that’s what Christmas is about for me – much more so than the food.

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    1. That sounds right up my alley Leanne, we might do something like that because believe it or not, I haven’t started thinking about the food side of things yet! I’ve booked the house, arranged everyone getting there on the same day, and sorted gifts but not food!

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  20. Debbie you are a darling and certainly know how to put into words the thoughts many of us have in our mind.
    There is love in your house at Christmastime and that’s all that matters. The first Christmas was built from love wasn’t it.

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  21. Hi, Deb – I love this post! You are indeed a gift to all who are fortunate enough to know you. We decorated early this year for Christmas — nothing crazy, but definitely warm and cozy. We have our sons, DILs, and grandchildren all coming here just before and just after Christmas so we will do simple meals and BBQs. We are very fortunate to have generous friends who have invited us over for Christmas Eve Dinner & Drinks and Christmas Day Turkey Fest. I’m getting hungry just thinking of it!
    Wishing you a very happy birthday!

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    1. Thanks so much Donna, your decorations looked superb, mainly because of the cold snowy weather you have! Your plans sound great, being invited out by others is such a generous thing, we had that here one year when our daughters were away and friends asked us to join them. Simple and fun is the way to go to reduce the stress, unless of course you love that form of cooking and decorating, in which case, go for it!

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  23. Love all your family photographs Deb and I can tell that you are indeed a gift to the world and loads of fun to be around! I’ve never really had to do any baking for Christmas – just provide a salad, a cob loaf dip, and things like that. This year however, I am hosting Christmas for my family so the pressure is on! BUT … I’m going to keep it simple cos I too have had enough on my plate of late. I’ll try and make it lovely but I’m not going to kill myself trying to make it perfect! Enjoy your week! xo

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    1. We would usually put the tree up if we were staying home for Christmas but when we’re travelling for a few weeks it’s not that important. The house we’re renting has organised a lovely tree for us so that makes me happy! Enjoy your festivities.

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