For this Christmas post, I was aiming to do a bumper blog featuring all things festive.
I have a way of chasing loads of scatter-brained ideas that I don’t realistically have time for, so I need some help restricting. Making my mind up is a mammoth task, so I open the question to the Facebook floor.
Being the relentless people pleaser that I am, I decide to try and do both.
Sadly, a perfect volunteer opportunity comes along and it falls through. I do try and give time where I can throughout the year, but a lot of organisations are oversubscribed around Crimbo.
Never mind – let’s crack on with 'other'.
Bath crafts
As per request, I'm making glitter bath bombs.
I find a handy pack on eBay which has most of what I need to make six bombs:
Bicarbonate of soda (300g)
Citric acid (100g)
Cosmetic glitter (loads)
A mould
I provide the disposable gloves, 'safety goggles', essential oils and food colouring to complete this bath-y melange of goods.
The first step is to combine the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid. It quickly becomes apparent why you need gloves. The ingredients are all-natural, but they will make your hands very dry. That ‘rubbing your fingertips together when you’ve got dry clay on them’ dry. It’s more or less the touch equivalent of the screeching sound of a cat’s claws down a chalkboard. I digress.
Make like a baker in the next step by adding the wet stuff to the dry stuff. Pour in a few drops (around 10ml) of essential oil and an almighty amount of food colouring. I use cinnamon leaf oil and about two-thirds of a bottle of green food colouring in this case. Finally, for the pizazz, sprinkle in some cosmetic glitter – I opt for dark green and gold.
Now, mix it all together until it becomes like damp sand before putting it in the moulds. You’re advised to keep a spray bottle filled with water on hand to keep the mixture moist.
Uh-oh
The instructions in this particular pack tell you to leave the mixture in the moulds for 25-30 minutes, waiting longer if necessary. Even after an hour, mine just aren’t setting. Every time I try to remove them from the mould, they just crumble like feta cheese.
I figure that it must be because they’re too dry, so I spray lots of water on in the hope that it will penetrate and help the mix to bind. But as I soon learn, it’s easy to stumble from damp to fizzing.
As I spray more and more water, the bath bombs start to bubble and dissolve in the moulds. The low-level fizz is satisfying to listen to, though.
I pack it in and go to bed inhaling air that’s part nitrogen, part oxygen, part cinnamon. My doubt-dappled optimism thinks that if the bombs make it through to the morning, it’ll be a Christmas miracle.
Amazingly, they survive – albeit with some reddish speckles, which I’m guessing is a chemical reaction. As it’s a Christmas bath bomb, the red and green together look pleasantly festive.
I ask Alix from The Soap Kitchen for some tips on making bath bombs:
“Always really load one half of the bath bomb so it's a little hill, then when you squish it together against the other half, all the air bubbles should push themselves out. This means that the bath bomb shouldn't crack and maintain its shape.
“The beauty of bath bomb making is that if it isn't right, just empty out the mould and start again. Oh, and don't get the mixture too wet.”
Bah humbug.
Giving them out
As I’m not doing any volunteering this Christmas, I’m finding other ways to spread that yuletide joy.
I was hoping to leave bath bombs scattered around as random acts of kindness. However, I’m worried my creations will react in one of two ways: people who try them will see their skin erupt like a raging geyser or there’ll be minimal fizzle when they’re put in the bath.
On top of that, I live in London. I can’t leave an unattended package anywhere – especially one with ‘bomb’ on the label. Someone will see it, say it and I’ll get sorted!
Gift cards it is, then: a £5 token for Costa and £5 for M&S. I leave the former in a ladies’ toilet (well, next to it) and one in a phone box. It’s not a massive gesture, but hopefully it’ll brighten the days of two people who are mentally fried this holiday season and could do with a treat.
Feeling generous?
If there are no opportunities left or you just don’t have enough time to commit to more formal volunteering over Christmas, fit in little things where you can.
Give (or give a little more) to your local food bank. Supermarkets have plenty of baskets ready for food to be collected – some even have lists of items that they’re in greater need of.
Visit a relative or neighbour who gets lonely at this time of year, even if you just pop round for an hour. Festive food or easy-to-heat-up leftovers may be worth bringing too
Buy presents at the charity shop so at least some of your seasonal spend is going to a good cause and you’re not creating demand for additional resources or waste
Buy the Big Issue and give the vendor some extra cash
Or you can do what I did and leave presents for unsuspecting strangers. It doesn’t have to be physical – you can leave thoughtful notes too. Visit randomactsofkindness.org for more ideas.
Try do-it.org or your local volunteer centre if you’re interested in getting out and doing some volunteering in 2019. They’ll have hundreds of opportunities.
Oh, and before I go, I’d like to wish a hearty Merry Christmas to you wonderful readers! Have a restful, thankful and celebration-packed time. I’ll be back in the New Year with… I’m not even sure what. Comment below with any ideas or requests. Cheers!
Not into bath bombs? Have a go at making candles instead.
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