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!How-To Overview

It's that time of the year and you're probably wishing for something
different this year and I don't mean [Chrismukkah |
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2004-12-15-chrismukkah_x.htm].
I'm talking about the little things that create a different holiday
experience for friends and family. This wiki will pick out the small
details that one may miss out on in today's commercialised
Christmas.
!The Christmas Tree
----
[Upload:ernestk/77dc41d53fdefeafdd481129af965e41_tn.jpg align=left
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]When the tree should be put up and taken
down differs from person to person and there are no hard and fast
rules. There are two basic time frames here. Some prefer to set it up
after Thanksgiving and take it down after the New Year while others
prefer to put it up during the second week of December and take it
down on Jan 6 to coincide with the beginning of the liturgical season
of [Christmastide | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmastide] aka
Twelfth Night of the ['Twelve Days of Christmas' |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_days_of_Christmas] aka the start
of Epiphany.
For some, the main dilemma here is to go au naturel or plastic and
once you've settled on your choice, it's best to keep with your
investment.
<br><br>

!!Natural Trees
The natural tree is best avoided if you have children and animals
living with you as they may be allergic to them and it is rather
messy because of the soil. Tree lights are also a big no as the heat
may destroy the plant. Also, check with your landlord if he
classifies natural trees as a fire hazard. That said, the real beauty
of a natural tree would be to enjoy the pine fresh scent and green
foliage of the tree. It really does add a touch of rustic charm and
tradition to the season.
<br>
Most Christmas trees in North America are evergreen coniferous firs
or pines. More popular trees are  Grand, Red or Douglas firs and the
Scots or Stone pines. Firs generally do not shed needles upon drying
and have a better foliage color and scent. Stone pines are small
trees that are usually meant to be placed on table-tops. The trees
are usually sold, live with roots and soil intact, at a nursery. The
best way to decide on which tree you prefer would be to go down
together with people that will share the tree to the nearest store to
check it out for yourselves.
<br>
The main gripe with natural trees are that they can only last indoors
for a few days. High temperatures and low humidity indoors together
with the loss of roots from digging causes the tree's health to
deteriorate drastically and the chances of survival are low. They
should be only kept indoors for a few days as the heat brings it out
of dormancy, leaving them unprotected when they are returned to the
cooler outdoors.
<br><br>

!!Artificial Trees
The main benefit of such a tree would be the lower price and
durability of the tree. They may also be a must in some apartments as
a dried out tree acts as a fire hazard, causing landlords to ban them
in some areas. However, they do appear rather kitschy and out of
place in a bachelor or yuppie couple's pad. The bottom line is always
consider natural trees before giving in to artificial ones.
Nonetheless, artificial trees allow you to play around with lighting
(and I don't mean just twinkly Christmas lights) to improve the
entire feel of the room.
<br>

Take a leaf, or should I say needle, from the [How to Light Your
Bachelor Pad wiki | How To Light Your Bachelor Pad]. Stay away from
bright white light and use soft yellow lights that diffuse light
rather than concentrate lights. Play around with one or two of the
below lighting techniques but avoid overkill by using all three
methods. Consider using LED lights to save energy consumption, as
suggested by [1001 Christmas Gift Ideas |
http://www.1001christmasgiftideas.com]
<br>

[Upload:ernestk/6240093363a7e623e027a18128739017_tn.jpg align=right
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
!!!From below
In a narrow apartment or tight corner, use up lights below the tree
to cast intricate shadows against the ceiling and walls and add to
the feel of the room. Think cozy, not cramped.
<br>
!!!From above
If you have the luxury of a tall loft with a lot of light coming from
floor-to-ceiling windows, use a spotlight to create a down light
effect from above the tree to make it the focal and talking point of
the room.
<br>
!!!From the tree itself
This is where people go crazy and turn the tree into a musical
carousel. 2 rules: Avoid lights that come with cheesy carols. Stick
to white or yellow lights that complement the tree rather than using
multi-colored flashing lights that confuse rather than enthrall.
<br>

!!Tree Decorations
Most trees tend to end up in two distinct categories, chic, classic,
themed trees that you might see in a departmental store or a eclectic
tree with personally-designed ornaments and personal trinkets.
<br><br>

!!Themed Trees
[Upload:ernestk/21b9e48ccd0b7898976a5e4fe3c97abb_tn.jpg align=left
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]Go with a gold or silver classy, chic theme
and stick to baubles of the same color. Stay away from the over-used
red baubles against green tree combination and unless you're
designing with corporate colors, stay away from colors such as blue
and yellow. Also, be mindful of the type of baubles you buy. If
you're looking for long lasting and presentable decorations, stay
away from cheap plastic version that betray you when your guests tap
them and opt for  ones made of glass. You may be surprised, some
glass baubles are pretty hardy. Use the glass to your advantage,
playing with different gold or silver patterns and textures that will
let light bounce off it.
<br>
<br>
[Upload:ernestk/9f650b8b62548db29badf0fb9be435ca_tn.jpg align=right
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
These [Mount St. Helen's ornaments
|http://www.christmasforest.com/cat.taf?cat=3&HDR=ornaments&lc=1&_UserReference=C6A0CD829CFF5148456FD6BD]
(pictured right) from christmasforrest.com are pretty cool. Created
from the volcanic ash that resulted from St. Helen's eruption back in
1980, it's a great addition to the tree.
<br>

A themed tree doesn't mean you can't add your personal touch to it.
Use trinkets, key chains, souvenirs, old necklaces with interesting
pendants to add a bit of fun and personality to the tree. String up
mock pearls, or if you really can afford it, a mother-of-pearl chain,
to replace tinsel that disintegrates after a while. This would be more
suitable on a table-top tree.
<br>

!!Eclectic Trees
If you're a sucker for sentimental mementos such as that rather
hideous wooden sanata ornament that you made with your grandfather,
play it safe and keep them to a minimum. A few different ornaments
would look better on a small tree than many ornaments on a big tree.
Keep them on side tables to liven up that corner of the room.
<br><br>

!The Dinner
----
!!Dinner at Your Place
One of the only few times you'll bring out all the silverware, china
and crystal on the dining table, the Christmas is surely a headache
if you're organsing one.
!!!Preparations
Always prepare the lists of friends and family, invitations, dishes,
shopping trip and cooking time, in that order. If you're thinking
about having your friends over for this season, start sending
Christmas cards that can double up as invitations early. The closer
the group of people are to you, the closer the dinner should be to
the day itself. Start preparing from weeks ahead and unless you're
Martha Stewart, you won't be able to finishing cooking everything in
one day before yourself. Get a few friends into the kitchen that
wouldn't mind stuffing the turkey and baking the pumpkin pie. And
always have fun while cooking.
[Upload:ernestk/019b6e45ade66ced0341dd9d8b140743_tn.jpg align=right
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
!!!Setting the Table
Decide on who will sit where and design personalized place cards for
each guest. This will make each person feel even more welcomed at the
dinner table. Place these cards near napkin rings to avoid the need
for place card holders and to make it more visible to guests. If you
use Flickr, check out [Moo MiniCards | http://www.moo.com/flickr/]
that can act as place cards. Moo allows you to crop images from your
Flickr account and print them on 100 cards of 'satisfyingly heavy
paper with a nice, smooth satin finish' for 20 bucks. The reverse of
the cards can also be customized with text in different colors. Use a
candid or cropped image of your guest on the front, add his/her name
behind and watch your guests have fun as they guess who's nose that
is at the dining table. They also make inexpensive gifts, name cards
and if you're an avid shutterbug, they act like a small
mini-mobile-portfolios cum calling cards. There's nothing more
exciting that seeing your work down on beautifully printed and cut
cards.

[Upload:ernestk/0c47a987baaee7231663cd2edd4c4c5f_tn.jpg align=left
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
!!!Music Selection
Jazzed up hits by Diana Krall Michael Buble are passe. Think indie
like Sufjan Stevens's Songs for Christmas released on Nov 21st 2006.
This is the same Sufjan that aims to create 50 albums dedicated to
the 50 states of the US of A and has already completed two. His fresh
take on traditional carols and songs, compiled from regular year-end
recordings since 2001, are worth a listen and his site [here |
http://www.asthmatickitty.com/suf_xmas/suf_xmas.php] provides free
streaming. This means that you can stream the audio tracks from your
laptop and plug it into your stereo system during Christmas dinner!
Remember to keep a stereo remote handy though to control the level of
audio so that conversations can be carried out comfortably. But if you
do decide to purchase his box album, it includes his songbook,
Christmas stickers, a family portrait and old-school record looking
CD EPs that are individually packaged.

<br>
<br>
!!Going for a Dinner
!!!What to bring
It's always customary to bring some food or drinks that the whole
party can enjoy. Plus, if you're meeting people you need to impress,
for eg., your mother-in-law or your boss, it pays to select the right
gift. Find out what your host preference is before the party and also
solves the problem of another person bringing the same gift as you.
!!!The Gifts
Fellow productdose user zack111 has a thorough [How to Buy the
Perfect Present wiki
|http://www.productdose.com/wiki/How_To:__Buy_The_Perfect_Present]
that not only is a guide on how to buy, but also present the gift.
Just remember the tiny things
<br>
* come up with novel ways to wrap the gift. [eHow |
http://www.ehow.com/how_1699_wrap-present-unique.html] has great
ideas
* avoid using tape to stick a card to the wrapping paper, just pass
it to the person with one hand on the card and the other holding the
present (assuming it's not a huge gift)
* look the person/s right in the eye and wish them a 'Merry
Christmas!' followed by how much you think they will enjoy the
present and don't just shove it in their hands with a muffled wish
<br>
[Upload:ernestk/cc538ef0c8c5bade6e457573c61e4a21_tn.jpg align=left
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
!!!Eggnog
Eggnog is a seasonal favorite among the older generation and you
either hate it or love it, but it doesn't have to stay that way. The
noxious concoction dates back to 18th century West Point cadets,
including a young Jefferson Davis, looking for a way to make merry.
Military lore had it that eggnog was a favourtite of George
Washington and his own mixture was a challened for any hard drinker.
<br>According to [mymerrychristmas.com |
http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/eggnog.shtml], his brew comprised of
'one quart of cream, one quart of milk, a dozen eggs, one pint of
brandy, a half pint of rye, a quarter pint of rum and a quarter pint
of sherry'.
Long story short, the cadets were caught by their officers, all hell
broke lose (one cadet was charged for murder) and thanks to the
infamy of the Eggnog riot, we can enjoy this colonial delight today.
<br>Try something new this year and don't get your eggnog off the
shelves. Home-made eggnog taste fresher and more original. Eggnog can
also come in low fat, low carb, martinis and lattes. [Eggnog World |
http://www.eggnogworld.com/] provides recipes for different
variations of the 'old man's' drink with vodka (and don't use cheap
Absolut, tis' the season, splurge on some Grey Goose) and other
poison of your choice, I think Washington would approve. Also look
out for desserts inspired by eggnog; who knew eggnog could be such a
muse? So go get your eggnog on!

<br>

[Upload:ernestk/9205f2d9d5312d011a7ebd03895089be_tn.jpg align=center
hspace=5 vspace=5
pop=yes][Upload:ernestk/df5fb653a693c96c18a105d6eea50184_tn.jpg
align=center hspace=5 vspace=5
pop=yes][Upload:ernestk/5e154711cb80d8d8be4b2f65409eac3f_tn.jpg
align=center hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
!!!Stollen
English fruitcakes are too laden with rum, fruits and nuts that make
them too heavy and rich. Try out German Weihnachtsstollen or
Christstollen, a lighter, bread-ier version of the festive fruitcake.
It's quickly gaining popularity in Europe and Asia. The good thing
about stollen is that it looks very presentable as a gift, usually
wrapped up with plastic and a ribbon and the icing sugar on the top
showing through. The shape of the bread is meant to represent Jesus
and the wrapping symbolizes his swaddling clothes but it's still very
much a secular gift. Experiment with the bread before finally creating
your masterpiece. A good recipe can be found at [foodnetwork.com |
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25333,00.html].
<br>

!Other fun stuff to do
----
[Upload:ernestk/cd282310a99953c3e2b4d5d1b8323706_tn.jpg align=right
hspace=5 vspace=5 pop=yes]
!!Photo albums
Get rid of that Norman Rockwell coffee table book lying around and
get your own photo album to end the year off. If you're a Mac use,
iPhoto offers stunning photo books in customized layouts and prices.
Try to incorporate pictures of guests so you can recall the good
times of 2006. And if you're having dinner with your partner, you can
also order another book for him/her.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
!!Gift Exchange
If you have a really big party or gathering, another fun thing to do
would be a surprise gift exchange. Set a minimum gift price, say $20,
and tell guests that it must be gender neutral if you have both guys
and girls over. Throw all the gifts into a bag before dinner and
remind guests to pick up a different gift after dinner. This is a
great way to break the ice between strangers and avoid weird breaks
of silence after dinner.
<br>
<br>
<br>

!Conclusion
----
Before the festive season ends and New Year comes around where you go
for even more New Year parties and countdowns, ask yourself what
Christmas means to you. It would be a shame if you get so caught up
in making this Christmas the perfect Christmas that you forget the
people you're doing this for. So go ahead, have a Merry Christmas!

!!Category
----
CategoryArticle