holiday gift guide

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NICK KING | [email protected]

Doug Cook poses among Fraser firs, which are the most popular type of tree for the holidays at Doumel Tree Farms.

By Emma Johnsonfor the Daily News

Doug Cook, co-founder of Doumel Tree Farms in Midland with his late father, Melvin, said about 1,500 to 2,000 families will come to pick out a Christmas tree at the Midland farm this year.

The most popular trees are firs, espe-cially Fraser fir trees. Cook said Fraser firs are fragrant, hold their needles well and have soft needles that make them easier on hands when decorating. While some Christmas trees smell like citrus or pine, for people with allergies Cook recommends the Fraser fir. He said 15 to 20 years ago Norway spruces were the

most popular, but people might be trend-ing toward firs since Norway spruces are prickly.

The best time to buy a tree is the week after Thanksgiving through the eighth of December. “It’s typically the best and busiest time,” he said.

To pick out a tree, Cook said shoppers should observe the trees in the area and check the color (yellow or pale yellow is not a good indication). They can also pull lightly on the needles; if it’s prickly or if needles come off, it might not be healthy.

Cook said it’s better to find a tree early because “the later you cut a tree, the less needle retention you may have.” Cook also noted that after a few really cold nights, the trees lose their sap for the winter. “With less sap in the tree there’s less moisture,” he said.

Needles shed about four to six weeks after first being brought home, if they are

Fraser firs most popular at Doumel’s

Picking Your Tree

“The number one thing you need to do is cut a quarter inch off thebottom so it can take

water.”

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AUBURN • SANFORD985 W. Midland Rd. • Auburn, MI 48611

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taken care of properly. If you bring home a tree that was cut a day or two ago, “the number one thing you need to do is cut a quarter inch off the bottom so it can take water,” said Cook.

“When you cut a tree the base of the tree saps over,” he added.

Also, it is important to make sure your tree doesn’t run out of water; otherwise, it will sap over to retain water and vita-mins. Cook suggests a pint to a gallon of water per day. “Espe-cially the first three to five days in your house,” he said. If a tree is without water for two to four hours, it will start to sap over.

“Warm water is the best for your tree,” said Cook.

Cook also recommends wear-ing gloves when decorating the tree and keeping it away from heat sources.

“Heat will dry it out,” he said.

Cook said this time of year is an exciting one. He says he enjoys seeing the same families coming back every year.

“It’s a fun time of year,” he said.

Picking Your Tree

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By Sid AllenChamber of Commerce President

The next few weeks are critical for our local mer-chants. Their year can be defined by how much their cash registers ring during the holiday shopping season. The ringing in their cash registers can also have a resounding effect on other areas of our economy.

There have been numer-ous studies performed to determine the impact of lo-cal spending. Whether you buy from a locally-owned merchant or a national or regional chain store located in the community, the ben-efits of buying local are sig-nificant. As much as 68 cents of every dollar spent locally finds its way back through the local economy.

At its most basic, buying local creates jobs in the form of store employees, who pa-tronize other businesses,

and pay taxes that support municipal services. At the same time, local businesses support non-profit organiza-

tions and do business with other local m e r c h a n t s and pay their own taxes, further ben-efitting our community.

Meanwhile, buying off the Internet or out of town

generates nothing toward the local economy. It may save you a few dollars here and there, and perhaps some think it may be more conve-nient, but is it really? While it may save you dollars up front to shop online, someone has to pay for the services we receive and if business doesn’t, then more of the burden falls on residents. As

for convenience, how conve-nient is it to have to drive out of town to shop because retailers and restaurants won’t locate here due to lack of business?

A study performed by Civic Economics for Grand Rapids and surrounding Kent Coun-ty in 2008 indicates that if residents were to redirect just 10 percent of their total spending to locally-owned businesses, the result would be $140 million in new eco-nomic activity for the region, including 1,600 new jobs and $53 million in additional payroll.

The numbers are compel-ling and the fact is that local buying from locally-owned stores or local chain stores, as studies indicate, generates significantly more economic activity, while buying non-lo-cal or online does nothing for the local economy.

During these critical eco-nomic times, it demonstrates community pride to keep your dollars local. Buying local benefits each of us in Midland and Midland Coun-ty, and in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

It is just good dollars and cents.

Buying local makes dollars and sense

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As much as 68 cents of every dollar spent locally finds

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By Sally Farhat KassabCTW Features

When buying gifts for chil-dren this holiday season, think back to your childhood and what you loved and consider buying new versions of those toys. This year, nostalgic toys — oldies but goodies — are very popular.

“Companies are feeding on our growing need to con-

nect with the product,” says Mari Richards, toy designer and head of Smallforbig.com. “They are tapping old brands that parents remember from their own childhoods, or highlighting the handmade, homegrown aspects of a new product.”

The toys and gifts we fea-ture in this guide are our fa-vorite new ones. “Picking toys

that serve double-duty in that they entertain and teach is a surefire way to get more bang for your buck when gift-giv-ing,” says toy expert Wendy Young, founder of Michigan-based Kidlutions Preferred Product Awards. We have many of those featued. Still not sure? Another big trend that continues: anything eco-friendly is hot.

Newborn to 4 Years OldFor those shopping for preg-

nant friends or baby gifts, Cal-ifornia Baby unveiled a Holi-day Cheer Tote Set complete with sensitive-skin bubble bath, spritzer (great for de-stressing over the holidays), a

Bilingual play: Chic-co Bilingual Talking Farm teaches numbers, colors, animals and sounds with nurs-ery rhymes in English and Spanish

Girls and dolls: The

Dollie & Me collection

includes holi-day dresses for a young

girl and an 18-inch doll.

FunOld-Fashioned

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scrub puff and reusable tote ($30, major retailers).

Every child loves bubbles, and there’s little that’s more fun than blowing them in the bathtub. Munchkin Bubble Mon-keys let you do just that. Two bubble monkey wands are fun to hold and in-clude a dip tray that suctions to the wall (we love this part) and bubble solution ($9, major retailers).

For endless entertainment without mom, the Chicco Bilingual Talking Farm is a plastic, interactive “farm” with learning games such as nam-ing, and it teaches numbers, colors, animals and sounds. This toy invites children to sing along with nursery rhymes (my son’s favorite is “Old MacDonald”) and flashing lights ($30, major retailers).

Cloud B’s Gentle Giraffe on the Go Travel-Size Plush Sound Machine is a gift for both baby and parents. It helps baby sleep, especially on those long plane rides! The stuffed Giraffe On The Go helps recreate sleep time routines by bringing familiar sooth-ing sounds while away from home. There are four sounds, including a “babbling brook” ($23, boutiques nationwide).

Jojo Bump Bump by Silverlit Toys is a top-selling brand in France, and it’s no

wonder. It’s a sleekly designed remote control car for little ones. Jojo Bump Bump comes with headlights and remote control carrot. After hitting a road block, Jojo spins and moves in another direc-tion, until he hits too many obstacles and is ejected ($25).

5 to 10 Years OldAt this age especially, think about the

child’s personality when buying a gift, Young says. “The beauty of open-ended activities such as blocks, art supplies or dress-up is that they encourage active imagination,” Young says. “Imagination

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and intelligence are linked. We should encourage it when-ever we can.”

When girls begin dressing up, they don’t want to look like their friends. Enter Snap Caps interchangeable neck-laces. Maddie Bradshaw is the 14-year-old president and designer. The jewelry is made of old-fashioned embellished bottle caps, which stemmed from an idea to decorate her locker with magnetic bottle caps ($17, 400 boutiques na-tionwide).

For the wanna-be in all of us, Paper Jamz are affordable and innovative play instru-ments that provide an instant rock star experience. Technol-ogy allows circuit-embedded paper, enabling you to play the thin, stringless guitars like a pro simply by touching the paper surface ($25, Walgreens and others).

Shopping Cart Dash by Pressman Toys is a cute board game. Players take a moveable shopping cart and a shopping list and race along “super-market aisles” to collect fruit,

vegetables, meat and fish. By paying at the end of every turn, players get closer to win-ning ($15, specialty retailers).

The Dollie & Me collection includes a doll and matching girls’ clothing. The outfits are sweet, and the 18-inch d o l l h a s some very h o l i d a y -appropri-ate dresses ( $ 3 0 f o r d o l l ; g i r l c l o t h e s $7 to $80, major de-p a r t m e n t stores).

F i n a l l y, some new books in this age category. “The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Hand-book (Junior Edition)” by David Borgenicht and Robin Epstein is a riot. From how to “survive a bad report card” to “time travel” to “being shipwrecked,” these three books provide end-less entertainment ($20 for a boxed set, bookstores).

TeensBoard games are fun for the

whole family, and the classics are being repackaged. But there are some new great new ones, such as Truth Be Told by Buf-falo Games. It helps kids get to

know their f r i e n d s . One player is the host and plays a question card, “Truth Be Told, my f a v o r i t e snack is... “ The Host w r i t e s a True An -

swer: pork rinds. All other players pretend to host and write bluff answers: pretzels, carrots, pickles. The host reads all answers aloud, and players guess the True Answer to score points ($25, major retailers).

Tween girls love to journal, and Senario’s My Secret Circle gives them a special place to re-cord their innermost thoughts. Some are calling it the “safe”

Facebook. Users can create photo pages and scrapbook in a digital world, keeping everything private or sharing only with friends ($20).

Lunchbots are a cool way to take lunch to school. Think of a sleek, stainless steel box with a colorful lid, part of a trend steering away from plastic containers ($15, natu-ral groceries nationwide).

Many companies are in-troducing new versions of old favorites, such as the OP skateboard by Bravo Sports, a nod to 1970s skateboarders with its long deck and big, soft cruiser wheels ($60).

Olivia + Joey just launched a new handbag line that teens love. Our favorite is the “Knight Life” hobo bag. Very stylish and hip ($98).

If this article hasn’t sparked your gift imagination, “Ask,” Young says. “You can still keep the element of surprise if you ask questions about broad topics and subjects kids like, rather than a specific gift suggestion.”

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Beyond the brown bag: sturdy, reusable Lunchbots with colorful lids.

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DynamicDuoThis year’s flavors aren’t exclusive tothe dishes you’repreparing, but are shared by thesecocktails.

By Bev Bennett CTW Features

A hint of peppercorns; the sweet-tart tang of a Meyer lemon. That’s right. The be-fore-dinner drinks are head-ed to the dining room table. Pairing food with mixed drinks is this season’s holi-day trend, according to Colin Cowie, expert on wedding and event planning.

Why cocktails and courses? “It’s fun, different and can be creative,” says Cameron Bogue, mixologist at some of New York’s finest restau-rants. “It can be inspired.”

However, the goal isn’t to ply everyone with liquor, but to stimulate the senses. To accomplish this, imagine the wine that’s traditionally served with the course. Then create a cocktail to emulate the wine’s characteristics, including acidity, body and fruitiness, says Bogue, who works with chef Daniel Bou-lud’s establishments.

He offers an example of an appetizer of vodka- and beet-cured salmon with a little dill. If Bogue were pairing that with wine, he’d choose sauvignon blanc, which is

“bright, acidic, lighter bod-ied and a little oak.” Then think of a cocktai l that embodies those qualities. Bogue’s match is an Avia-tion, an elegant drink with gin, maraschino liqueur and lemon juice — and some-times crème de violette. You can play with the recipe by adding garnishes or other spirits. Here’s the recipe:

AVIATION Adapted from “The Es-

sential Cocktail” by Dale

DeGroff (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2008)

Ingredients2 ounces gin3/4 ounce maraschino li-

queur1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed

lemon juiceMethodCombine the gin, liqueur

and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serves one

(c) CTW Features

Why cocktails and courses? “It’s fun, different and can be creative,” says Cameron Bogue, mixologist at some of New

York’s finest restaurants. “It can be inspired.”

Drinks, anyone? ... Then comesCocktalksIf you serve cocktails with dinner, opt for champagne beforehand, says Cameron Bogue, a cocktails expert. Prepare a pitcher of cock-tails or the base in advance so you’re not juggling bottles at the dinner table. Vary drink colors. Use liqueurs to tint drinks blue, green or red. Offer a variety of glass shapes. “You want them to appear different,” Bogue says.For some added flair, try the fol-lowing recipe for Chocolate and Cranberry Martini, used with per-mission from “Difford’s Encyclo-pedia of Cocktails: 2,600 Recipes” by Simon Difford (Firefly Books, 2009).

Chocolate &Cranberry Martini

ingredients2 shots Vanilla-infused Ketel One vodka1/2 shot White crème de cacao liqueur1/2 shot Noilly Prat dry ver-mouth1 shot Ocean Spray cranberry juice

glass: Martini

garnish Wipe rim with cacao liqueur and dust with cocoa powder.

methodShake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled, rimmed glass.

(c) CTW Features

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By Mary K. FonsCTW Features

Reluctant to dig out the same old, tried-and-true holi-day decorations that helped usher in the aughts?

Indulge. It’s time to switch up that worn-out Christmas routine. Head to the craft store instead, where, for a little money and just a bit more time, anyone can create hand-made holiday decorations that truly inspire the spirit of the season.

“A handmade object has been made with love,” says Lynsey Searle, co-editor of the popular craft blog Cuteable. “It isn’t rushed, and it can be made to exact specifications. Basically, handmade rocks.”

This is true especial ly around the holidays, when many people load up on sea-sonal accessories, inside and out. Loading up on too many pre-fab decorations can make a home look like a drugstore’s holiday aisle - impersonal and not very creative. Handmade Christmas decorations deliver the crafter ’s own brand of holiday cheer.

“I love making trees for the holidays,” says Anne Hol-ub, member of the Chicago DIY club The Crafty Ladies. “I don’t know if it’s just the country girl in me stuck in the city at the holidays, but I love a nice snowy forest to pre-tend I’m dashing through the snow.” Make snow-capped forest scenes from folded papers, Styrofoam cones wrapped in felt, tiny twigs or any combination of these and

countless other options. Baby powder, artificial sweetener, or even coconut can serve as snow.

DIY: A FAMILY AFFAIR“Craft projects are a fun

way to bring together friends and family to spark creativ-ity and spend time together getting messy and making something special for the home,” says Julie Schneider, head of “How-Tuesday,”a handmade how-to blog at Etsy.com.

“I have fond memories of making holiday crafts with my mom as a kid,” Schneider says. “Many of the ornaments and decorations we made to-gether still get pulled out year

after year at Christmastime and have become an integral part of our personal family holiday traditions.”

Whether it’s a classic con-struction paper ring garland or a popcorn chain, kids love getting in on the DIY action.

“With kids old enough to handle pins, make orna-ments with Styrofoam balls, straight pins and sequins,” Schneider says. “Use the ball as the canvas and put one flat-head straight pin through a sequin, then stick it into the ball. Make geometric designs, snowflakes, spell a name or even pin green fir trees on a sea of white snow-colored sequins. Attach a loop of yarn

to a pinhead and stick it to the top of the ball. Hang it from the tree and keep for next year.”

CRAFTING 101“In my book, some of the

best craft projects can emerge from plain-old household materials or otherwise re-cycled or thrown-away tidbits that have been quietly wait-ing around the home for the right DIY project,” Schneider says. And anything around the house is fair game when transforming a home into a holiday wonderland.

“Junk mail and out-of-date magazines and catalogs can be torn up and turned into recycled paper for cards and tags, or folded up into clever rolling ball ornaments or gift boxes,” she adds.

“There are many alternate sources for craft supplies these days, given that there is a strong focus on recycling and repurposing,” says Janice Rusnak, who runs Papier Va-lise, a company that special-izes in sourcing provisions for DIY-ers in Canada.

“Vintage holiday décor is finding its way into modern day crafting,” Rusnak says.” Dig out those old family pho-tos. Look for photos taken during specific seasons that can be copied and enlarged for specific projects. Frame a family member’s artwork. I prefer to use vintage items in a new way. It’s all about cre-ativity and thinking outside of the box.”

Homemade holiday craft decorations are like snow-

heart

Straight from thehandmade

Grab the shredded coconut, old photos, sequinsand a trusty glue gun and get ready for a Christmasto remember

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flakes: There are a zillion of them, and no two are exactly alike. Read our sidebar story for a few fail-safe holiday crafting ideas that require minimal supplies and deliver major satisfaction — for both the crafter and those who will admire the handiwork.

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1. Holiday scrapbook chain Collect old holiday greeting cards, colored card

stock and magazine images that embody the holiday spirit and cut into trapezoidal shapes. Paint stars or other holiday images on top, if desired. Hang from tree, on door-knobs or over mantles.

2. A simple snowman For a fun centerpiece that’s much cheaper than

flowers or big candles, fashion a friendly snow-man. Place a potato in the opening of a glass jar to form the snowman’s head. Cover entirely with felt or cotton quilt batting. Create a scarf, carrot nose, eyes and buttons from cardboard, paint and buttons. Voila!

3. Embellished ornaments Breathe new life into glass bulb ornaments that

are looking a little tired by dressing them up with a painted design. Feathers, stars, berries and any number of holiday images can brighten a chipped or fading bulb. Find craft paints at a local craft store and apply with a thin-tipped brush.

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Finally, we can ditch annoying glasses and enjoy 3D entertainment with dig-nity. Well, at least Nintendo 3DS gamers can.

The new 3DS is the first portable 3D gaming system to hit the market - though an intended holiday-sea-son release has been pushed back to early 2011. Still, gamers will be able

to enjoy all the 3D fun with their naked eyes.

Three-dimensional objects protrude from the 3.5-inch, 800x240-pixel screen, and players can control games via a 3-inch touch screen, the D-pad and an analog “slide pad” that allows 360-de-gree motion.

The device also contains motion and

gyro sensors. Other features include an embedded mic, wireless commu-nication to connect with other players, and a depth slider to adjust the level of 3D effect. Gamers can even shut off 3D completely, but where’s the fun in that?

— Taniesha Robinson(c) CTW Features

3DNo GlassesNecessary

Foxy: A 3D port of Star Fox 64 is among the first titles for the new 3Ds

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September is known as “Back to School” month, but it’s rapidly becoming “New iPod Month,” as Apple has annually - and me-thodically - debuted its newest portable media players then since it introduced the iPod nano in 2005.Here’s a look at this year’s crop, which debuted Sept. 1:

iPod shuffleThe shuffle offers up to 15

hours of audio playback, be

it music, audiobooks or a fa-vorite podcasts. Shuffle mode will randomly cycle through playlists, while actual click-able buttons (absent on the previous shuffle model) al-low users to navigate tracks, control volume and pause/play music. A clip easily teth-ers the minuscule .44-ounce shuffle to a bag or shirt, for hassle-free commuting and

working out.Price: 2GB - $49iPod nanoThe new nano (above) is the

first to feature a touch-screen interface and can playback music up to 24 hours on a full charge. Users can swipe their way through their music, call up a Genius Mix or even tune into FM radio. A fitness button can track steps as a pedometer

and also syncs up with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit (sold separately). Only .74 ounces and available in seven colors, it’s also the first nano to feature a clip for easy on-the-go use.

Price: 8GB - $149; 16GB - $179

iPod TouchThe new iPod Touch is

sleeker than ever - only 3.56 ounces and just a smidge more than a quarter-inch thick. Fea-turing a 326ppi high-res Retina Display, HD video recording and Face Time video chat over a Wi-Fi connection, the iPod Touch really is an iPhone without the phone. The new Touch offers music playback up to 40 hours on a full charge (7 hours of video playback), More than 200,000 apps are available, too, through Apple’s App Store.

Price: 8GB - $229; 32GB - $299; 64 GB - $399

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Listen UpThe iPod Class of2010 is the best yet

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“Travel is up,” said Kathy Arthur, president of Circle Travel in Midland. “It’s a re-ally good year.”

And ticket prices?“Prices are higher,” Arthur

said. Because of higher fuel costs, Arthur said airlines have been using smaller planes and offering fewer flights.

“(The airlines) can’t afford to have big empty planes,” she said. But Arthur said this year the airlines are “increasing capacity and the frequency” and “using larger equipment for peak times.”

“Prices are constantly fluc-tuating,” she noted.

She said customers can come into the travel agency with a destination, budget and preferences and their agents can check prices and use their experience to find what they are seeking. While

there’s no guarantee of find-ing a less expensive flight, you never know: You “just have to check,” she said. “We say it’s worth looking.”

Arthur suggests booking “as early as possible.” As air-planes fill up, the ticket prices go up.

Ar thur recommended “flights early in the day” so that if a flight is delayed you still will get to your desti-nation on the same day. For cruises, she recommended allowing an extra night before the cruise. While you can buy insurance for a trip in case of a flight delay, Arthur said the insurance “doesn’t replace the trip you were going on.”

Since Christmas and New Year’s both fall on Saturdays, Arthur said Wednesdays have been a popular day to trav-el this year. Because of this, better prices are found on Thursdays. Arthur also said checking for times early or late in the day may find you cheaper tickets. She recom-mends traveling on holidays. The more flexible you can be, the better. The weeks before and after Christmas and New Year’s are busy.

“It’s all prime time,” Arthur said.

This year, popular destina-tions include the Domini-can Republic, Jamaica and Florida.

“Florida is always a popular place not out of the country,” said Arthur. She said many travelers want to stay within the U.S. because of the border problems they hear about in the news. At the same time, how-ever, most spring break trips have been booked to Mexico.

“It’s still safe,” she said.Arthur said the destinations

that people go to in Mexico are “about as far from the border as we are in Michigan.”

As far as traveling tips for the holidays, Arthur said not to wrap gifts but to use gift bags or wrap them when you reach your destination be-cause even with checked bags, they may be unwrapped for security. She also recommends packing wisely, keeping in mind the checked bag weight limit is 50 pounds.

Besides, it’s “more comfort-able if you don’t try to over-pack your bags,” she said.

More people traveling this yearThis year, popular destinations

include the DominicanRepublic, Jamaica and Florida

19

By Danielle CadetCTW Features

Don’t get distracted by tin-sel and glitter. Here are the real essential décor items to have on hand this year.

FRONT-DOOR WREATHHanging a Christmas wreath

on the front door is a classic way to welcome guests, but they also can be placed else-where in the home. “Fresh wreaths can add a sweet aro-ma and yuletide charm to any room,” says, Kathleen Mathiesen, a Florida-based interior decorator and owner of Decorating by Kathleen. Adding berries, pinecones or colored ribbon can help tie in a holiday theme.

CLEAR LIGHTS“For a more elegant look,

go for clear light,” says Kathy Woodard, home décor expert who runs TheBudgetDecora-tor.com. “For more of a fan-tasy look for the holidays, go for the multi-colored ones. Decorating for the holidays can be a great creative outlet; it is the one time of year we can really let go and decorate in a fantasy world.”

RIBBON“If you buy only one deco-

rating item, make it a giant roll of ribbon,” Woodard says. Ribbon is a small item that can make a large impact, and it can be used to dress up or-dinary items. Tie ribbon on

plants, curtains, the backs of chairs and around throw pillows to look like presents, suggests Leslie Linsley, owner of the Leslie Linsley Nantuck-et home accessories shops in Boston and Nantucket, Mass.

Fresh Greens and PlantsBring in the outdoors and

place natural greenery and plants around the house like fir and pine. You can venture outside to collect pinecones, berries and branches or pur-chase potted plants. Mathie-sen says to cluster poinset-tias by the fireplace or a focal point in the living room. And who can forget mistletoe? “It’s great fun, and it makes people laugh,” she adds.

ORNAMENT BOWLFill a clear vase or bowl with

extra ornaments or place it on a shelf or in a room that is often overlooked during the holidays, like the bathroom.

Staircase GarlandGarland adds a dramatic

touch to a staircase. Just be sure it’s placed correctly. “I never wrap it around the rail-ing because people use the banister,” says Mathiesen. In-stead, she says to hang it over the side, or create a focal point by hanging it on the mantle.

Extra Wrapping PaperIf there is extra wrapping

paper, use it around the house. “Pretty paper can be used to make cheap but elegant Christmas decorations,” Wo-odard says.

DELECTABLE DÉCOR Food also can function as dec-

oration. Making gingerbread houses and cookie ornaments are fun activities that double as décor items. Linsley suggests covering dried fruits with sugar to give them a frosted look and placing them in bowls.

(c) CTW Features

THE HOLIDAYDECORATOR’S

TOOLBOX

Here are thego-to décor

items to haveon handbefore

Santa comes

20

By Dawn KlingensmithCTW Features

Holiday festivities don’t begin and end with the traditional family feast. Folks don their gay apparel and gather to make merry all throughout the season, from Halloween to New Year’s Day, especially since the recession forced a cultural shift in priorities.

“Entertaining has changed. People aren’t throwing big, grandiose holiday parties that are planned way ahead,” says Rosanna Bowles, founder of the Seattle tableware company Rosanna Inc., and au-thor of “Coming Home: A Seasonal Guide to Creating Family Traditions” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2010). “Gatherings are more spontaneous and casual.”

Impromptu get-togethers don’t allow for elaborate planning, but it is entirely possible to prepare your home so it is always “party-ready.” With the seasonal basics in place, customizing a room for a specific gathering, such as a tree-trim-ming party or a cookie exchange, can be so effortless that it just might become a family or neighborhood tradition.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

“During the wintertime, light is the most important thing,” Bowles says. “It brightens things up and makes every-thing seem magical.” Creating that magic can be as simple as draping delicate white lights across the mantel or coiling them into a hurricane vase.

“Massive amounts of votive candles on a silver tray make an instant statement,” Bowles says.

Don’t worry if the silver isn’t polished to perfection. A little tarnish is in keep-ing with what’s trendy in holiday décor. “Everything is toned down,” Bowles says.

“We’re not seeing those bright, brilliant greens and reds and metallics. Everything has more of a worn, faded, special look.” EMBELLISH WITH SWEETS

A Christmas cookie exchange or a gin-gerbread house decorating party is a warm way to usher in the holidays. With the house already gussied up to receive guests, just a few added details make for suitably sweet surroundings. Start as far out as the curb by lining the walkway with plastic or foam candy canes. Using poster board, create a round red-and-white peppermint and place it on the door instead of a wreath. Inside, drape strung candies like Life Sav-ers and gumdrops along the banister and mantel.

BRING ON THEBELLS ANDBIRDS

W h e t h e r guests gath-er around the piano or the fes-t i v i t i e s go door-to-door, a Christmas c a r o l i n g party calls for traditional trimmings and a touch of whim-sy. Greet guests with a wreath fashioned from sleigh bells. Or for a more el-egant and ethereal feel, hang wreaths and garlands made of white feathers.

“Christmas and Christmas carols evoke birds,” including the swans, geese, call-

ing birds, turtledoves and partridge of “The 12 Days of Christmas” fame, says Kathy Thomas. She belongs to the Park Avenue Ladies, a group of New York City hostesses who contributed to the book “Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York’s Savviest Hostesses” (Rizzoli New York, 2009). Thomas suggests hanging instru-ment-shaped ornaments, such as harps and cellos, from chandeliers, or cutting ornaments from old sheet music.TRIM THE TREE-TRIMMING PARTY

A tree-trimming party ought to have a pared-down, back-to-basics feel to it, starting with traditional luminaries lining

the walkway. These are lanterns made of white or brown

lunch bags weighted down with sand,

which anchors a votive candle or

tea light.Gild magno-

lia leaves with g o l d p a i n t a n d t u c k them among f r e s h g a r -lands. “The way they’re

shaped and the fact that they’re

g re e n o n o n e side and brown on

the other just feels right for the season,”

says Heather Leeds, an-other Park Avenue Lady. But, the

Christmas tree takes center stage, she notes, so it ought not to have too much competition.

(c) CTW Features

Causefor

Celebration

21

THOMAS SIMONETTI | [email protected]

Maxine Myers of Hemlock, head designer at Village Green in Midland, puts together a holiday basket, a popular gift during the holiday sea-son.

By Bryce Martinfor the Daily News

Shopping for those hard to buy for people can be a challenge, but two gift stores in Midland may be able to offer some help.

Village Green is a full gift line business, in addition to being a floral shop. Flowers are always a special way to say “I love you.” And at Christmastime, gifting flowers is particularly popular.

“Traditionally we sell a lot of Christmas fresh floral arrange-ments,” Village Green owner Joe Kozuch said. “That’s a big part of our business.”

The store, located on South Saginaw Road, also specializes in gifts including Godiva chocolates, special holiday ornaments, and Peggy Karr fused glass. The location has sold Peggy Karr glass, a fused glass with patterns between the layers, for about 12 years.

Price ranges for gifts at Village Green vary, from $25 to $100.Village Green, in business with FTD, also sells a popular keep-

sake container for floral arrangements. A normal price range for the container, filled with flowers, is $40 and up. The containers themselves run from $20 to $25 and can be reused.

“A lot of people will do that,” Kozuch said. “We get people that year after year bring back containers that they used five years ago and we will redecorate them.”

Special for the 2010 holiday season are containers from FTD in the shape of a drum and a sleigh.

Typically, flowers used during the holiday season include mums, red and white carnations and some holiday greens, like pine, cedar and spruce versus regular ferns for a filler to build the base. Roses are always a nice fill-in, he said. The floral arrangements in the containers can last two to three weeks.

Gift ideas for the

hard-to-buy-for person

22

“Holiday season is, for me, a huge per-centage of my business,” he said. “We’re not just a floral shop, but floral is a major percentage of the business here.”

During the Christmas season, Vil-lage Green’s Vera Bradley line of ladies’ products is also popular. Vera Bradley is exclusive to one store per city, and Village Green has sold the line for 10 years. The line includes handbags, purses, wallets, as well as stationery and pens, which Ko-zuch said make great stocking stuffers.

“My busiest time is typically the week before the holiday,” he said. “The Christ-mas season is really a month long and the next six weeks for us will be constant.”

Another store to browse for special gifts is Glover’s Pharmacy on Jefferson Avenue. Owned by Ted and Jane Toland for the last 17 years, Glover’s Pharmacy has been in business for 77 years and is one of the oldest stores in Midland.

“Christmastime is a fairly busy time for us,” Jane Toland said.

Glover’s sells Gold Crown Hallmark items and the traditional tree ornaments.

“We have a lot of unique candles, a lot of glass serving pieces, and specialized candies,” Toland said. “We have a men’s section, where we have unusual gifts for men — a lot of fishing and golfing items. We have a Michigan section, with all the Michigan State and University of Michigan items.”

People of all different ages shop at Glov-er’s, which also features a toy department with unusual toys that will not be found at the national stores. The store also has a new line of purses by Donna Sharp that is doing very well, Toland said.

“Snowmen always seem to be popular

because people can leave them out longer than the holiday season,” she said.

For those still unsure about what to buy, gift certificates remain a popular option.

“People will appreciate those because they can pick their own gifts out,” Toland said.

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Take 10: The Year’s Best Children’s Books

Book an Award-Winning Adventure

Books open a world of discovery in ways even the coolest toys can’t achieve. This season, tempt a kid to turn off the TV and find an adventure in words and pictures on a printed page. These acclaimed titles were winners or finalists for some of the most esteemed awards in children’s literature for 2010.

- Danielle Cadet

1. “Going Bovine” by Libba Bray (Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009) $17.99 Printz Award for Young Adult Literature

2. “When you Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead (Wendy Lamb Books, 2009) $15.99 Newbery Medal

3. “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice” by Phillip Hoose (Farrar, Straus and Gi-roux, 2009) $19.95 Newbery Honor

4. “The Lion & the Mouse” by Jerry Pickney $16.99 (Lit-tle, Brown and Company for Young Readers, 2009) Calde-cott Medal

5. “Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Mar-shal,” by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Carolrhoda Books, 2009) $17.95 Coretta Scott King Award

6. “The Evolution of Calpur-

nia Tate” by Jacqueline Kelly (Henry Holt and Company, 2009) $16.99 Newbery Honor

7. “Mare’s War” by Tanita S. Davis (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2009) $16.99 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book

8. “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin (Little, Brown and Compa-ny Books for Young Readers,

2009) $16.99 Newbery Honor

9. “Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors” by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2009) $16.00 Caldecott Honor

10. “The Most True Adven-tures of Homer P. Figg” by Rodman Philbrick, (The Blue Sky Press, 2009) $16.99 New-bery Honor

(c) CTW Features

24

Start a sweet newtradition perfect forsharing and interact-ing. And it doesn’ttaste so bad, either

By Matthew M. F. MillerCTW Features

For Nancy Siler’s children, making homemade candy was as integral to the holi-days as tearing open the pres-ents on Christmas morning.

“We loved the kitchen ex-perience and the creativity of deciding whether we were going to make easy and quick clusters or mold some spe-cial iconic shapes in candy molds,” says Siler, vice presi-dent of consumer affairs for Woodridge, Ill.-based Wilton, a popular food-crafting com-pany. “It was fun to share the creations with family and friends, especially the grand-parents!”

Creativity is also the al-lure for Anita Chu, author of “Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtual-ly Every Candy Imaginable” (Quirk Books, 2009).

“As with all other home-made goods, you can control what goes into your home-made candy, which makes it that much more unique and special,” she says. “You can come up with your own fla-vors and your own presenta-tion for your candies. You can also avoid many of the pre-servatives and additives that go into mass-produced candy. There is a world of difference between fresh chocolate and butter and mass produced, prepackaged items.”

According to both Chu and Siler, people tend to be unnec-essarily intimidated by the candy-making process, which can be easy and rewarding if you start small and carry a big thermometer.

“Start small and practice.

Many candies are surpris-ingly simple to make at home and require no more skill than mixing ingredients to-gether or melting chocolate,” Chu says. “Candies that re-quire skill, like cooking sugar or tempering chocolate, can also be mastered with a little patience and practice.”

Siler says that many of the tools needed for basic candy-making are already in your home.

“ Yo u c a n m e l t l a r g e amounts of chocolate or con-fectionery coating in the mi-crowave, which is perfect for molding and dipping can-dies, cookies or pretzels,” she says. “Or mix in 1/2 cup of rice cereal, nuts, coconut or chocolate-covered candies

with 1 cup of candy melts and drop onto a parchment-covered cookie sheet for clus-ters.”

The essential tools to get started are a candy thermom-eter that goes up to 400 de-grees F (if you want to cook sugar), aluminum baking sheets for lining up candies to cool and inexpensive plastic molds, if the agenda includes making molded chocolates or candies.

Chu also recommends us-ing thin latex or cotton gloves, which allow candy makers to handle finished candies with-out leaving prints.

In these cash-strapped times, Siler says candy is an inexpensive, scrump-tious present to share with

loved ones.“The holidays inspire gift-

giving and sharing with fam-ily and friends. What bet-ter gift is there than to craft something with your own two hands?” Siler says. “Ev-eryone loves to receive deli-cious homemade treats that come from the heart. It’s a personal touch that shows you took the time to create something special from your kitchen.”

One of this year’s emerg-ing trends for candy making is the addition of sea salt to sweets.

“Sweet and salty is a nice combination,” Siler says. “Think about making choco-late-dipped potato chips and pretzels. If making truffles,

Candy is Dandy

25

a very small amount of a good quality, larger particle salt could be placed on top.”

Chu finds that sea salt pairs well with cara-mel. Its distinct tang contrasts with the rich sweetness of the caramel, giving more dimen-sion to the buttery caramel flavor.

“Sea salt should be used as a highlight though, not simply substituted for regular salt in a recipe,” she says.

Chu says that another big trend is home-made marshmallows, in all sorts of flavors, as well as old classics jazzed up with modern ingredients, like peanut brittle with sea salt or chocolate bark with roasted cacao nibs and pumpkin seeds.

To give candy as a gift, Siler suggests making the effort to select the right flavors, targeted to the person who is receiving the goodies. And since most people can’t resist the allure of candy, she says don’t worry about how long it will stay fresh.

“Most candies don’t last that long to worry about freshness, especially at the holidays,” she says.

Chu agrees.“Anything with chocolate is always wel-

come. Candy is almost always made for gift-giving, so most candies are suitable as long as you give it away soon after making it, and let the recipient know to keep them cool, dry and covered.”

Chu’s favorite gift candies are chocolate covered nut clusters, caramel corn, chocolate bark and English toffee.

Cookie exchanges have long been a popu-lar activity around the holidays, but making candy can be a great way to bond with family and friends, and to get a nice array of sweets without spending the entire month cooking.

“Candy clubs are a great way to experiment with candy-making, especially as most recipes yield quite a few pieces, so it’s easy to divide them up,” Chu says. “Dipping chocolates or forming nut clusters is a fun group activity. Taffy-pulling parties used to be a popular activity in Colonial days.”

And while candy-making isn’t kids stuff, many recipes are fun and easy for younger candy enthusiasts. Chu recommends caramel corn, chocolate-dipped pretzels, coconut hay-stacks, no-fail fudge and peanut butter balls, which all have just a few ingredients. These are all relatively simple to assemble and provide children the satisfaction of creating their own candy.

(c) CTW Features

Candy is Dandy

Fleur de SelCaramels

Ingredients1 cup sugar1 cup heavy cream1/4 cup light corn syrup1 tablespoon unsalted butter1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel1 tablespoon vanilla extract

MethodLine an 8-by-8 inch baking pan

with a piece of parchment paper long enough to hang over the edges. Butter the parchment well.

Combine the sugar and cream

in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring con-stantly to prevent burning. Add the corn syrup and continue cook-ing until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F. Add the butter and stir carefully to combine. Continue cooking mixture until it reaches 245 degrees F.

Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla. Pour mixture into pan to cool and harden. Remove the cara-mel block from the pan and cut into squares using a sharp, well-oiled knife. Sprinkle a few grains of fleur de sel on top of the caramels before wrapping.

Yield: About 60 caramels(c) CTW Features

26

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Nougat Candy (Turrón)with Almonds & Cashews

From “Dulce: Desserts in the Latin-American Tradition” (Riz-zoli, 2010)

Ingredients1/3 cup granulated sugar1 cup honey1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out and

reserved (or 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract)1 egg white1 pinch cream of tartar1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped almonds1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped cashewsAbout 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

MethodIn a small saucepan over medium heat bring the granulated

sugar, honey and vanilla bean and seeds (or extract) to a boil. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the temperature on a candy thermometer reaches 248 degrees F (the “soft ball” stage). If you don’t have a candy thermometer, scoop a bit of the sugar mixture onto a spoon and submerge it in a bowl of ice water for a few seconds. Grab the sugar with your fin-gertips. You should be able to form it into a small, soft ball. Remove the vanilla bean.

While the syrup is cooking, soak the bowl and the whisk attachment of an electric mixer in warm water and dry thor-oughly. This will ensure that the egg whites gain enough

volume during beating. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the mixer to high speed and slowly and carefully add the hot syrup to the egg white mixture. Continue beating at high speed until the meringue becomes nice and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bowl no longer feels hot to the touch. Fold in the nuts.

Dust a work surface generously with confectioners sugar. Pour the warm nougat on top and cover it with more confec-tioners sugar. Knead it until it is fully coated with the sugar and no longer sticking to the surface of your hands, about 1 minute. Form the nougat into a large rectangle and, using a rolling pin dusted with more sugar, flatten it to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the nougat into 2-by-1-inch rectangles and transfer them to a container dusted with confectioners sugar. Once the candy has cooled completely, cover the container and store in a cool, dry spot.

28

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A gift for a special someone calls for, well, something special. Personalized gifts are all the rage. Here’s how to look — and what to look for.

By Danielle CadetCTW Features

Trends come and go, but the hallmark of a great gift remains the same: it’s personal. The gift that goes down in history, the one they’ll remember, is often the one that distinctively captures some-one’s passions, taste and style.

These days personalization goes way beyond old-school monogrammed shirts and towels. Think flirty flip-flops designed with interchange-able straps that Velcro on and off, to reflect a mood or a whim. A favorite phrase, icon or nick-name creatively placed on a protective cover for an electronic device. A prepster’s initials or name, emblazoned on a plastic plate. “With personaliza-tion comes a sense of pride, and that’s a gift that everybody wants,” says Robyn Spizman, gift expert and founder of TheGiftionary.com.

Thanks to technology, it’s simpler than ever to purchase a gift that’s personalized with a name or initials. “The online world has taught retailers a lot more about their customers, and is making it easier than ever to give to customers what they want,” says Claire Hamilton, retail trend analyst at

Get Personal

Eat it up: monogrammed plastic plates for the modern prepster, from La Plates

29

Please come to preview our new collections: fine art, one-of-a-kind jewelry, gifts for the home, apparel,

fashion accessories, and much more. Carefully selected holiday décor includes German-made nutcrackers,

smokers, pyramids, and music boxes; Patience Brewster’s Krinkles; and

Emmy award winners, Kringlekins for the first time at the Gallery.

Midland’s Premier Art GalleryVoted The Best Place to Buy Original Art In the Tri City Area.

102 East Main St. • Midland • 989-837-4310

The Midland Area Community Foundation would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the donors and volunteers who make the Foundation’s work possible.

midlandfoundation.org989-839-9661

Midland’s Santa House offers families a chance to visit Santa and spend time together during the

Holiday Season.

The visit is free and a friendly volunteer elf will happily take a picture if you bring a camera.

Santa House opens at the Annual Courthouse Lighting on November 30 at 7:00 p.m

Full schedule is at midlandfoundation.org

This gift to the community is a project of the Midland Area Community Foundation. It has been made possible by the generosity of community members who established an endowment fund to ensure that this holiday tradition endures for generations to come.

Midland Santa HouseWGSN, a London-based trend forecasting firm. “The natural out-come of that is to actually offer more personalization services.”

The purchase of a personalized gift demands serious thought. Take some time to consider the recipient’s personality. “You want to start looking at their interests: children, pets, their favorite colors, their style,” says Spizman. She advises pur-chasing a present the recipient is sure to use. “When you think personalization you want to think about the personal use of a gift. Make sure the person is going to enjoy it,” she says.

Pigeonholing friends may not be a polite practice most times of the year, but when it comes to holiday gift giving, it’s one of the keys to success. “When you know you’re buying a gift for a traveler, an entertainer, a music or sports lover, then you can really pinpoint the perfect gift,” Spizman says.

Monogramming is a classic personalizing detail that never seems to go out of style. “People like to see their names,” says Roseanne Morrison, fashion director for trend forecaster Doneger Group, New York. “The more personalization that’s involved, the more it makes someone feel like this (gift) is designed for me.”

The trend is to bigger monograms with fresh fonts, styles and twists on tradition. And be selective about the item you choose to monogram. “Monogramming clothes is totally out,” says Jess Zaino, celebrity stylist and former co-host of the Style Network’s “Modern Girl’s Guide to Life.” She suggests monogramming a small item and pairing it with a useful, related gift.

Here are some bright ideas for holiday gifts that might be perfect for someone you know. If they’re not, you won’t have to look far to find the perfect gift. This season, personalization is everywhere.

Lindsay Phillips’ Switchflops are fashionable flip-flops that can be customized to individual taste with a monogram but-

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ton, name or favorite phrase, or a message embroidered on the strap. More than 70 styles of straps, attached with Velcro, can be changed out on a whim. The line has been expanded to include custom-izable ballet flats, clogs and accessories. Zaino suggests pairing a pair of the flip-flops with a beach bag full of vaca-tion goodies. “It’s so much more thoughtful when you take the person into consid-eration without being cheesy or tacky,” Zaino says.

A personalized cover for the proud new owner of an iPad, Kindle or new smartphone can add to their techno-joy and help them stand out in a crowd. Since so many people have these devices, “the more that you can do to create that level of originality makes it special,” says Morrison. Power Support USA offers a range of products aimed to protect and personalize wireless devices. Graphically smart City Cases star iconic images from cities around the globe, perfect for

a globetrotter wannabe. Or, create a custom design by up-loading original art or choos-ing designs from their library and adding words and effects for a one-of-a-kind gift.

Brightly colored melamine plates from La Plates are a big hit with celebrity parents, including the Obamas. Cus-tomers can choose design, background color, font style

and color when creating their plates, which range in size from 7 inches (sold individu-ally) to 10 inches (available in sets of four). The bright, fanci-ful plates are durable enough to withstand horseplay at a barbeque but elegant enough for an adult luncheon.

Custom-monogrammed Butterscotch Blankees have been spied swaddling the babes of celebrity moms like Sarah Jessica Parker. Com-pany founder Jodie Roth says her products make a long-lasting gift that can follow the owner from crib to dorm room. The hand-made blankets would make

a great gift for a newborn, young child or parents who want to add flare to a nursery or bedroom. The handmade blankets range in size, style and color.

Personalized stationery is a classic gift. But for a new twist for a relative or friend who loves to wrap and give gifts try wrapping paper per-sonalized with her name and

special message. “It’s a functional thing to

give that is still so personal and so much fun,” Zaino says. “It will make them smile ev-ery time they use it.”

The “Everything Book,” a monthly calendar for track-ing family activities, can be customized with a name and photo on the covers. It comes with matching personalized labels, tab stickers and note pads.

Monogram a leather wallet or a tote for a trendy friend or relative with simple tastes. “There are people who just like to keep it simple but still want personal things that look beautiful,” says Morrison.

And, to heck with trend-meisters who say mono-grammed clothing is out, out, out. For those with a consider-ably larger gift budget, a wool or a fur coat with an under-stated initials inside “would be wonderful,” WGSN’s Clair Hamilton says.

(c) CTW Features

31

Midland’s Best Holiday Gift and Toy Ideas• Dolls• Books• Games• Puzzles• Science• Puppets• Building Sets• Arts and Crafts

989.636.76043110 Jefferson Ave. • Midland, MI 48640

Holiday Hours:M-Sa 9:30 am -6:00 pm • Thurs. 9:00 am - 8:00 pm • Sun. (Dec.) 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Toys that Teach

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1-800-STEEMER • 832-5191 Midland781-300 Saginaw • 684-000 Bay City

3 ROOMS CARPET

CLEANED

SOFA & CHAIR (MAX. 7” SOFA.

EXCLUDES LEATHER)$10600 5 ROOMS

CARPET CLEANED

$14600 $9900 Expires 12/19/2010 Expires 12/19/2010 Expires 12/19/2010

Must present coupon at time of cleaning. One room equals up to 300 sq. ft. Baths, halls, large walk-in closets and area rugs are priced separately. Additional charge for Teflon or deodorizing. Not valid with other offers. Residential only. Minimum service charge applies.

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• Air Duct Cleaning• Hardwood Floor Deep Cleaning• Emergency Water Restoration• Tile & Grout Cleaning

SONY DASH PERSONAL INTERNET VIEWERHow’s this for an alarm clock? In addi-

tion to waking them up from a nap, the Dash keeps them up-to-date with e-mail and social networking sites with apps for Gmail, Facebook and Twitter. Or, they can simply hit the snooze button on the 800x480 LCD touch screen.

Price: $199.99, sonystyle.com for deal-ers

DYSON AIR MULTIPLIERNo, you might not be thinking fans in

the middle of winter, but these Dyson de-vices are worth getting excited about. The bladeless “fans” draw in air and amplify it up to 18x. No blades or grille make them both safe and easy to clean. Available in table, tower and pedestal models.

Price: $229.99 to $449.99, dyson.com for dealers

SONOS ZONEPLAYER S5If they want to stream music from your

iTunes library to any room in the house, well, there’s an app for that. The Sonos Controller app turns any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a remote that plays music directly from a computer or hard drive to any room with a Sonos ZonePlayer S5 all-in-one wireless music system.

Price: $399.99, sonos.com for dealers

Home, Sweet

HomeHigh-tech upgrades know no bounds — even when it comes to an everyday object like the alarm clock

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201 E. ELLSWORTH ST.MIDLAND, MI 48640

989.835.3371WWW.THEROCKWELLHOUSE.COM

WE HAVE THE PERFECT GIFT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

By Dana CarmanCTW Features

The kids’ table does not have to be the “land of exile” during holiday meals. In fact, with a few fun-focused ideas, the kids’ table can quickly be-come the spot where even the grownups want to sit.

Kids love identifying their spots at the table, so for place cards use a picture of the child, says Linda Kaye, a New York children’s event planner and founder of Birthday Bakers Party Makers. She also sug-gests having kids involved in creating them. “Let them pick out the pictures and cut them out,” she says.

Debbie Pollick, an event planner and owner of The Party Starts Here in Mission Vejo, Calif., likes taking red ornaments or plastic snow-flakes and writing the kids’ names on them as place cards for the Christmas holiday. For another idea with the yuletide theme, try taking miniature stockings and using them as holders for the silverware and napkin or filling larger stockings with crafts to use and tying them on to the back of each chair. These could also have kids’ names on them, Pollick says.

To dress up the table, Kaye suggests a cornucopia of gourds, pumpkins and the like in a basket with some tissue and ribbon for a lovely

Thanksgiving centerpiece. As a bonus, give the kids a little direction and have them make it. Pollick notes that a cored-out apple makes a great candleholder and keeps in the spirit of the fall season. For the Christmas season, Kaye pic-tures a confectionary fantasy for dressing up the table “to give it that kind of magical, old-fashioned Christmas feel-ing,” she says.

The kids’ table should have functionality — as in, it should keep youngsters busy. Both Pollick and Kaye recommend offering some themed color-ing pages and crayons, which can also be used as place mats (stickers also are useful here). Holiday crafts provide fun en-tertainment, and preparing the food itself in a kid-friendly manner is always a plus. “Use cookie cutters to cut sandwich-es,” Pollick says. She also rec-ommends putting their food on or in special themed plates or bowls and, if age-appropriate, using skewers. She believes that mini grilled cheese on a skewer for dipping in a warm mug of tomato soup is the perfect ap-petizer for all ages.

For dessert, let the kids dec-orate cookies or, better yet, sundaes. This is just another activity that can help prolong the adults’ meal because as Kaye notes: “Kids take a min-ute to eat.”

(c) CTW Features

Where the Cool Kids EatTips to help the little ones dine in style

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Midland

989-633-8190

7814 Eastman Avenue(north of the mall)

Bay City

989-686-8190

3950 N. Euclid(north of Wilder)

Saginaw

989-799-8190

2883 McCarty Road(off Bay Road)

Free In-Home Estimates

Color, technologyand hippos help the holidays shinebright this year

By Denise DiFulcoCTW Features

One of the great pleasures of the holiday season is driving around the neighborhood tak-ing in display upon display of festive lights. Decorating one’s home is a pleasure all its own, an annual activity made all the brighter with a quick stroll through some local sea-sonal shop aisles.

LEDS ARE HOTThe market for LED lights

has grown steadily in recent years, despite the fact that they generally are pricier than traditional incandescent bulbs. Not only do LEDs use less electricity and last longer than their incandescent coun-terparts, they also don’t get as hot to the touch. But the big news in LEDs this year is the arrival of “warm white.” “It’s a white that doesn’t have a bluish tint and looks more like an incandescent bulb,” explains Gwyneth Lodge, an associate merchant for Home Depot. Retailers also are ex-pecting solar-powered LEDs to gain interest.STRING LIGHTS SHED STIGMA

The inadequacies of string lights could launch 1,000 punch lines, but there are some improvements that consumers should look for this holiday season including “continu-ous-on” LED strands, where the energy flow is better regu-

The

lated to avoid pesky flicker-ing. Another is better weather resistance. “In the past, the fault with the LED string was the two-piece construction that allowed moisture inside the bulb,” says Paul Sessel, owner of Creative Displays, Overland Park, Kan. Underwriters Labo-ratories Inc., an independent product safety certification organization, recently changed its standards and now requires copper contact points for the bulbs, which should make them more reliable. Also, a number of manufacturers are now offering sealed husks to protect those contacts from the elements, Sessel says.

LIGHT SHOWS SHINEUnlike the icicle lights of a

decade ago or the inflatables that have popped up over the past few years, there isn’t one, big breakout holiday décor item this year, but there is more movement, such as icicle lights that appear to drip and dis-plays that change color. For the do-it-yourselfer, using soft-ware to coordinate light strands and even setting a light show to music is becoming more popular. Companies such as Light-O-Rama provide equip-ment and advice to create a Vegas-worthy display at home. Also, after years of elegant, all-white lights gaining market share, multi-colored strands are making a comeback, says Brad Finkle, owner of Omaha, Neb.-based Creative Decorat-ing. “Everyone wants to be a little unique and different so their home stands out in the neighborhood,” he says.TRADITION TAKES TRENDY TURN

This year, stores are adding to their inventory softer-hued light strands in fun, fashion-able colors, including pink. Lawn décor also is expand-ing beyond traditional winter themes. Target spokeswoman Tara Schlosser says the pink fla-mingo was so popular last year that the company has decided to add more novelty items this season, including a hippo and a pig. “Another unique trend this year are lighted twig stakes,” she says. “Add them to trees or greenery pots for a chic holiday update.”

(c) CTW Features

LighterSide

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LARGE SELECTION OF:ARTIFICIAL TREES, WREATHS & LIGHTS BYARTIFICIAL TREES, WREATHS & LIGHTS BYARTIFICIAL TREES, WREATHS & LIGHTS BY

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Amazon Kindle $139.99

The latest generation of the Kindle makes it easy to lighten the load in a backpack or briefcase. Owners can carry up to 3,500 eBooks in the device – which weighs less than a typical paperback novel – and stay on the go for nearly a month (with Wi-Fi off) on a single charge. Although the new Kindle has a crisper display and double the storage of the previous model, it’s near-ly 2 ounces lighter. And because the page turning mechanism is 20 percent faster, readers can easily rush to the juic-iest part of a novel.

Amazon Kindle DX $379.99

Get all of the features of the Kindle, globally, on a larger 9.7-inch display. Readers can share their favorite passag-es with friends via Facebook and Twit-ter from home or abroad in more than 100 countries.

Barnes & Noble nook $149.99

The entire collection of up to 1,500 eBooks stored on a nook can be browsed with quick swipes of a finger via a 3.5-inch touch screen. Nook fea-

tures include lend-ing eBooks to friends for a 14-day period, Sudoku and chess games and access to exclusive content whenever you visit a Barnes & Noble book-store. The 11.6-ounce device also can double as an MP3 player.

Borders Kobo eReader$139.99

At just under 8 ounces, the Kobo eRead-er is perfect for a little light reading. Flexible fonts display on its 6-inch screen, and readers can peruse content with a comfortable grasp thanks to the device’s quilted back. This lightweight device, now with Wi-Fi, still carries up to 1,000 titles and allows readers to turn up to 8,000 pages before recharg-ing. The cover image of a reader’s cur-rent book displays on the screen even when the eReader is off, just like a print novel.

BeBook Neo$249.99

BeBook Neo users select books from third-party eBook stores and can decide for themselves from which retailer they’d like to purchase a book. Google or Wikipedia can be accessed through Neo’s Wi-Fi connection, and its frees-cale processor allows fast browsing. Readers also can sketch and mark up texts thanks to the eReader’s WACOM touch panel technology.

Alex eReader$399

Readers also can access titles from various eBook vendors via the Alex eReader. This device ups content interactivity by enabling readers to explore hyperlinks embedded in the eBooks. Alex’s browser brings readers the entire web in true color on its 3.5-inch touch screen while the 6-inch screen above displays the eBook con-

tent.

Cruz Reader$199.99

Readers can view the story just about however they’d like on the Cruz Read-er’s full-color 7-inch touch screen. With just a rotation of the device, con-tent switches from portrait to land-scape orientation. The e-reader features a web browser and Wi-Fi and also can be docked to function as a digital picture frame.

–Taniesha Robinson© CTW Features

Giftology | 2 0 1 0

BooksUn-CoveredThe best gadgets for the (geeky) bookworm on your list

TheTabletsApple iPad $499 TO $829

While Apple’s iPad doesn’t solely fall into the eReader category, this tablet com-puter features the iBook application fresh with loads of content ready for download via the iBookstore. Also available through the store are enhanced books with words, pictures, and audio and video, which allows readers to more deeply experience content. The app also bookmarks pages and stores notes so readers won’t lose their place or thoughts.

SamsungGalaxy TabPRICE TBD

This Android-powered iPad competitor, equipped with the Readers Hub e-reading application, comes straight from another galaxy. Its digital library can be accessed using the 7-inch touch screen with multi-touch zoom. Samsung also unleashes multimedia content to entertain readers, who can share reactions via videoconfer-ences with the Galaxy Tab’s 3-megapixel camera.

AMAZON KINDLE $139.99

The latest generation of the Kindle makes it easy to lighten the load in a backpack or brief-case. Owners can carry up to 3,500 eBooks in the device and stay on the go for nearly a month (with Wi-Fi off) on a single charge. The new Kindle has a crisper display, double the storage and it’s nearly 2 ounces lighter.

AMAZON KINDLE DX $379.99

Get all of the features of the Kin-dle, globally, on a larger 9.7-inch display. Readers can share their favorite passages with friends via Facebook and Twitter.

BARNES & NOBLE NOOK $149.99

The entire collection of up to 1,500 eBooks stored on a nook can be browsed with quick swipes of a finger via a 3.5-inch touch screen. Nook features include lending eBooks to friends for a 14-day pe-riod, Sudoku and chess games and access to exclusive content.

BORDERS KOBO EREADER$139.99

At just under 8 ounces, the Kobo eReader is perfect for a little light reading. Flexible fonts display on its 6-inch screen, and readers can

peruse content with a comfort-able grasp thanks to the device’s quilted back. Kobo, now with Wi-Fi, carries up to 1,000 titles and allows readers to turn up to 8,000 pages before recharging.

The TabletsAPPLE IPAD

$499 TO $829While Apple’s iPad doesn’t

solely fall into the eReader cat-egory, this tablet computer fea-tures the iBook application fresh with loads of content ready for download via the iBookstore. Also available through the store are enhanced books with words, pictures, and audio and video, which allows readers to more deeply experience content. The app also bookmarks pages and stores notes.

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB PRICE TBD

This Android-powered iPad competitor, equipped with the Readers Hub e-reading applica-tion, comes straight from another galaxy. Its digital library can be accessed using the 7-inch touch screen. Samsung also features multimedia content to entertain readers, who can share reactions via videoconferences with the Gal-axy Tab’s 3-megapixel camera.

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By JoAnn GrecoCTW Features

“The objects and colors that we turn to over and over around the holidays are standard because they work,” says Alexa Hampton, the president and featured designer of New York City’s Mark Hampton, LLC.

“Sometimes, though,” she adds, “it’s a good idea to experiment.”Think of holiday decorating traditions like the ubiquitous

little black dress, says Hampton, author of “The Language of Interior Design” (Clarkson Potter, 2010). “The black dress is and always will be a classic. But it becomes ours — and gets noticed — when we accessorize with shoes, handbags, jewelry, belts, scarves, whatever.” Here are a few ways to play with traditional holiday décor.

EMBRACE COLORTricia Guild has made a living out of helping regular folks

understand how to work color in their homes through her Brit-ish design studio, Designers Guild. “Nothing adds glamour and

drama more easily than adding a splash of bold color,” says Guild, author of “Tricia Guild: Colors, Patterns and Space” (Riz-zoli, 2010). She suggests

switching out clear drinking glasses for jewel-toned ones as a quick way to bring pizzazz to the holiday table.

Hampton likes the idea of color, too, right down to the candles. Continued on page 38

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traditions - likecolor schemes -don’t need to betossed. Theyt justneed a modern

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Wellington Limited’s Laurie Kramer, left, and Geri Horsley pose among some of their products including Rimowa polycarbonate luggage, left, with Laurie, and Baggalini convenience bags, displayed on the right.


Laurie Kramer, sales man-ager of Wellington Ltd., has some unique gift ideas for those on your list who like to travel.

First of all, Kramer said feeling secure helps make a trip more enjoyable.

“In today’s world, people travel with more caution,” Kramer said. She said the more you can make a trip “worry free,” the better. Any-thing that helps with “mak-ing a person feel more secure

in their surroundings.”Prior to 9/11, people put

locks on their luggage. Af-ter that, “there was a period of no one buying locks at all,” she said. Now there are Transportation Security Ad-ministration locks, so if the TSA wants to get into your luggage, “they can get in and out of it without cutting.”

“The combination cannot be usurped,” she said. “And you’ll know if it’s been tam-pered with.”

Travel belts and small trav-el alarm clocks with flash-

lights also help make a trip safer.

Since all liquids must be under 3 ounces to be compli-ant with the airlines, there are some new small airline-com-pliant products that make both having a comfortable trip and following the guide-lines easier. Children’s medi-cines come in a dispenser with sheets that they can put in their mouths and dissolve with their tongues. Shampoo, conditioner and lotion come in sheets that you just have to wet to use.

“They’re doing all kinds of things in that format,” said Kramer.

If 9/11 changed security, the recession changed how travelers pack.

Now that a ir l ines are c h a rg i n g f o r b a g s a n d overweight bags, there’s a device you can buy that attaches to the suitcase let-ting you know how much it weighs. Kramer said if your bag weighs 51 pounds, you can remove a pound and not have any surprises once at the airport.

Gift ideas for the travelerPurchase presents that help make trip more enjoyable

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Wellington Limited offers a wide selection of designer passport wallets for people who travel out of the country.

Because of recent trends, Wellington Ltd. now sells polycarbonate luggage. She said metallic red suitcases are one of their most popular.

“The concept of the bag started in Ger-many,” she said.

The polycarbonate material is “very light weight,” she said. For example, a 34-inch piece of luggage “weighs 16 pounds empty, and the polycarbonate weighs about nine.” Besides the mate-rial, Kramer said pockets in suitcases add weight; the polycarbonate suitcases don’t have pockets.

And Kramer’s personal favorite travel-ing accessory? Stewardesses bags. The bags are something you can also use ev-ery day, but they’re designed with travel in mind.

“The bags designed to pack flat,” said Kramer. She says they can come in handy when you go on a trip, do some shopping and need a bag to the bring items home, or if you’re going on a walking tour and just need a smaller bag.

Now that airlines arecharging for bags and

overweight bags, there’s adevice you can buy thatattaches to the suitcase

letting you know how much it weighs. Kramer said if your

bag weighs 51 pounds, you can remove a pound and

not have any surprises once at the airport.

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“Even black ones look great with gold or silver candlesticks,” she says. “They’re elegant but still festive.” Or borrow a page from the Hanukkah palette. Blue and silver is a modern but timeless color combination.

Designers caution that relying on too much red and green or on an abundance of shiny metals can jangle instead of jin-gle. “Tone it down,” suggests architect and designer Suzanne Lovell, principal at her eponymous firm, which is based in Chicago and New York. “Instead use tones like burgundy and olive.”

TURN OVER A NEW LEAFAnother way to bring new drama to

old holiday décor is to fiddle with foli-age and flowers. Instead of pine garland, for example, consider magnolia leaves, Lovell says. “Its velvety, copper under-side mixes so well with the deep waxy green of its top,” she says.

Winterberries, cranberries and bril-liant white birch are also great natural choices. “I like taking a large urn and arranging a few tall winterberry branches with blue spruce and black pine,” Lovell says. “It’s a sophisti-

cated take on the familiar.” Guild says herbs such as rosemary and sage are beautiful in their own right, and add texture, greenery and a wonderful scent.

SPREAD THE JOYTo update this year’s holiday decorat-

ing, consider expanding your territory. Lovell says tiny white lights “are the most effective, easiest and varied way to celebrate the season.” But don’t stop at the tree. Drape strands over stair rails, around mirrors and even on a deck, bal-cony or terrace.

“The front of the house is for everyone else, but the back is yours,” Lovell says. “It’s magical to see all of this extra space lit up for the holidays. Sometimes I even put a small evergreen tree out there, decorated with just white lights.”

Throughout the house, think of ways to use wrapped presents as decorative ele-ments. “Play up whatever motif you’ve chosen by repeating one of the main colors in the bows tied around the gifts,” Hamp-ton suggests. Then, showcase the beguil-ing and be-decked gift boxes in surprising places: ascending the steps, stacked on a burnished wood library table, next to the fireplace, wherever the mood strikes.

BOWL ‘EM OVEROf course, every family has its trea-

sured ornaments and favored holiday

knickknacks. No need to give them the Santa boot; just look at them with a more critical and curatorial eye. “Avoid the temptation to overload the tree and every tabletop,” Hampton says.

So what to do with all those trinkets that clutter up homes and lives around this time of the year? Lovell has an answer: “I put everything in beautiful bowls,” she says. “One big wooden bowl might hold all of my holiday cards, another crystal bowl will overflow with antique toy ornaments and a few pre-cious glass balls. Bowls filled with all kinds of goodies are a wonderful thing. When it looks like you’ve decorated with care and without resorting to pre-made, manufactured things, you have instant elegance,” Lovell says.

SPLURGE ON SOMETHING SPECIALDon’t have the right statement bowl?

Consider it as this season’s one splurge. Or, think about a bold rug to mix new color and texture with wintertime décor, Guild says. For Lovell, lavish fabric ribbons and fine glossy wrapping paper are worth the extra dollars. And Hampton recommends indulging in luxe food and drinks and using them as decorating elements. Sparkling pink champagne and glittering ebony caviar, anyone?

(c) CTW Features

Continued from page 35

Drama Queen

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For old-fashioned family fun, nothing beats a board game. Some old school classics have upped their game. New editions use text messaging, electronic components instead of cards, and rules that reward speed and efficiency. Here’s a look at the new generation.

— Danielle Cadet

1. Monopoly: Revolution Edition (Hasbro, $34.99)

Celebrating 75 years of min-iature capitalism, Monopoly still rules. This contemporary version features a round game board, updated “here and now” pricing and a unit that plays sound effects and acts as an electronic banker.

2. Clue: Secrets & Spies (Parker Brothers, $24.99)

The timeless game of mur-der and mayhem now includes a new optional text-messaging

feature. Use an ultraviolet secret decoder to assist agents Plum, Scarlet, Mustard and others with their international crime-solving adventure.

3. Scrabble Slam (Hasbro, $29.99)

Arranging wood letter chips to make words is so last cen-tury. This version of Scrabble puts a premium on speedy, serious word building. Players must think and act fast.

4. Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It Edition (Hasbro, $29.99)

In this version, participants field questions in a variety of styles with 1,800 fresh ques-tions that include images and multiple-choice options. Play-ers don’t have to know all the answers to win; they also can bet chips on whether oppo-nents know the answer.

5. The Game of Life: 50th Anniversary Edition (Hasbro, $17.99

Entertaining families for 50 years, Life continues to present the milestones and mundane everyday tasks we experience in a lifetime. This commemo-rative edition includes golden accents and Life coins that spark conversation.

6. Operation Silly Skill Game (Milton Bradley, $16.99)

Although it still requires a top doc to save the day, Operation boasts a revamped board that makes crazy new sounds like chimes, burps and barks. Press Cavity Sam’s nose to find out if a procedure was a success, and then listen up as the game dictates the next direction.

7. Sorry! Spin (Hasbro, $24.99)

Game night will never be the same as participants seek sweet revenge with a turn of the Sorry! Wheel on a new ro-tating board. Getting “home” is more unpredictable than ever, making it anybody’s game to the bitter end.

8. Cranium Scribblish (Has-bro, $19.99)

A hilarious new take on the classic “telephone” game, this edition of Cranium requires players to create scribbles and sketches and pass them on. You are sure to enjoy the final product when the last player reads the ac-cumulated story out loud.

9. U-Build Battleship (Has-bro, $19.99)

Customization is key in this revolutionary new line of brick-based games. Par-ticipants build fleets of battle-ships, aircraft carriers, de-stroyers and submarines and must work to keep their ships safe and blow their opponent’s ships out of the water.

10. Candyland: The World of Sweets Game (Hasbro, $9.99)

This classic looks much the same as it did back in the day, and continues to introduce lit-tle ones to board games via the magical world of tasty treats. Colored cards and fanciful illustrations direct players as they journey to the castle.

(c) CTW Features

Take 10: Game Upgrades

Board Meeting

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Holiday Open HouseFriday through SundayNovember 26, 27 & 28

3 days of festive fun!Bring the sights and smells of the holiday season alive!

Find the perfect tree for your home!Freshly Cut Trees Starting at $15.00

Douglas Fir ● Black Hills Spruce ● Fraser ● Concolor Fir ● Balsam Fir ● Scotch PineSelection of Taller Trees and

Potted Spruce Tabletop Trees Available

Cookies & popcorn will make your visit complete and rememberto drop your name in our annual holiday drawing for gifts!

Roy Kutchey Christmas Fun in December:

Florist Quality PoinsettiasStarting at $4.50

Fresh ArrangementsStarting at $12.99

Evergreen WreathsStarting at $8.99

Evergreen Garland50 Ft. Rolls

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Deck your halls with the real deal

Sat., Dec. 44p.m. – 6p.m.

Create Your Own Centerpiece

Sun., Dec. 510am.-5p.m.

GirlsDay Out

Sat., Dec. 11Sun., Dec. 12

KidsWeekend

Sat., Dec. 18Sun., Dec. 19

Last ChanceWeekend

holiday gift guide

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