Survive the Holidays
Feeling overwhelmed just thinking about the merry fun that this holiday season will bring? Well, don’t, because on the following pages, you’ll find everything you need to make it through. In fact, you might even find yourself looking forward to doing it all over again next year. Maybe.
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 Picture Them Perfect
Here’s how to make preserving all your holiday memories (like Grandma tossing back one too many cups of eggnog) a snap this merry season. — Angela Chang
Tools of the Trade
Top cameras for any situation.
Canon PowerShot SD1000, $300
Best for: Basic point-and-shoot
Face-detection technology ensures that your pictures are sharp — and that your loved ones are in focus.
Fujifilm FinePix F30, $400
Best for: Low-light shots
The F30’s high sensitivity guarantees that all your pictures will turn out, even when taken in the dark.
Nikon D80, $1,000 (body only)
Best for: Action shots
It averages 2.4 shots per second in burst mode.
Olympus Stylus 770 SW, $380
Best for: Durability
Drench it, drop it, freeze it — the 770 SW can withstand a beating.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3, $350
Best for: Landscape shots
Its superzoom wide-angle lens lets you capture more of that gorgeous scenery.
Share and Share Alike
Five great sites for organizing and sharing photos with friends and family.
DotPhoto, www.dotphoto.com
It boasts great extras and an easy-to-use interface for managing photos.
Plus: Audio and video capabilities
Flickr, www.flickr.com
One of the most popular sites out there, Flickr offers fantastic organizational tools and interactive commenting.
Plus: A mapping feature
Phanfare, www.phanfare.com
Upload unlimited photos and video; perfect your pictures with the handy editing program.
Plus: Hassle-free photo viewing for friends
Shutterfly, www.shutterfly.com
It’s all about the prints, which you can personalize with messages and borders.
Plus: Free unlimited storage
Snapfish, www.snapfish.com
Uploading photos from your digital camera, phone, and even film is, well, a snap.
Plus: Cheap prints through various retailers
Framing 101
Once you’ve printed your pics, what do you do with them? Display them, of course!
Digital Photo Display, $250
This frame stores up to 150 pictures in its built-in memory and displays them in a slideshow format. www.store.philips.com
Brookstone Digital Photo Wallet, $59
This digital photo viewer fits snugly in Brookstone’s leather wallet and can store more than 50 pictures. www.brookstone.com
Custom Wallpaper from Design Your Wall, $6.50 per square foot
Never want to part with that Hawaiian beach? Use your vacation photos to customize wallpaper, and it’ll feel like you never left. www.designyourwall.com
Photo Lamp from Light Affection, $79 for 4" by 4"
Some pictures just glow — really. Turn your favorite photo into an illuminated display. www.lightaffection.com
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 (Don’t) Shop Till You Drop
Instead, save time, money, and your sanity with these tips and know-hows. (We’re even giving you our five favorite online sites for finding truly awesome gifts. And we never share those.) — Tracy Staton
Inside Information
Best practices for efficient, effective holiday shopping
1. Compare prices online before you hit the stores. Hoofing it from one end of the mall to the other to check price tags just wastes time. Plus, this way, you’ll know a good deal when you see it. 2. Shop after 6 p.m. the day before an advertised sale, when discounts are often in the store’s computer system already. 3. Before you whip out your wallet, ask about any unadvertised discounts or preferred-customer coupons. You might score the same price breaks given to members of the store’s loyalty program. 4. Beat the crowds by shopping extended hours (e.g., before 10 a.m. and after 9 p.m.). 5. When an online shopping site asks for a promotion code, leave your cart and open a new window to check coupon sites like CouponHut.com, Savester.com, FatWallet.com, and others of their ilk. 6. When possible, buy online and pick up at the store in order to avoid the hassle of crowded aisles or waiting for the FedEx guy. Nice. 7. Let the charity at the mall wrap your presents. Good deed + time saved = holiday cheer.
Have Some Last-Minute Shopping?
These are the drop-dead dates by which you can order your gift and still have it arrive by December 25.
A+R Store (aplusrstore.com): December 17, standard ground shipping; December 21, expedited • HometownFavorites.com: December 20 • JCrew.com: 9 p.m., December 9 for monogrammed gifts; 9 p.m., December 19, standard; noon, December 21, overnight • LLBean.com: Noon, December 21, free ground; noon, December 22, express • REI.com: December 19 for standard, with free upgrade if necessary; December 20, overnight • Sears.com: 11:59 p.m., December 18, ground; December 20, second day; December 21, next day • ThinkGeek.com: December 14, ground shipping; December 21, express shipping • UncommonGoods.com: December 19, ground; December 21, overnight • Vivre.com: December 17, ground; December 20, second day; December 21, overnight • Walmart.com: December 20
Sites to See
For gifts unique and different, go off the beaten path to these online specialty shops.
> UncommonGoods.com. It’s a treasure trove of witty objects you never knew you wanted but now have to have, like a shag-carpet yoga mat ($90), a bracelet of vintage typewriter keys ($90), and Phillips-head cuff links ($80).
> ThinkGeek.com. Think toy weapons for cubicle wars at the office, caffeine in various delivery systems, and gadgets both useful (Medusa Hub, $80, a mix of USB and FireWire ports) and irritating (Annoy-a-tron, a tiny doohickey that beeps at random — great for hiding in your mother-in-law’s bedroom, $10).
> HometownFavorites.com. Offers candy classics from the 1950s to the ’90s, available by the package or in themed gift buckets (Cinema Snacks, with theater sweets, $35; Baseball Batter Up Basket, with baseball-centric treats, $76).
> Vivre.com. A varied assortment of high-end gifts like Christofle silver frames and baby rattles, Steiff teddy bears, and Ajune Selections skin-care products — something for the whole family.
> A + R Store. It’s all design, all the time. Hand-formed wine glasses that look like Dixie cups on stems ($46), for instance, or a wooden incense burner shaped like a tiny house — the smoke comes out the chimney ($35). www.aplusrstore.com
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 Now, Wrap It Up
Oh, what an aching head you get when you think of all those gifts hidden in the closet that have yet to be wrapped. And, to make matters worse, after all the care you took in choosing them, who wants to use run-of-the-mill paper from the corner drugstore for the job? So, we turned to senior home editor Rebecca Robertson, one of the make-it-dazzle geniuses at Martha Stewart’s latest magazine, Blueprint (www.marthastewart.com/blueprint), for tips and ideas on creative gift wrapping that will have you clear headed and, dare we even say it — excited — about the task at hand. — Jenna Schnuer
 Unique Wrappings
START YOUR GIFT from the outside in. Place pretty stationery, recipe cards, or a beautiful bauble inside a brightly colored linen box or a mini file drawer that your lucky giftee can use throughout the year to organize desk accessories, kitchen clutter, or jewelry. Finish by adding an elegant ribbon or waxed twine (www.marthastewartcrafts.com).
PERSONALIZE PLAIN PAPER with a this-is-who-it’s-for photo of the gift recipient. It makes sorting out the pile of packages that the oh-so-generous you left under the tree easy and fun for your family.
Playful Tags
WHY SHOULD THE post office have all the fun? Doll up vibrant shipping tags — in colors ranging from bright red to hot pink to fluorescent blue — from Staples with white ink (for an elegant touch) and a ribbon. A thousand tags for $40, www.staples.com.
PREFER A PRETTY PATTERN? Martha Stewart Crafts features tags with a floral burst. Eight tags for $2, www.marthastewartcrafts.com.
DROP A HINT as to what’s inside your package with a gift tag that offers a clue. For example: As the perfect finish for a gift box loaded with rice bowls or other tabletop items, write your recipient’s name on a pair of disposable chopsticks.
FOR A KITSCHY touch, consider an ever-so-friendly Hello My Name Is sticker. They’re quick to stick and kind on the wallet. Pack of 100 for $4, www.officedepot.com.
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 Celebrate with a Party
Banish boring holiday get-togethers by throwing a fete of your own. Personally, we like out-of-house parties the best — less hassle and no cleaning. You get the picture. So, whether you’re hosting a group large or small, here’s a slew of restaurants with halls worth decking. Fa la la, baby, fa la la. — J.S.
New York City
> Strip House: With its sexy red rooms and decadent menu — crisp goose-fat potatoes and steak, steak, steak — Strip House offers up the perfect recipe for a little holiday love. Main dining room seats 100 people. 13 East 12th Street, (212) 328-0000, www.striphouse.net
> Spice Market: Top chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten puts his own twist on street food from around Asia. Private alcove room holds up to 22; restaurant accommodates 350. 403 West 13th Street, (212) 675-2322, www.jean-georges.com
Chicago
> Pops for Champagne: Perhaps people who say they don’t like Champagne just haven’t found the right one. With the more than 125 Champagnes and sparkling wines on offer at Pops, now they can. Champagne bar holds 150, Jazz Club seats 60 to 65. 601 North State Street, (312) 266-7677, www.popsforchampagne.com
> Beat Kitchen: There’s something slightly “college party in the basement” about Beat Kitchen’s private room. The food (and the music) simply rocks. Private-party room holds up to 75. 2100 West Belmont, (773) 281-4444, www.beatkitchen.com
Los Angeles
> Cafe del Rey: From this restaurant’s dockside location, you can gaze out over the water and have a bite of whatever fish were brought in that day. Seats up to 250; for cocktail parties, capacity is 400. 4451 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey; (310) 823-6395; www.cafedelreymarina.com
> Royale: Old Hollywood gets a dose of the ultramodern at this swank restaurant inside the Wilshire Royale Hotel. Multiple spaces in the restaurant make it ideal for parties of 35 to 400. 2619 Wilshire Boulevard, (213) 985-0676, www.royaleonwilshire.com
Washington, D.C.
> Brasserie Beck: A brasserie menu that offers plenty of delectable dishes for pairing with the more than 100 Belgian beers available. Private room seats 60 (or accommodates 100 standing). 1101 K Street NW, (202) 408-1717, www.beckdc.com
> 1789 Restaurant: It’s like dining at home, if your home is a Federal-period house with a stellar chef at work in the kitchen. Three private rooms can accommodate 18 to 120. 1226 36th Street NW, (202) 965-1789, www.1789restaurant.com
Houston
> Irma’s Restaurant: You’re so lucky — this legendary institution is closed for dinner, so it’s ready and waiting for your party every night of the week. Let the margaritas flow, and bring on the fajitas. Accommodates up to 150. 22 North Chenevert Street, (713) 222-0767
> Mark’s American Cuisine: Your guests will want to get to the church on time, since that’s where the party is. This former church (built in 1920) is a striking setting and makes a fine match for the culinary talents of chef Mark Cox. Three private rooms seat up to 40. 1658 Westheimer Road, (713) 523-3800, www.marks1658.com
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 Oh No! You Forgot Mom!
Or Uncle Bob and Aunt Sally. Or (horror of horrors) your sweetie. Relax, here are 10 respectable gifts you can buy at the 11th hour at any 24-hour drugstore.
Remember that episode of Friends in which the procrastinating Joey and Chandler are forced to buy their Christmas gifts at a gas station? They give Rachel wiper blades. When she protests, “I don’t even have a car,” Joey offers her a bottle of spray deodorizer and the explanation, “No, but with this new-car smell, you’ll think you do.” ¶ That’s not good enough, Joey. When you’re shopping beyond the last minute, it’s the thought that really counts, because the thought is all that’s covering up for your lame gift. And don’t bother with the gas station. When all else fails (and all else is closed), the place to shop is CVS or some other 24-hour drug store, where the selection is, well, less lame. Here’s what to buy and how to explain it. — Joseph Guinto
| The Gift | The Thought
| | HoMedics Body Basics ParaSpa Plus Paraffin Bath | This hot-wax treatment is actually legitimate — and the ultimate grandma gift. It gives you softer skin, soothes joint pain, and makes candles. Okay, maybe it doesn’t make candles. | | Edge Memory Digital Picture Frame or Walgreens frame in convex silver | Frame that terrible photo of you and your spouse having dinner with the in-laws, and it will become terribly sentimental.
| CVS One-Time-Use Video Camcorder
| Say that you can use the 20 minutes of e-mailable, DVD-recordable video to make a high-tech holiday card together for next year. That’s so sweet! | | Half a dozen bath products with cool names like Canus Goat’s Milk Moisturizing Body Wash and Yardley Soap with aloe and cucumber. Plus loofahs, callus stones, pedicure blocks, and more. | Remove the packaging from the sponges and stones, and unwrap the soaps. Rewrap each in ribbon (available near the greeting cards). Put everything in a gift bag. Bam. Instant women’s bath-and-body package. Take that, Martha Stewart.
| | Conair Body Benefits TherapyPro Shiatsu Roller Massager | “Honey, it’ll be like a trip to the spa — only I’ll be the masseur, and the smell of the dirty laundry will be aromatherapy.”
| | Tweezerman Deluxe Men’s Grooming Kit, Neutrogena Men Skin Clearing Face Wash, Hugo by Hugo Boss Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, a Sports Illustrated, a Maxim, and a gift bag | These gifts — especially the magazines — will make it clear to your guy that this is a bath package for him. And that his eyebrows need tweezing. | Oxo SoftWorks 6-Piece Barware Set
| Wrap this up along with a bottle of wine, booze, or beer, and pledge to cohost a party with the recipient. Then steal back your alcohol at the party. | | Philips Cell Phone Multi Charger | Get online, scout trips, and print out possibilities. Scribble “Let’s go somewhere!” on the pages, and package them with the charger, which can juice a phone from a car outlet, a USB port, or a wall outlet. That’s almost a real gift.
| | Philips Senseo Coffee Pod System | Speaking of legit gifts, this one-cup, no-mess coffeemaker will make a lot of people happy. Just say you bought it at Williams-Sonoma. | | John Paul Pet Waterless Foam Shampoo for Dogs | Promise to wash the dog for the next few months. Yes, that’s a lot of work, but, hey, you’re the one buying presents at the drugstore. |
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 Give a Merry Toast
Congratulations! With the help of our handy guide, you have successfully (and painlessly) survived the holidays. Now reward yourself with a drink. Or two. Or four. — Becca Hensley
For Late-Night Gift Wrapping with Friends
Poire Vanilla Café
(courtesy of Grey Goose Vodka)
24 ounces freshly brewed coffee
4 parts Grey Goose La Poire
4 parts Galliano
4 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup whipped cream, divided
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
Stir together the coffee, Grey Goose La Poire, Galliano, and brown sugar. Divide the coffee mixture among 4 mugs. Top with whipped cream, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder over each mug, and serve.
For Festive Fetes and Santa Soirees
Pumpkin Nog
(courtesy of 10 Cane Rum and created by mixologist Tony Abou-Gamin)
12 eggs
1/2 pound superfine sugar
5 cups whole milk
750-milliliter bottle 10 Cane Rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
For garnish: freshly grated nutmeg and whipped cream
Separate eggs. Place egg whites in the refrigerator. In a mixing bowl, beat yolks until creamy. Gradually add 1/4 pound of sugar, beating at high speed until thick. Stir in milk, 10 Cane rum, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin puree. Chill for at least two hours. Remove egg whites from the refrigerator and beat until soft peaks form. Add remaining sugar to egg whites, beating into stiff peaks. Fold the chilled 10 Cane mixture into egg whites. Serve in martini glasses. Garnish with nutmeg and a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 15.
For Gala Gatherings and Holiday Hullabaloos
Oatmeal Cookie Martini
(courtesy of the Opal Ultra Lounge, Montbleu Resort Casino & Spa, Lake Tahoe)
1 part Goldschläger
1 part Jägermeister
1 part butterscotch schnapps
1 part Baileys
Shake and strain. Then garnish with two raisins, placing them at the bottom of the martini glass.
 For You and the Kids
Silverleaf Spiced Cider
(courtesy of 70 Park Avenue Hotel, New York City)
1 gallon unfiltered apple cider
1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger
2 to 21/2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 smashed cardamom
2 cups sliced apples
orange zest
Bring all ingredients except apples and orange zest to a boil in a large pot. Cover and remove from heat, and let steep for at least 30 minutes. Add sliced apples to the pot. Heat to desired temperature and serve in mugs; garnish with orange zest. Yields approximately 16 one-cup servings.
For the Morning After
Plymouth Breakfast Martini
(courtesy of Plymouth English Gin)
Breakfast in a glass: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add
2 ounces Plymouth English Gin and 1 to 2 teaspoons fine-cut marmalade. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a crisp toast point.
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