Advertising Supplement November 16, 2014 Muskogee Phoenix

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Page 8 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Holiday Gift Guide Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 — Page 7Muskogee PhoenixPage 2 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Metro Creative

Chanukah, Christmasand New Year’s Eve areright around the corner.That means neighbor-hoods, buildings and storeswill soon be awash in holi-day splendor. Social sched-ules will be full. Men andwomen everywhere willshuffle to complete theirholiday shopping.

Grab bags are a staple ofthis season of giving. Thefollowing are a few do’s anddon’ts to ensure participa-tion in gift exchanges is funand friendly for allinvolved.

DO set a gift amountlimit. Holiday grab bagsare more about having fun

and exchanging a littlesomething with friends andfamily members than walk-ing away with amazingprizes. Establish a spend-ing limit so everyonereceives a gift of roughlythe same value and no onefeels slighted or left out.

DON’T exceed thespending limit. It can betempting to spend more tomake your gift appearmore impressive. But over-spending defeats the pur-pose of the gift exchange.Grab bags typically areanonymous, so being overlygenerous will not win youany style points.

DO make it a game.Tossing gifts in a bag onlyto have others reach in andgrab one is certainly effec-tive. But the concept can beeven more fun if you makea game out of it. Try pass-ing wrapped gifts aroundin a circle to a holiday song.When the music stops, the

gift you are holding is theone you open. Experimentwith variations to makegift exchanges more fun.

DON’T let anyone seethe gift you bring. The ideais to keep things as secre-tive as possible so as not tosway the selection of pres-ents.

DO ensure your gift isunisex. Unless you knowspecifically that only menor women will be openingthe presents, select itemsthat will appeal to bothgenders. Food, gift cards,music, or home staplesmake great grab bag gifts.

DON’T forget to considerages as well. Giftexchanges may includeboth children and adults, soinclude gifts that appeal toall ages when necessary.When the exchange hasended, allow participantsto swap gifts if they want

Some do’s anddon’ts forgrab bag

gift exchanges

Metro Creative

The holiday season is rifewith tradition, fromChristmas trees to lightingdisplays to visits with SantaClaus at the local mall.Families reunite come the hol-iday season to exchange gifts,enjoy meals together and do alittle catching up along theway.

But the holiday season alsois synonymous with parties.Whether it’s to enjoy an officeholiday party, a gathering withfamily and friends or a moreintimate gathering at home,such celebrations are a bigpart of the holiday season anda main reason why this is sucha festive and beloved time of

year.As this is a season of cele-

brating, it’s good to rememberthat no holiday party is trulycomplete until eggnog hasbeen served. Enjoyed almostexclusively during the holidayseason, eggnog is as much astaple of holiday celebrationsas stockings hung by the chim-ney with care. This year,impress your holiday guestswith the following recipe for“Excellent Eggnog” from A.J.Rathbun’s “Good Spirits”(Harvard Common Press).

EXCELLENT EGGNOGServes 88 large eggs, preferably

organic2 1/4 cups superfine sugar8 ounces brandy8 ounces rum4 ounces bourbon1 quart milkFreshly grated nutmeg for

garnish

1. Separate the egg yolksfrom the egg whites, settingthe whites aside for a moment.

2. In a large mixing bowl,beat the yolks with a handmixer until completely com-bined. Add the sugar and beatuntil it reaches a creamy con-sistency.

3. Add the brandy, rum andbourbon, and then the milk,beating well.

4. In a medium-size mixingbowl, beat the egg whites witha hand mixer until soft peaksform (be sure before beatingthe whites that you havecleaned and thoroughly driedthe beaters).

5. Fold the egg whites intothe yolk-sugar-alcohol mix-ture. Refrigerate the mix untilwell chilled (at least 3 hours).

6. Stir to recombine as need-ed. Serve the eggnog in mugs,topping each serving withsome nutmeg.

No holiday celebration complete without eggnog

Metro Creative

Topping mugsfilled of eggnogwith a sprinkleof nutmeg toimpress yourholiday partyguests

Traditional drink astaple at holiday

parties

Metro Creative

Gift exchanges in the form of grab bags, auctions, swaps, and other gamesmake for fun additions to holiday festivities. They also can be a part of any fam-ily or friends gathering to add excitement and entertainment to the occasion.

Friendly fun for everyone

Try something new for toast

Metro Creative

New Year’s Eve is a fes-tive occasion, full of lavishparties or more intimategatherings at home wherefood and drink are impor-tant components of the cel-ebration. Many peopletoast the new year with aglass of champagne, butthose who would like tobuck tradition can raise aglass of any cocktail,including martinis.

Though martinis havemany incarnations, tradi-tional martinis are madewith gin and vermouthand garnished with anolive or lemon twist.

Gin is an astringent-

tasting liquor made fromthe juniper berry.Vermouth is a sweet winethat is added to counteractthe tartness of the gin. Drymartinis are those thatuse a minimal amount ofvermouth.

Because martinis can bean acquired taste, mixolo-gists have breathed lifeinto newer, flavored marti-nis that use vodka as abase instead of gin. Theseflavored cocktails have lit-tle to do with the tradition-al martinis but are servedin martini glasses andhave become quite popu-lar.

Serving a nontraditionalmartini at a party is quiteeasy to do. Hosts can cre-ate a signature flavor to goalong with the theme ofthe event. This way onlyone selection of ingredi-

ents is needed, rather thanassembling spirits for amultitude of different mar-tini recipes.

Many different martinirecipes are available; hostsmay find it difficult to set-tle on one. Here are threerecipes that could fit inwith a winter or NewYear’s Eve theme.

POMEGRANATEMARTINI

1 ounce citrus vodka1/2 ounce orange liqueur3 ounces pomegranate

juiceWHITE CHOCOLATE

MARTINI2 ounces vanilla vodka1 ounce White Creme de

Cocoa1 ounce white chocolate

liqueur, like Godiva1 White chocolate barPour ingredients into a

shaker and shake thor-

oughly. Strain into achilled martini glass.Garnish with white choco-late shavings on top.

CHOPPED ICE1/4 teaspoon lemon juiceLemon slice for garnishCombine all ingredients

in a cocktail shaker. Addice so that the shaker isabout one-third full. Shakefor several seconds andstrain into a cocktail glass.Garnish with the lemonslice.

SPICED CAKEMARTINI

2 ounces hazelnut flavorliqueur, like Baileys

1/2 ounce cake flavoredvodka

Sprinkle of nutmeg pow-der

Shake all ingredientstogether and strain into amartini glass. Sprinklewith nutmeg and serve.

Metro Creative

Buck tradition by raising a martini glass to ring in thenew year.

Exchange martinifor midnight glass

of champagne

(See GIFTS, Page 7)

to.DO expect some grab

bag gifts to be gag gifts.Such gifts are entertainingand may make up themajority of the grab baggifts. Keep your sense ofhumor and you’re likely toenjoy grab bags a lot more.

DON’T regift items touse as grab bag picks.Should the person whogave you the gift partici-pate in the grab bag, he orshe can trace that gift backto you and may be offend-ed.

DO make sure everyoneis aware that there will bea grab bag gift exchange, asthere needs to be an equalnumber of gifts to partici-pants so everyone gets atreat. Hosts may want tohave a few extra wrappedgifts around just in casesomeone forgets to bringtheir contribution.

Grab bagsContinued from Page 2

Holiday Gift Guide Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 — Page 3Muskogee PhoenixPage 6 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Shopping local benefits your community Holiday season doesn’t always have to be hecticMetro Creative

Shopping is a big part ofthe holiday season, whenfamilies and friends gatherto reconnect and exchangegifts.

While the popularity ofshopping online has grown,such practices are notalways eco-friendly or time-ly, as gifts bought onlinemust be packaged andshipped, wasting valuableresources and time thatlast-minute shoppers maynot have.

The benefits of shoppinglocally go beyond conven-ience and the chance toreduce your carbon foot-print.

The following are a fewways that shopping locallythis holiday season candirectly benefit your com-munity.

Local economyWhen men and women

shop locally, they are put-ting money back into theirlocal communities.

Local small businessesmay be owned by yourneighbors, and it can becomforting to know thatyour holiday shopping dol-lars are going to support aneighbor instead of a largecorporation.

Local businesses alsoemploy your neighbors, soshopping local canstrengthen the local econo-my by creating jobs thatmay not exist if you andmembers of your communi-ty fail to support localsmall businesses.

Community identityLocal small businesses

go a long way toward creat-ing a neighborhood identi-ty. That identity can createa stronger sense of commu-nity among you and yourneighbors. In addition, aunique community identity

can make your town moreattractive to outsiders, andthat appeal can improvethe value of local realestate while attracting peo-ple to local businesses.

Uniqueness of giftsGifts purchased from

small local businesses tendto be more unique thanitems bought from nationalchains, as smaller retailerstend to sell more home-made items than theirnational competitors.Recipients of such itemsmay find such gifts morethoughtful than mass pro-duced items bought fromnational chains. Theuniqueness of homemadegifts may encourage thegifts’ recipients to visityour community and dosome shopping, furtherbenefitting your local econ-omy.

Customer serviceThe accessibility of cus-

tomer service is anotheroft-overlooked benefit ofshopping locally. Whenbuying from nationalchains, especially duringthe holiday season whensuch businesses may beoverwhelmed with orders,making contact with cus-tomer service departmentscan be a trying exercise inpatience. Long wait timeson the phone or online canmake the process of con-tacting customer serviceextremely frustrating. Butsuch frustration is rarewhen buying from localbusinesses, as consumerscan simply take their prod-ucts into the store, whereemployees can immediate-ly address their concerns.In addition, buying locallymakes it more convenientfor friends and familymembers who also live inyour community to returntheir gifts.

Metro Creative

With so much on ourplates betweenThanksgiving and New

Year’s Day, the holiday sea-son can be hectic.Fortunately, there aremany ways to save timeand make the holiday sea-son more manageable.

• If you don’t have plas-tic clips to hang lightsaround windows and to theeaves of your home, inex-pensive clothespins will

work just as well. If you’reconcerned about the colorof the wooden clips, paintthem holiday hues beforestringing the lights.

• Put a bath mat, rug-side down and rubber-sideup, beneath yourChristmas tree stand. Thisallows you to spin the treeas you hang lights and

ornaments without damag-ing the floor underneath. Italso makes it simple toundress the tree once theseason is over. Use a treeskirt to hide the mat.

• Squeeze artificial treeportions into concrete formtubes. First wrap the treeportions in twine and thenslip them into the concretesleeves. Each tube can bestowed in attic or garagerafters, freeing up preciousspace.

• Use empty squirt bot-tles to make baking andcooking easier. Pancakeand cookie batters can besquirted from the contain-ers for less mess.

• Store one or twostrings of lights in a plasticshopping bag to keep thestrands from getting tan-gled. Hang the bags from ahook in a garage or stackthem in a storage bin.

• Use plastic zip ties toattach garland and lights

to banisters. They’re easyto assemble and will notdamage the banisters.

• A paper towel holdercan be screwed to the wallin a craft room to neatlyhold spools of ribbon.Simply pull the length youneed from the spool and cutfor easy decorating.

• Mount a tree stand to apiece of wood with screwsor glue. This prevents spillsfrom reaching the floorwhile stabilizing the tree.

• Old maps make inter-esting gift wrap and are anice change of pace fromcommercially producedpaper or newsprint.

• Wrap duct tape oranother type of sticky tapearound your hand. Pat overfallen pine needles thataccumulate around thetree. In hard-to-reachareas, wrap the tapearound a broom or a floorsweeper.

• When traveling for the

holidays, use a brightly col-ored suitcase or flashy tapeto make your suitcasestand out from others atthe airport.

• Place hardened brownsugar in a baking dish,cover it with a moist papertowel and either microwaveit on high for 20-secondintervals or place it in a300 F oven for five minutes.This will soften the sugar,making it easier to use thesugar to prepare yourfavorite holiday cookierecipes.

• Save plastic bread ties,which can be used to maketags for the wires on cer-tain devices. Such ties alsocan be used to organizedecorating components andto keep your place on a rollof tape.

• Measure the inside ofyour picture window andconstruct a wooden frameto its dimensions. Stapleholiday lights to the frameand then easily slip theframe in and out of placeeach year.

• Hang a live wreath orsome boughs of evergreenin your home to give it thatfresh pine scent if you havean artificial tree.

• Pack for a holidayexcursion using a collapsi-ble clothing storage hang-er for closets. Fold clotheson each fabric shelf andthen collapse it into yoursuitcase. When you get toyour destination, unfoldand hang it in a closet soall of your clothes will beat the ready.

Make the seasonmore enjoyable

with theseclever tips

Page 5 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift Guide Muskogee PhoenixPage 4 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Gift ideas for the food fanatics on your list

Metro Creative

Some people are a cinchto shop for come the holi-day season, while otherscan be more of an enigma.When it comes to the lat-ter, shoppers should deter-mine what tickles theirmysterious friend or fami-ly member’s fancy, such asa favorite hobby or evensomething to do with hisor her profession.

Food is a passion formany people and providesholiday shoppers with agreat opportunity to makea loved one’s holiday sea-son even more special.Perhaps thanks to theincrease in cable networksfocusing on food, foodies,those people with anappreciation and passionfor cuisine, have grown innumber in recent years,and holiday shoppers withfoodies on their lists havea host of potential giftoptions at their disposal.

• Cooking class: Manyfoodies don’t just like eat-ing food but cooking theirfavorite cuisine as well.For those who like to gettheir hands dirty beforefilling their bellies, consid-er paying for a cookingclass. Many communitieshave cooking classes forvarious types of cuisine, soconsult your friend or fam-ily member, asking themwhich cuisine they’d liketo learn and when they’reavailable. Or let them findtheir own class and thenpay for the class. This canbe a great way for foodiesto learn something newand meet fellow food affi-cionados along the way.

• Specialty spices:Spices can make the dif-ference between an ordi-

nary meal that’s void offlavor and a meal that’s soflavorful it won’t soon beforgotten. When spicingthings up for a foodie thisholiday season, don’t justbuy regular spices at thegrocery store. For exam-ple, instead of standardcinnamon, buy a specialtyspice like Mexican orVietnamese cinnamon.Such specialty spices canadd extra flavor to a mealwhile becoming the go-tospice for the home chefamong your friends and

family members.• Pressure cooker:

Many foodies are fawningover pressure cooking,which can cut down oncooking times without sac-rificing nutrition. Somerecipes may take half thetime to prepare with apressure cooker as theymight with a more tradi-tional cooking method, animportant time saving ele-ment that’s attractive tofoodies who want to enjoytheir favorite foods butfeel pressed for time on

weeknights. And whilepressure cookers employsteam to cook foods quick-ly, that steam also trapsflavor, whereas boiling canwash flavor out.

Many foodies also laudpressure cookers for theirnutritional benefits.Steaming certain foodscan intensify their flavor,which allows cooks to relyless on potentiallyunhealthy additions likesalt or butter to ensure ameal is flavorful.

• Serving dishes: Of

course, many foodies wantto share the fruits of theirlabors with friends andfamily. For the person wholoves throwing dinner par-ties, consider some servingdishes this holiday season.Serving dishes can rangefrom casual (for the foodiewho can’t wait to fire upthe grill) to formal (for thegourmet foodie), so get afeel of your friend or fami-ly member’s preferencesbefore purchasing a set ofserving dishes.

• Cookbook: The ideal

fallback item for holidayshoppers who can’t seemto find anything for theirfavorite foodies, cookbooksfilled with recipes for dish-es from their favorite typeof cuisine (i.e., Italian,Thai, Cajun, etc.) are sureto please. When giftingwith a cookbook, peruse afew of its recipes to deter-mine if there are any spe-cial ingredients thatappear throughout. Ifthere are, purchase theseingredients and gift themas well.

Metro Creative

Gift the foodie on your holiday shopping list with something that encourages their love of cuisine.

Make a lovedone’s holidayseason evenmore special.

GIFTguideA selection of festive favorites sure to bringhappiness to your loved ones’ holidays.

LG curved screen OLED TV, screen is only 1/4”thick from Hamby’s TV & Appliance.

Find unique furniture such as this painted ani-mal print chest, eclectic and affordable, with ahigh end look at Cooper’s Furniture.

Camouflaged spring steel blind, 2-person “dog-house” that’s quick and easy set up and takedown.Perfect for your hunter from Hughes Lumber.

Roasted pecans, and different varieties and fla-vor of peanuts (like hot & spicy or honey roasted)make a great Christmas gift from the Peach Barn.

Everyone will love jewelry from Haley & Loyd,like this white gold necklace with a 1 carat blackdiamond center and 1/2 carat of white diamonds.

Fashionable and versatile eternity scarves in abeautiful array of colors, fabrics and styles includ-ing plaid, fringe and appliqués from Bella Mea’s.

Page 5 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift Guide Muskogee PhoenixPage 4 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Gift ideas for the food fanatics on your list

Metro Creative

Some people are a cinchto shop for come the holi-day season, while otherscan be more of an enigma.When it comes to the lat-ter, shoppers should deter-mine what tickles theirmysterious friend or fami-ly member’s fancy, such asa favorite hobby or evensomething to do with hisor her profession.

Food is a passion formany people and providesholiday shoppers with agreat opportunity to makea loved one’s holiday sea-son even more special.Perhaps thanks to theincrease in cable networksfocusing on food, foodies,those people with anappreciation and passionfor cuisine, have grown innumber in recent years,and holiday shoppers withfoodies on their lists havea host of potential giftoptions at their disposal.

• Cooking class: Manyfoodies don’t just like eat-ing food but cooking theirfavorite cuisine as well.For those who like to gettheir hands dirty beforefilling their bellies, consid-er paying for a cookingclass. Many communitieshave cooking classes forvarious types of cuisine, soconsult your friend or fam-ily member, asking themwhich cuisine they’d liketo learn and when they’reavailable. Or let them findtheir own class and thenpay for the class. This canbe a great way for foodiesto learn something newand meet fellow food affi-cionados along the way.

• Specialty spices:Spices can make the dif-ference between an ordi-

nary meal that’s void offlavor and a meal that’s soflavorful it won’t soon beforgotten. When spicingthings up for a foodie thisholiday season, don’t justbuy regular spices at thegrocery store. For exam-ple, instead of standardcinnamon, buy a specialtyspice like Mexican orVietnamese cinnamon.Such specialty spices canadd extra flavor to a mealwhile becoming the go-tospice for the home chefamong your friends and

family members.• Pressure cooker:

Many foodies are fawningover pressure cooking,which can cut down oncooking times without sac-rificing nutrition. Somerecipes may take half thetime to prepare with apressure cooker as theymight with a more tradi-tional cooking method, animportant time saving ele-ment that’s attractive tofoodies who want to enjoytheir favorite foods butfeel pressed for time on

weeknights. And whilepressure cookers employsteam to cook foods quick-ly, that steam also trapsflavor, whereas boiling canwash flavor out.

Many foodies also laudpressure cookers for theirnutritional benefits.Steaming certain foodscan intensify their flavor,which allows cooks to relyless on potentiallyunhealthy additions likesalt or butter to ensure ameal is flavorful.

• Serving dishes: Of

course, many foodies wantto share the fruits of theirlabors with friends andfamily. For the person wholoves throwing dinner par-ties, consider some servingdishes this holiday season.Serving dishes can rangefrom casual (for the foodiewho can’t wait to fire upthe grill) to formal (for thegourmet foodie), so get afeel of your friend or fami-ly member’s preferencesbefore purchasing a set ofserving dishes.

• Cookbook: The ideal

fallback item for holidayshoppers who can’t seemto find anything for theirfavorite foodies, cookbooksfilled with recipes for dish-es from their favorite typeof cuisine (i.e., Italian,Thai, Cajun, etc.) are sureto please. When giftingwith a cookbook, peruse afew of its recipes to deter-mine if there are any spe-cial ingredients thatappear throughout. Ifthere are, purchase theseingredients and gift themas well.

Metro Creative

Gift the foodie on your holiday shopping list with something that encourages their love of cuisine.

Make a lovedone’s holidayseason evenmore special.

GIFTguideA selection of festive favorites sure to bringhappiness to your loved ones’ holidays.

LG curved screen OLED TV, screen is only 1/4”thick from Hamby’s TV & Appliance.

Find unique furniture such as this painted ani-mal print chest, eclectic and affordable, with ahigh end look at Cooper’s Furniture.

Camouflaged spring steel blind, 2-person “dog-house” that’s quick and easy set up and takedown.Perfect for your hunter from Hughes Lumber.

Roasted pecans, and different varieties and fla-vor of peanuts (like hot & spicy or honey roasted)make a great Christmas gift from the Peach Barn.

Everyone will love jewelry from Haley & Loyd,like this white gold necklace with a 1 carat blackdiamond center and 1/2 carat of white diamonds.

Fashionable and versatile eternity scarves in abeautiful array of colors, fabrics and styles includ-ing plaid, fringe and appliqués from Bella Mea’s.

Holiday Gift Guide Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 — Page 3Muskogee PhoenixPage 6 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Shopping local benefits your community Holiday season doesn’t always have to be hecticMetro Creative

Shopping is a big part ofthe holiday season, whenfamilies and friends gatherto reconnect and exchangegifts.

While the popularity ofshopping online has grown,such practices are notalways eco-friendly or time-ly, as gifts bought onlinemust be packaged andshipped, wasting valuableresources and time thatlast-minute shoppers maynot have.

The benefits of shoppinglocally go beyond conven-ience and the chance toreduce your carbon foot-print.

The following are a fewways that shopping locallythis holiday season candirectly benefit your com-munity.

Local economyWhen men and women

shop locally, they are put-ting money back into theirlocal communities.

Local small businessesmay be owned by yourneighbors, and it can becomforting to know thatyour holiday shopping dol-lars are going to support aneighbor instead of a largecorporation.

Local businesses alsoemploy your neighbors, soshopping local canstrengthen the local econo-my by creating jobs thatmay not exist if you andmembers of your communi-ty fail to support localsmall businesses.

Community identityLocal small businesses

go a long way toward creat-ing a neighborhood identi-ty. That identity can createa stronger sense of commu-nity among you and yourneighbors. In addition, aunique community identity

can make your town moreattractive to outsiders, andthat appeal can improvethe value of local realestate while attracting peo-ple to local businesses.

Uniqueness of giftsGifts purchased from

small local businesses tendto be more unique thanitems bought from nationalchains, as smaller retailerstend to sell more home-made items than theirnational competitors.Recipients of such itemsmay find such gifts morethoughtful than mass pro-duced items bought fromnational chains. Theuniqueness of homemadegifts may encourage thegifts’ recipients to visityour community and dosome shopping, furtherbenefitting your local econ-omy.

Customer serviceThe accessibility of cus-

tomer service is anotheroft-overlooked benefit ofshopping locally. Whenbuying from nationalchains, especially duringthe holiday season whensuch businesses may beoverwhelmed with orders,making contact with cus-tomer service departmentscan be a trying exercise inpatience. Long wait timeson the phone or online canmake the process of con-tacting customer serviceextremely frustrating. Butsuch frustration is rarewhen buying from localbusinesses, as consumerscan simply take their prod-ucts into the store, whereemployees can immediate-ly address their concerns.In addition, buying locallymakes it more convenientfor friends and familymembers who also live inyour community to returntheir gifts.

Metro Creative

With so much on ourplates betweenThanksgiving and New

Year’s Day, the holiday sea-son can be hectic.Fortunately, there aremany ways to save timeand make the holiday sea-son more manageable.

• If you don’t have plas-tic clips to hang lightsaround windows and to theeaves of your home, inex-pensive clothespins will

work just as well. If you’reconcerned about the colorof the wooden clips, paintthem holiday hues beforestringing the lights.

• Put a bath mat, rug-side down and rubber-sideup, beneath yourChristmas tree stand. Thisallows you to spin the treeas you hang lights and

ornaments without damag-ing the floor underneath. Italso makes it simple toundress the tree once theseason is over. Use a treeskirt to hide the mat.

• Squeeze artificial treeportions into concrete formtubes. First wrap the treeportions in twine and thenslip them into the concretesleeves. Each tube can bestowed in attic or garagerafters, freeing up preciousspace.

• Use empty squirt bot-tles to make baking andcooking easier. Pancakeand cookie batters can besquirted from the contain-ers for less mess.

• Store one or twostrings of lights in a plasticshopping bag to keep thestrands from getting tan-gled. Hang the bags from ahook in a garage or stackthem in a storage bin.

• Use plastic zip ties toattach garland and lights

to banisters. They’re easyto assemble and will notdamage the banisters.

• A paper towel holdercan be screwed to the wallin a craft room to neatlyhold spools of ribbon.Simply pull the length youneed from the spool and cutfor easy decorating.

• Mount a tree stand to apiece of wood with screwsor glue. This prevents spillsfrom reaching the floorwhile stabilizing the tree.

• Old maps make inter-esting gift wrap and are anice change of pace fromcommercially producedpaper or newsprint.

• Wrap duct tape oranother type of sticky tapearound your hand. Pat overfallen pine needles thataccumulate around thetree. In hard-to-reachareas, wrap the tapearound a broom or a floorsweeper.

• When traveling for the

holidays, use a brightly col-ored suitcase or flashy tapeto make your suitcasestand out from others atthe airport.

• Place hardened brownsugar in a baking dish,cover it with a moist papertowel and either microwaveit on high for 20-secondintervals or place it in a300 F oven for five minutes.This will soften the sugar,making it easier to use thesugar to prepare yourfavorite holiday cookierecipes.

• Save plastic bread ties,which can be used to maketags for the wires on cer-tain devices. Such ties alsocan be used to organizedecorating components andto keep your place on a rollof tape.

• Measure the inside ofyour picture window andconstruct a wooden frameto its dimensions. Stapleholiday lights to the frameand then easily slip theframe in and out of placeeach year.

• Hang a live wreath orsome boughs of evergreenin your home to give it thatfresh pine scent if you havean artificial tree.

• Pack for a holidayexcursion using a collapsi-ble clothing storage hang-er for closets. Fold clotheson each fabric shelf andthen collapse it into yoursuitcase. When you get toyour destination, unfoldand hang it in a closet soall of your clothes will beat the ready.

Make the seasonmore enjoyable

with theseclever tips

Holiday Gift Guide Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 — Page 7Muskogee PhoenixPage 2 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix

Metro Creative

Chanukah, Christmasand New Year’s Eve areright around the corner.That means neighbor-hoods, buildings and storeswill soon be awash in holi-day splendor. Social sched-ules will be full. Men andwomen everywhere willshuffle to complete theirholiday shopping.

Grab bags are a staple ofthis season of giving. Thefollowing are a few do’s anddon’ts to ensure participa-tion in gift exchanges is funand friendly for allinvolved.

DO set a gift amountlimit. Holiday grab bagsare more about having fun

and exchanging a littlesomething with friends andfamily members than walk-ing away with amazingprizes. Establish a spend-ing limit so everyonereceives a gift of roughlythe same value and no onefeels slighted or left out.

DON’T exceed thespending limit. It can betempting to spend more tomake your gift appearmore impressive. But over-spending defeats the pur-pose of the gift exchange.Grab bags typically areanonymous, so being overlygenerous will not win youany style points.

DO make it a game.Tossing gifts in a bag onlyto have others reach in andgrab one is certainly effec-tive. But the concept can beeven more fun if you makea game out of it. Try pass-ing wrapped gifts aroundin a circle to a holiday song.When the music stops, the

gift you are holding is theone you open. Experimentwith variations to makegift exchanges more fun.

DON’T let anyone seethe gift you bring. The ideais to keep things as secre-tive as possible so as not tosway the selection of pres-ents.

DO ensure your gift isunisex. Unless you knowspecifically that only menor women will be openingthe presents, select itemsthat will appeal to bothgenders. Food, gift cards,music, or home staplesmake great grab bag gifts.

DON’T forget to considerages as well. Giftexchanges may includeboth children and adults, soinclude gifts that appeal toall ages when necessary.When the exchange hasended, allow participantsto swap gifts if they want

Some do’s anddon’ts forgrab bag

gift exchanges

Metro Creative

The holiday season is rifewith tradition, fromChristmas trees to lightingdisplays to visits with SantaClaus at the local mall.Families reunite come the hol-iday season to exchange gifts,enjoy meals together and do alittle catching up along theway.

But the holiday season alsois synonymous with parties.Whether it’s to enjoy an officeholiday party, a gathering withfamily and friends or a moreintimate gathering at home,such celebrations are a bigpart of the holiday season anda main reason why this is sucha festive and beloved time of

year.As this is a season of cele-

brating, it’s good to rememberthat no holiday party is trulycomplete until eggnog hasbeen served. Enjoyed almostexclusively during the holidayseason, eggnog is as much astaple of holiday celebrationsas stockings hung by the chim-ney with care. This year,impress your holiday guestswith the following recipe for“Excellent Eggnog” from A.J.Rathbun’s “Good Spirits”(Harvard Common Press).

EXCELLENT EGGNOGServes 88 large eggs, preferably

organic2 1/4 cups superfine sugar8 ounces brandy8 ounces rum4 ounces bourbon1 quart milkFreshly grated nutmeg for

garnish

1. Separate the egg yolksfrom the egg whites, settingthe whites aside for a moment.

2. In a large mixing bowl,beat the yolks with a handmixer until completely com-bined. Add the sugar and beatuntil it reaches a creamy con-sistency.

3. Add the brandy, rum andbourbon, and then the milk,beating well.

4. In a medium-size mixingbowl, beat the egg whites witha hand mixer until soft peaksform (be sure before beatingthe whites that you havecleaned and thoroughly driedthe beaters).

5. Fold the egg whites intothe yolk-sugar-alcohol mix-ture. Refrigerate the mix untilwell chilled (at least 3 hours).

6. Stir to recombine as need-ed. Serve the eggnog in mugs,topping each serving withsome nutmeg.

No holiday celebration complete without eggnog

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Topping mugsfilled of eggnogwith a sprinkleof nutmeg toimpress yourholiday partyguests

Traditional drink astaple at holiday

parties

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Gift exchanges in the form of grab bags, auctions, swaps, and other gamesmake for fun additions to holiday festivities. They also can be a part of any fam-ily or friends gathering to add excitement and entertainment to the occasion.

Friendly fun for everyone

Try something new for toast

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New Year’s Eve is a fes-tive occasion, full of lavishparties or more intimategatherings at home wherefood and drink are impor-tant components of the cel-ebration. Many peopletoast the new year with aglass of champagne, butthose who would like tobuck tradition can raise aglass of any cocktail,including martinis.

Though martinis havemany incarnations, tradi-tional martinis are madewith gin and vermouthand garnished with anolive or lemon twist.

Gin is an astringent-

tasting liquor made fromthe juniper berry.Vermouth is a sweet winethat is added to counteractthe tartness of the gin. Drymartinis are those thatuse a minimal amount ofvermouth.

Because martinis can bean acquired taste, mixolo-gists have breathed lifeinto newer, flavored marti-nis that use vodka as abase instead of gin. Theseflavored cocktails have lit-tle to do with the tradition-al martinis but are servedin martini glasses andhave become quite popu-lar.

Serving a nontraditionalmartini at a party is quiteeasy to do. Hosts can cre-ate a signature flavor to goalong with the theme ofthe event. This way onlyone selection of ingredi-

ents is needed, rather thanassembling spirits for amultitude of different mar-tini recipes.

Many different martinirecipes are available; hostsmay find it difficult to set-tle on one. Here are threerecipes that could fit inwith a winter or NewYear’s Eve theme.

POMEGRANATEMARTINI

1 ounce citrus vodka1/2 ounce orange liqueur3 ounces pomegranate

juiceWHITE CHOCOLATE

MARTINI2 ounces vanilla vodka1 ounce White Creme de

Cocoa1 ounce white chocolate

liqueur, like Godiva1 White chocolate barPour ingredients into a

shaker and shake thor-

oughly. Strain into achilled martini glass.Garnish with white choco-late shavings on top.

CHOPPED ICE1/4 teaspoon lemon juiceLemon slice for garnishCombine all ingredients

in a cocktail shaker. Addice so that the shaker isabout one-third full. Shakefor several seconds andstrain into a cocktail glass.Garnish with the lemonslice.

SPICED CAKEMARTINI

2 ounces hazelnut flavorliqueur, like Baileys

1/2 ounce cake flavoredvodka

Sprinkle of nutmeg pow-der

Shake all ingredientstogether and strain into amartini glass. Sprinklewith nutmeg and serve.

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Buck tradition by raising a martini glass to ring in thenew year.

Exchange martinifor midnight glass

of champagne

(See GIFTS, Page 7)

to.DO expect some grab

bag gifts to be gag gifts.Such gifts are entertainingand may make up themajority of the grab baggifts. Keep your sense ofhumor and you’re likely toenjoy grab bags a lot more.

DON’T regift items touse as grab bag picks.Should the person whogave you the gift partici-pate in the grab bag, he orshe can trace that gift backto you and may be offend-ed.

DO make sure everyoneis aware that there will bea grab bag gift exchange, asthere needs to be an equalnumber of gifts to partici-pants so everyone gets atreat. Hosts may want tohave a few extra wrappedgifts around just in casesomeone forgets to bringtheir contribution.

Grab bagsContinued from Page 2

Advertising Supplement November 16, 2014 Muskogee Phoenix

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Page 8 — Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 Holiday Gift GuideMuskogee Phoenix