Gifts for her
- Mystic Rose cosmetic case- £12 from Paperchase
- Personalised Lyrics Cushion Cover by Vintage Designs Reborn- £29.50 by www.notonthehighstreet.com
- Almond Supple Skin Oil by L'Occitane: £34 from Marks and Spencer
- Splice Kilim Blanket Scarf- £25 from Accessorize
- One Line A Day Five Year Memory Book- £13 from www.thegreatgiftcompany.co.uk
Gifts for him
- Hammond & Co. Grey tartan check scarf by Patrick Grant- £30 from Debenhams
- Gilded Monogram Glass- £14 from www.anthropologie.com
- Leather cashmere lined gloves- £50 from John Lewis
- 3D Star Wars Episode Vii coasters, set of 8- £9.99 from www.gettingpersonal.co.uk
- Veerappan Moustache Wax- £10 from Lush
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Be charitable but also be safe, says UK government
Christmas is a time of giving. Witnessing human suffering due to natural disasters, diseases and years and years of war, who would not like Christmas to be a season of joy for all? The Charity Commission however warns about fraudsters who are likely to swindle money from good-hearted samaritans, especially the youth who tend not to make checks before donating. A survey found that 85% people donate directly at Christmas and only 39% of donors ask collectors for ID and question them about the charity.
Some of the highlights include checking for the charity's name and registration number. Their record can be verified at www.gov.uk/charity-commission. If charity's fail checks, donors are requested to report action fraud 03001232040 and The Charity Commission.
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Milk and cookies anyone?
Ingredients
200 g/7 oz self raising flour
100 g/3 1/2 oz caster sugar
100 g/3 1/2 oz buter, plus extra greasing
1 large free-range egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the decorations
white and blue fondant icing
white and black writing icing
sprinkles
48 small chocolate balls
How to prepare
- Pre-heat oven 180C/350F/Gas 4
- Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl, rubbing in the butter with your fingertips to make the mixture resemble fine breadcrumbs
- Make a soft dough by mixing the egg and vanilla essence with the mixture
- Flour the work surface, then roll out the mixture and cut into rounds. Place these on well-greased baking sheets and bake for 10-12 mins or until golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack and start decorating only when completely dry
- Roll out the white fondant icing, cut into circles as big as the biscuits, brush back of the circles with cooled boiled water and stick them to the biscuits. Smoothen the icing while sticking on it.
- Now roll out the blue icing and cut into circles, halve them and similarly stick on top of the white icing using water to resemble hats.
- Brush places on the hats with water for the sprinkle to stick, then sprinkle
- Decorate the hat by piping with white writing icing. Pipe a small blob on the top and another for the nose, then stick on the chocolate balls. Also pipe black eyes and mouth. Leave to set.
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Christmas Quiz
Test your Christmas knowledge with this fun quiz
1. Baby Jesus received the gift of gold from which one of the wise men?
2. Which potential leader banned Christmas in England between 1647-60?
3. Which ornament do elves have at the tip of their shoes?
4. When was the last White Christmas in Britain according to the UK Meteorological Office?
5. Which was the first state in the US to recognise Christmas as an official holiday?
6. Marsh-whorts is he principal ingredient in which Christmas dish?
7. In which ocean is Christmas Island located?
8. It is 'always winter but never Christmas' in which author's novel?
9. The plant 'viscum' is also popularly known as?
10. Snowball is which animal from George Orwell's book Animal Farm?
Answers
1. Melchior, 2. Oliver Cromwell, 3. Bells, 4. 2010, 5. Alabama, 6. Cranberry sauce, 7. Indian Ocean, 8. T S Eliot, 9. Mistletoe, 10. Pig
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Have fun with Christmas App
* PNP- Portable North Pole 2015 (FREE): This app allows you to create personalised Santa calls and videos to your child. Upto 18 different items from photos, their most wanted gift, their best friend's names or hobbies can go into this personalised message from Santa.
* Google Santa Tracker (FREE): It allows you to get a sneak peak into Santa's village where you can help prepare for D-day with the elves, check for weather conditions with Rudolph, learn about Christmas traditions and take a joyful skydive with the merry ol' Santa.
* Elf Yourself (FREE): With this neat app, you can transform yourself into an elf and wish everybody a merry Christmas. Just upload five photos of yourself, your family and friends, select a dance theme. The app creates a video superimposing your photos onto dancing elves.
* Christmas music (FREE): From peppy old ti,e favourite Jingle Bells to a modern Christmas lights, the app is here to cheer people with varied music tastes.
* Santa games and Puzzles (FREE): Snow kingdom never looked so pretty. A fun game with some lovely holiday music to give you respite from work.
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What to do this Christmas
- Ice Skating at Natural History Museum
- Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park
- Carolling at Kensington palace
- Stellar Christmas lights in London
- Wintry walk to refresh you
- Brighton's 'burning of the clocks' festival
- Magical Dinner at the Great Hall
- Mulled wine and more at Christmas Markets
