Title: Holiday Tips
Description:
(1) Candles–Stop candles from dripping by soaking them in a very salty solution for a few hours. Dry them thoroughly, then light your drip-free candles.
(2) Candles–To keep dripping wax from running all over your candlesticks, refrigerate or freeze candles for several hours before lighting them, they will also burn longer.
(3) Miniature Village–To create a winter landscape for your miniature village, buy quilt batting. Cut it to fit your display area, then arrange your village on this fresh layer of “snow”.
You can also add a small mirror in the snow to create a pond.
(4) Make your own Christmas tree snow–
    2/3 cup liquid starch
    2 cups soap flakes
    2 to 4 tablespoons water
    blue food coloring
Mix together the liquid starch & soap flakes in a bowl. Add the water & beat with a rotary egg beater until mixture becomes thick & stiff. Add the food coloring a drop at a time, while beating, until the snow becomes an icy-white color. Paint this on your Christmas tree branches. For a sparkling touch, sprinkle some glitter on the “snow” while it’s still wet.
(5) Bows–If you buy or recycle bows that are a little squashed, A hand-held hair dryer set on high heat can perk them up and make them useable again.
(6) Wrapping Paper–Tired of trying to keep wrapping paper stored neatly. Are the ends always unrolling? Take an empty wrapping paper tube & slit it lengthwise. Slide it on top of a new roll, leaving the edge of paper hanging slightly through the slit. Not only will your paper stay neatly rolled, it will make wrapping your next gift a snap.
(7) Pies–Make your pies shine. Beat an egg white & brush it over the crust before baking, & your pie will shine like a star.
(8) Eggs–If your eggs crack during boiling, add a splash of vinegar to the water to seal the crack & save the egg. To prevent them from cracking add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to your water before you boil, will also make the eggs peel more easily.
(9) Sugar–Has your bag of brown sugar turned into an unusable mound of rock candy?Place a slice of apple in the bag & reseal it. In no time,your sugar will be soft.

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.  ~ Burton Hillis