DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   One of my favorite parts of christmas is experimenting with festive holiday cocktails. Christmas parties are always packed with the regular beer and wine, but having a signature cocktail is a little more impressive. This infographic takes you around the world for some the signature christmas cocktails. Everyone seems just delicious to me, but that may mean something about my lifestyle. I would definitely go with a Gingerbread Sacrifice in Paris, Candy Cane Eggnog in New England and a Santa’s Stiff Hot Chocolate up in the North Pole.    These days, Pinterest allows us to find many delicious cocktail recipes at the drop of a hat. Each one is more original and unique than the rest. At a holiday party last week we tried out a holiday sangria, containing two bottles of wine, 5 cans of sprite, orange liquor (as much as you’d like, we put in a bunch), pomegranate seeds and lime slices. It was a huge, refreshing hit. Another christmas classic is a simple mulled wine, with two bott

   This cool diy comes from  /lifeartcollide.blogspot.com  .  Really cool and pretty simple.  These also would make great gifts.  You could also make these for Christmas. Soda Bottle Bell Jars    I wanted to add a set of bell jars to my apothecary this year but was so disappointed with the high prices being charged at various stores.  I really wanted more than just one which made a collection of jars very cost prohibitive. After laying awake one night (doesn't take much to keep me up) I came up with the "poor man's" rendition of a bell jar. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out! By the way a "real" bell jar is a piece of laboratory equipment used for creating air-less vacuums. Usually it is the shape of a bell, and can be manufactured from a variety of materials such as glass, plastic and metal. The Victorians were particularly fond of using bell jars to display their most cherished possessions. If you

      This wonderful recipe comes from  www.bakersroyale.com .  These would make a great item on your Christmas party table!  Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes Make your Starbucks Peppermint Mocha richer, better and in a cupcake form. Yes, I went there and I’m betting you will too. It’s hard to beat a moist chocolate espresso cupcake with chopped bits of Andes Peppermint bits throughout for a bite of coffee and peppermint in one. To top it all is a soft mousse-like Swiss meringue buttercream infused with some peppermint. Then of course I went my usual cupcake carving way and finished it loudly with some chocolate drizzle and more chopped Andes and a peppermint candy on top. Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes Call me crazy, but I absolutely love and aniticipate the annual return of Starbuck’s Peppermint Mocha with the same fervor of a McRib fanboy. The annual re-introduction of them triggers all things holiday in me – you know all the jolly things that makes your belly jig

  hy do we have a decorated Christmas Tree? In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. He did many good works there, and spent much time in Thuringia, an area which was to become the cradle of the Christmas Decoration Industry.    Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God's Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.    The first decorated tree was at Riga in Latvia, in 1510. In the early 16th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night.   Christmas Markets     In the mid 16th century, Christmas markets were set up in