DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

      The holidays are officially here, and nothing puts us in a festive mood quite like a trip to check all of the decked-out department stores. Each year, the biggest retailers unveil their magical window displays, filled with fantastical themes and dazzling details—and this season’s storyboards certainly don’t disappoint. BARNEYS NEW YORK: CHILLIN’ OUT, ICE CASTLES    Barneys New York is “Chillin’ Out” this year—quite literally. The retailer enlisted the help of ice formation company Ice Castles to create frozen-over windows for its Madison Avenue flagship. Kept at a cool 3 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit, the “Ice Castles” window is a fully operational ice locker that even has a custom misting system to help fuse icicles together for a full-on winter wonderland. BERGDORF GOODMAN: BRILLIANT, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY    Bergdorf Goodman’s 2015 holiday windows are decked out in Swarovski crystals for a dazzling “Brilliant” theme. The partners

  COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG DOOR TOPPER . During the Christmas holidays, the town of Williamsburg really turns out the decorations,  using fresh fruits and greenery.  Their door toppers always have impressed me, so I decided to tackle the project this year for myself. MATERIALS 1/2″ or 3/4″ thick plywood half-circle (cut it yourself or cut a pre-bought plywood circle in half) 3″ Screws Green spray paint Large green leaves (magnolia are ideal or you can use silk) Evergreen cuttings Apples Pineapple STEPS Sketch out arches on your plywood half circle with a pencil that will be where your apples go. Start the first one around 3″ down from the top and space them 3″ apart after that.     Using a power screwdriver, attach screws every 3″ along your pencil lines.  Screw them in about 1″, leaving the rest sticking up.  I cut a 3″ piece of cardboard and used it as a guide to put in the screws making it go really fast.  Put three screws right in the middle in

     Christmas is a Holy Christian observance that is often celebrated with imaginative, fanciful traditions from folklore and legend. Santa Claus is a legendary personality, similar to St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Sinterklass, and Julenisse. Christkindl, representing the Christ Child, started bringing small gifts to children in Germany during the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther, St. Nicholas, Santa Claus and German Christkindl.     Christmas personalities are authority figures who bring gifts to good children. In some cultures the Santa Claus figure is feared because he knows all and sees all and may decide children are bad and leave nothing or something like a lump of coal.     As people move around the world, traditions mix and change with time. The United States is a melting pot of cultures with different traditions observed by the many ethnic groups in the country. Likewise, many cultures may adopt the traditions of neighboring countries. The follow