DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   There is a thawed turkey reposing in my refrigerator, and in most department stores the Christmas tree has already become a blinking presence. That’s right: Thanksgiving is tomorrow!    2011 has been all about doing “whatever” on a budget, unless, of course, you are part of the infamous 1 percent, in which case you might have spent 2011 throwing a lavish reality TV wedding. For most of us though, money matters, especially around the holidays. The jam-packed infographic below gives some tips for preparing for and celebrating Thanksgiving on a budget.    I don’t think I’ve ever seen an infographic this long, or this thorough. A rundown of the least expensive stores, shopping tips for cutting on cost, and random bits of Thanksgiving trivia are all covered in detail.

The History of Up Helly Aa    Up Helly Aa is a relatively modern festival.  There is some evidence that people in rural Shetland celebrated the 24th day after Christmas as "Antonsmas" or "Up Helly Night", but there is no evidence that their cousins in Lerwick did the same.  The emergence of Yuletide and New Year's festivities in the town seems to post date the Napoleonic Wars, when soldiers and sailors came home with rowdy habits and a taste for firearms.  Early years    On an old Christmas eve in 1824, a visiting Methodist missionary wrote in his diary that "the whole town was in an uproar, from 12 o'clock last night until late this night blowing of horns, beating of drums, tinkling of old tin kettles, firing of guns, shouting, bawling, fiddling, fifeing, drinking, and fighting.  This was the state of the town all the night...the street was as thronged with people as any fair I ever saw in England".    As Lerwick g...

   Christmas has already raced past, which means that you’ve probably already begun the obligatory handful of days with your extended family. You’ve ‘been there and done that’ so many times you could literally write the script of what’s going to happen each year – including the usual cast of characters who never fail to make a repeat performance of what they did last year.    But in case Aunt Stephanie is running late and you’ve forgotten how she behaves with her gin – or in case your house is still a shambles from Uncle Jimmy’s rampage of yesterday, and you need reassurance that your weird family isn’t alone – here are the 10 people who are bound to make an appearance every year at every family’s Christmas party. 10. The Pouter 
    
The pouter is usually a child under the age of 10, but occasionally it’s an emotionally stunted, spoiled adult. This person spends the entire evening impatiently waiting for present-opening time and com...

   For the people of Punjab, the festival of Lohri holds a great significance, as it marks the harvesting season and the end of the winter season.  The main event is the making of a huge bonfire which is symbolic of the homage to the Sun God for bringing in warmth.  Celebrated on January 13th every year.  Lohri festivities are associated with the harvesting of the  Rabi  crops.  There is a special significance attached to the celebration of Lohri as this day the sun enters the  rashi  (zodiac) of  Makara  (Capricorn), this is considered auspicious as it signifies a fresh start.    Lohri has special significance for the agriculturists because, it marks the beginning of a new financial year, on this day they settle the division of the products of the land between themselves and the tillers.  Lohri assumes greater significance, if there has been a happy evet in the family, such as the birth of a child or...

   This recipe and tutorial comes from www.sweetopia.net/  . Have some baking fun and enjoy! Awaken your tastebuds (and possibly a hungry Yeti) with this om-nom-nominable gingerbread cookie recipe. Since the sweet success of the last illustrated recipe,  Magically Royal Icing , it was pretty much a no brainer to create another for you to enjoy. This time we’ve ramped up the efforts to bring  an animated version  along with a separate,  printer-friendly version . Feel free to share your thoughts below and share either version of the recipe wherever you like! Direct Links to recipe: ANIMATED VERSION PRINTABLE VERSION Thanks to my amazing designer/art director Arthur Kononuk, for creating this adorable illustrated recipe and intro for me! I love it and hope you do too. xo, Marian

Realistic Spider (Life-Size Prop) Thanks to all of the voters who helped this instructable place in the 2010 Halloween Contest! Need a realistic, life-size spider? Try out this design - using little more than scraps of paracord and wire, you can create a lifelike spider in an hour or less. Whether for an inexpensive prop, a simple prank, or a frightening seasonal decoration, this instructable will help you make a tough, virtually-indestructible spider that will be much more realistic than the crudely molded toy spiders that one can find commercially available. Recently, I found myself in desperate need of a spider. My search was triggered by the startlingly visceral close-up magic effect created by Jim Pace (" The Web ") and further developed by Andrew Melia (" Box of Fear "), which I in turn have adapted to my own impromptu street style of performance. After frustratedly searching the internet for a life-sized...