Persoanlized Gift Boxes & Sacks

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Personalized wraps for Santa’s pack

Utilitarian boxes boxes are hardly glamorous wrapping I materials, but try thinking of them as blank canvases for artful holiday collages. With color, glued-on material, handwritten mes­sages—and imagination—you can transform them into per­sonalized packages for gifts. It’s also a way to involve ju­nior members of your family in the holiday preparations.

You can find unadorned boxes and containers of all sizes and shapes: take-out boxes (from delicatessens and restaurant supply stores), can­dy and cake boxes (from pastry supply stores), paper paint buckets (from paint or hardware stores), and odd-size boxes (from gift, paper supply, and party stores).

Use a wide-ranging palette of decorative materials. Felt markers, paint, construction paper, stencils, fabric scraps, stamps, ribbons, wire, but­tons, beads, leaves, children’s drawings, and cut-up snap­shots decorate the packages in our photograph. You’ll also need craft glue, tape, scissors, a craft knife, pinking shears, a punch, and a stapler. Use an inner lining of colored tis­sue paper to nestle the gift.

Chex Party Mix

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Quaker Oats Party Mix

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Cranberry Vinegar For A Special Gift

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Cranberries give mild rice vinegar a snap that celebrates salads.

Very berry, very red vinegar

LEAR VINEGAR BOILED WITH cranberries turns bright red and absorbs the fruit’s fla­vor. The blend makes attrac­tive holiday gifts in decorative bottles.

Splash the vinegar over salad greens, orange slices, raw or cooked red cabbage, and turkey salad.

Cranberry Vinegar
2   cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
3   cups rice vinegar
About 3 tablespoons sugar

In a 2- to 3-quart pan on high heat, bring to boiling cranberries, vinegar, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Simmer, covered, until cranberries pop and are soft, about 5 minutes. Add more sugar to taste, if desired. Let stand until cool. Pour vinegar through a fine strainer into a container with a pouring lip; discard residue. Pour vinegar into decorative bottles, using a funnel if necks are narrow. Seal with lids.
Use, or store at room temperature up to 4 months. If an opaque film de­velops on surface, spoon it off or, to preserve clarity of vinegar, pour vin­egar through a fine strainer into a 2-to 3-quart pan and bring to boiling. Wash bottle, then refill with vinegar. Store as before. Makes about 3 cups.
Per tablespoon: 7.4 cal; 0 g protein; 0 g fat; 1.9 g carbo.; 2.5 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

A Small Tea Set – Funny

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One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me. I was
maybe 2 1/2 years old. Someone had given me a little ‘tea set’ as a gift
and it was one of my favorite toys.

Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when I
brought Daddy a little cup of ‘tea’, which was just water. After several
cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home.
My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup
of tea, because it was ‘just the cutest thing!’ My Mom waited, and sure
enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she
watches him drink it up.

Then she says, (as only a mother would know… ‘Did it ever occur to you
that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?’