Homes get prettified at this time of the year. People fritter away tons of money, time and effort for holiday décor. Celebrities even have their homes professionally decorated for Christmas. Santas and parols and poinsettias and wreaths and candy canes vie with each other for space and the limelight. Christmas trees made from different materials groan under the weight of an assortment of decorations – balls, stuffed toys, ribbons, angels and even family pictures.

WE FILIPINOS ARE well known for pakikisama among friends. We tend to give too much in the name of friendship and celebration —we lose control over ourselves! And getting to the point of total excess can ruin the jolly mood.

Your holiday season need not be alcohol-fueled. Here are some delicious non-alcoholic cocktail recipes that can bring you Christmas cheer! Best part: No post-party headaches and beer bellies!

If you have the talent and the patience for handicrafts, make this special gift for your mom, daughter, sister or best girl friend. The technique is really quite simple once you get the hang of it. The trick is finding beautiful beads for your bracelet. You can substitute the beads and the spacers used in this project to create your own designs. They don’t have to be expensive, just pretty. Follow the basic procedure and you can craft several bracelets for the ladies closest to your heart this Christmas.

A limited time for shopping and an even limited budget can lead you to places you’d never think of looking in more leisurely and abundant times.
Yesterday, I went Christmas gift hunting in tadaah…my closet! Feeling under the weather and having to skip another party turned out to be a blessing in this harried shopping season. I thought I’d go through closets where I kept packaging materials and some gift items. What I didn’t realize was that I had a treasure trove of stuff that I can give as gifts this Christmas. I ticked off about 70% from my list without feet-punishing, wallet-draining, sweat-breaking trips to the malls and Divisoria.

December’s here! No matter where we are in the world, Christmas always brings this special excitement. Families get together and enjoy a sumptuous feast, exchanging gifts and showing sincere gratitude to loved ones.

We always tend to splurge on the last month of the year… but how about this year? Women are turning into artists, magicians or cash contortionists. We make cheap things look chic, magically produce feasts out of simple ingredients and stretch the cash to as faaaar as it can go.

This year, we don’t have to buy new Christmas decorations for the home. Just breathe some new life to those balls, Santa caps, and Christmas bells. If you’ve got the itch to spend, check out second-hand shops, trek to the market for some candy or ask family members to swap some goodies with you. And for that extra oomph, bring out the pretty ribbons you’ve saved throughout the year from birthday gifts or Mother’s Day presents.

Here’s a deliciously festive yet frugal way to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast with the family. Instead of stuffing a “butterball”, stuff a chicken! The all-time favorite Rellenong Manok is easy to prepare and its ingredients won’t break your pocket. Ideal for tightwads and kitchen klutzes like myself!

You will need:

Dessert. It is like a tiara that crowns the end of a beauty pageant. A great meal is not complete without it. Especially for those afflicted with a sweet tooth.
But if you’re a diabetic, meals have to end minus this delight. My friend, Maan always goes without cakes & pastries for dessert to curb her sugar level. Or, if she’s lucky, some restaurants have a handful of sugar-free variants she can make do with. Otherwise, it’s fruits for her.

Whoever said that Halloween is exclusively for kids? As the spookiest time of the year once again looms over the metropolis, there is another reason for you and your friends to "eyeball" for a spirited fright night together! Here are some terrifyingly terrific party ideas, for you and your fellow witches to cackle the night away with!

“Disgustingly delicious!”, is what my son, Jakey would say each time we whip up this horrifying dessert. Scoop after scoop, my kids deliriously squirm for more. You too, can watch your kids wriggle with glee.

You will need:

• Any chocolate ice cream of your kids' choice Rocky Road, Double Dutch or Classic chocolate. Our favorite is BTIC’s Dark Almond Chocolate.

• Whipping cream

• Wafers

• A pack of gummy worms

Do you have guests coming over for dinner? Are you too tired from a hectic day at the office to make something fancy and complicated? Try this easy recipe that's a stand alone meal.