A flash mob-choir in Welland has set a YouTube record.

The choir of 80 stood up in a food court and sang the Christmas carol “Hallelujah” to a surprised audience in November.

The performance by Chorus Niagara has been uploaded for more than 25.7 (m) million views and is rated the Number One Most Viewed.

National Examiner psychic Tessa Gaynor suggests you purchase based on their astrological sign.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19): This Christmas, Capricorns would love to receive a leather briefcase or leather-carrying bag. Antiques would be great gifts as well as jewelry.

Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18): Jewelry is perfect for the Aquarius in your life. Try pearls or gems.

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20): Some sort of musical instrument or stereo equipment would make a Piscean very happy this Christmas. A necklace or bracelet would also be fine as well as a fish tank.

Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 19): Red lingerie for her and sexy red underwear for him. Your Aries would also love to get some clothing with their favorite sports team’s logo as well as a gold necklace.

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20): Audio or video tapes would be perfect for your Taurus. Also, artwork and household items like new blankets, sheet sets, etc. would be good gift choices.

Gemini (May 21 – June 21): Clothing, books and subscriptions to your Gemini’s favorite magazines are the perfect holiday gifts.

Cancer (June 22 – July 22): Cancers love gifts for the home, especially the kitchen. Silver jewelry will also “turn on” the Cancer in your life.

Leo (July 23 – Aug 22): Gift certificates for a massage, to a spa or for a health club are what your Leo wants this holiday season. If you are buying clothing for your female Leo, try something with lace.

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sept 22): Beepers and watches are recommended for the Virgo in your life. Green gems and appliances are also a good bet.

Libra (Sept 23 – Oct 23): Cosmetic aids or dinnerware are a safe bet here, Librans will also enjoy receiving books and magazines this Christmas.

Scorpio (Oct 24 – Nov 21): This holiday season, lingerie and scented oils for her and leather gifts, like wallets, belts or jackets for him.

Sagitarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21): A watch or jewelry is ideal this holiday season for the Sagittarian in your life. Plane tickets for a romantic weekend also will work wonders.

1. The mother-in-law fight. His mom hates your cooking — he says she’s just being helpful.

How to fix it: Address her directly, with this non-threatening formula: “I feel [insert your feeling here] when you [her action here]. Please [what you want her to do].” Example: “I feel bad when you criticize my cooking. Please don’t tell me my food is awful, even if you don’t like it.”

2. The money fight: You want to throw a holiday party; he says you can’t afford it.

How to fix it: Create a budget in advance that takes into account all holiday-related expenses including gifts, travel and entertaining. Decide how much you’ll spend on each category and don’t deviate.

3. The travel fight: You missed your flight — because he couldn’t find his scarf.

How to fix it: Travel is stressful for everyone, and in frustration we lash out at the nearest person — usually our spouse. Try to avoid placing blame and, remember, he’s upset about missing the flight, too.

4. The location fight: He wants to spend the holidays with his family, you want to spend it with yours.

How to fix it: Find a compromise — which means both of you have to give a little. “Understand that blending two families isn’t going to happen overnight,” YourTango Expert Lisa Steadman says. “You may still want to maintain your own family traditions separately at first, for example Thanksgiving Eve or Christmas Eve with one family, the next day with the other. This is healthy and normal.”

5. The gifts fight: You got him an iPad and he got you . . . a $25 Amazon.com gift card.

How to fix it: “Discuss what holiday gift-giving means to you within your budget,” says YourTango Expert Julie Spira. Agree ahead of time on a ballpark amount of what you’ll spend and on the nature of your gifts.

6. The family fight: You feel smothered by his family; he doesn’t understand what your “deal” is.

How to fix it: Take some time for yourself. Exercise, offer to walk the dog or volunteer at a soup kitchen. He can’t be mad at you for doing good!

7. The kids fight: You want to buy the kids the gifts they want. He says you’re spoiling them.

How to fix it: Create a gift list together. Limit yourself to one or two fancy gifts, and let him buy the inexpensive ones. Don’t buy anything that’s not on the list.

8. The traditions fight: He wants to skip the Christmas carols this year, you don’t.

How to fix it: Explain why this tradition is important to you and try to understand why he wants to skip it. This two-way empathy should help you discuss without arguing and, hopefully, find a middle ground.

9. The time fight: He says you’re working too much; you say you’re trying to earn a big bonus to pay for all your holiday expenses.

How to fix it: Plan some family- or couple-oriented activities and put them on your calendar — in red ink. He’ll feel good knowing you’ve committed time to him, and you’ll feel good knowing you can work the rest of the time.

10. The exhaustion fight. One or both of you is exhausted — and you take it out on each other.

How to fix it: When you feel yourself getting angry, ask yourself, “Am I really mad at him, or am I just stressed in general?” To help alleviate stress, YourTango Expert Dr. Carolyn Daitch recommends this breathing exercise: “Take five deep breaths, inhaling to the count of five and exhaling to the count of eight.”

Prep: 30 mins

Cooking: 10 mins

Cooling: 0 mins

Yields: 24 cookies

Ingredients    

• 1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough
• 1 container (16 oz.) prepared chocolate frosting
• 48 pretzel twists pieces for antlers
• 48 NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
• 48 NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels
• 24 red gumdrops or cinnamon candies for nose

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Press each square of dough into a triangle shape about ½-inch thick. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Upon removal from oven, carefully shape triangle with edge of knife to reshape. Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

FROST cookies with chocolate frosting. Press two pretzels on top of frosting for antlers. Place two white morsels upside down on each cookie as eyes. Adhere mini morsel pupils to white morsels with frosting. Use gumdrops for noses.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/144664/Cookie-Reindeers/detail.aspx

Prep: 60 mins

Cooking: 10 mins

Cooling: 0 min

Yields: 12 snowmen

         

Ingredients

• 12 squares NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Refrigerated Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Dough
• 12 NESTLÉ® BUTTERFINGER® or CRUNCH® Jingles, unwrapped
• 12 pretzel checkerboard snaps or mini pretzels for hat base
• 2/3 cup prepared white frosting
• 24 large marshmallows, divided
• 12 pretzel sticks for arms, broken in half
• NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels for eyes and buttons (a heaping teaspoon needed)
• 12 small orange candies or orange decorating gel for nose
• Thin-string licorice, various colors, cut into twelve, 7-inch pieces for scarves

Directions

PREPARE 12 cookies as directed on package. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

TO MAKE HATS, ADHERE Jingles to pretzel snaps with frosting. Set aside.

TO MAKE SNOWMEN, INSERT 2 pretzel sticks into each side of 12 marshmallows to create arms on base of snowman. Spread a heaping teaspoon of frosting onto center of each cookie; top with snowman base. Press down lightly. Spread additional frosting on top of each snowman base. Top with remaining 12 marshmallows. Dip orange candies and mini morsels into frosting and add noses, eyes and buttons to snowmen. For scarf, tie each piece of licorice loosely around neck of snowman using frosting as glue, if necessary. Let both hats and snowmen bases stand for 20 minutes to set frosting and make snowmen stable.

PRIOR TO SERVING, adhere hats to snowman head with frosting. If snowmen need to set up more, lean them against a glass or can to set.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/144759/Marshmallow-Snowmen/detail.aspx

12 Days of Xmas: Purchasing every item mentioned in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” will cost $96,824 in 2010. That’s an increase of 10.8% over last year, according to PNC Wealth Management. Here is the breakdown of the 364 items:

Partridge, $12 (last year: $10)

Pear Tree, $150 (last year: same)

Two Turtle Doves, $100 (last year: $56)

Three French Hens, $150 (last year: $45)

Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600 (last year: same)

Five Gold Rings, $650 (last year: $500)

Six Geese a-Laying, $150 (last year: same)

Seven Swans a-Swimming, $5,600 (last year: $5,250)

Eight Maids a-Milking, $58 (last year: same)

Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $6,294 (last year: $5,473)

10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,767 (last year: $4,414)

11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,356 (last year: $2,285)

12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,553 (last year: $2,475)

With budgets being tight these days, more people are opting to dig deep inside their closets in search of that perfect gift.  So if you’re contemplating what to do with those gifts you neither want nor will ever use, here’s some good news for you.  It is perfectly appropriate to re-wrap an unwanted gift and give it to someone else as long as you adhere to the following five guidelines.

1. Only give a gift if it is in good condition. Be sure not to tamper with, open, or use the gift and keep all seals intact.
2. Regift in different social circles. Make sure the person receiving the gift doesn’t know the person who originally gave you the gift. To avoid this mishap, label any gifts you don’t intend to keep by jotting down when it was received and by whom.
3. The gift should be a good match. Before giving a recycled gift, ask yourself if the receiver will enjoy, appreciate and use the gift. If you’re not sure, don’t bother regifting it.
4. Remove the evidence. Before you regift, remove the original card that may be tucked inside the gift. (I once received a hostess gift from a friend who forgot to remove the card inside addressed to her!)
5. Retire unwanted gifts. Instead of regifting those items that you’ll never use like that old bottle of cologne, canned ham, stale fruitcake, or itchy sweater, give the gift to charity or dispose of it so you and others will never have to see it again.

http://blog.etiquetteexpert.com/regifting-etiquette-to-regift-or-not-to-regift/

The Top Ten Toys for Christmas 2010, according to the Duracell Toy Report

1. Apple iPhone 4
2. Apple iPod touch
3. Apple iPad
4. Kinect for Xbox
5. Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters/Kung Zhu Hamsters
6. Flip Video Camera
7. Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear
8. PlayStation Move
9. Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 Video Game
10. Barbie Video Girl

Happy Shopping!!! 

Mark & Mandy

See the date you should mail things by to get them to their destination by Christmas.