How To Take Up A New Language (Because you definitely should!)

If you’ve always wanted to learn another language but you’re overwhelmed at the thought of taking on such an immense project, then stop over thinking! Thanks to the world becoming a smaller place, you can learn any language from the comfort of your own home, or walking up to a tutor close to you, but you can…in any way you prefer!

Whether you want to learn a language for business reasons, or you’re planning to take a trip or move abroad, here are a few tips to help you quickly become multilingual.

Learn the Basics First

Do you remember how, when you first learned to read, every new letter and sound was an exciting discovery? You need to use this same approach and learn your new language bit by bit, letter by letter. If you try to go too fast, you won’t be able to progress very far. It’s essential to make sure that you understand each lesson in its proper sequence before you go on to the next one.

Take a Progressive Course

One of the best ways to learn a language is to take a progressive course that takes you from beginner to intermediate level. This type of course generally follows a tried-and-true method of training that makes it easy for you to learn a lot in a relatively short period of time. A progressive course will start you off with everyday conversational words and phrases, while teaching you simple grammar rules along the way. As you progress, your skills will advance rapidly as you build upon these basics of the language.

Learn Pronunciation

It’s not enough to learn how to read and write a language; you need to learn how to speak it as well! That’s why it’s important to include a spoken language course in your study regimen. A spoken course will train your ear to recognise certain sounds so that you can replicate them yourself. You’ll also learn proper pronunciation, which can make all the difference in the meaning of a word or phrase.

What’s the fun of French if you can’t pronounce you favourite wines!?

If you want to learn a language well, you’ll need to study a bit every day, a bit we say! By exposing yourself to your new language on a daily basis, you’ll be able to quickly develop your recognition and reaction level and progress much more rapidly. Even if your study consists of playing your favourite language CD in the background on busy days, you’ll still be developing your ear.

Choosing a Language to Learn

If you’ve always wanted to learn a fun and easy language, how about trying Spanish? Here are curated progressive courses by Academia De Espanol!

Spanish – http://bit.ly/1JUhbx6

In today’s global economy, a knowledge of Japanese or Chinese can be a great asset for any business career. A great place to start is with these beginner courses.

Japanese – http://bit.ly/1RvxuCV

Mandarin – http://bit.ly/1ZGnZ8N

Or maybe you can pick up a language you never thought you would ever need or lear, but who knows?!

Try talking like the Portuguese, right here: http://bit.ly/1ZvpTDJ

Whatever language you decide to learn, the important thing is to have fun and take it at a pace that’s slow enough for you to enjoy, yet steady enough for you to consistently retain your previous lessons. Take up a new language, because we cannot stress enough on how important a sub-skill that could be!

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From The Stage

Today’s write up is a dedication.

It’s for the two stellar performers we lost as a community in the last few days. The stage taught them a lot and they unknowingly left words, experiences and learnings behind that we can treasure for our life.

One, a cult singer, musician and figure and the other one stage and screen genius who won his way in to all hearts through the man he is and what he brought to the characters he played.

Lessons you learn on stage

Playing it safe gets you tossed off the stage: Some would say takings risks isn’t wise but the stage proves that if you don’t take risks you’ll never make that mark you were meant to make. Playing it safe all the time becomes the most dangerous move of all!

There are no do-overs in live performances: Need we say more? The stage requires you to be perfect in even the imperfections you need to show. It needs you to sing, watch and hear at the same time….it needs your best foot forward all the time.

There’s a time to stand out as a soloist and a time to support others and make them shine: Praise is well-deserved. However, as a leader, it’s more likely the case that your crew rocked a project, together. Give credit, and take accolades humbly. When you can share the wealth, everyone wins.

Expect surprises and adversity, since the stage and life is about how you respond and adapt: If running a business was always smooth sailing, everyone would do it. That being said, the old adage explains that “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” Anticipate hurdles and maximize your team’s effort to jump over them.

Know your audience: Whether you’re playing for a group that’s looking forward to something slow and calming or you’re performing for a role that’s going to hit every screen in the world, if you’re not working to provide your audience with something they want and need, you’re doomed to fail.

It’s always better leaving people wanting more, rather than less: Impressions last longer when you try less to impress. That being said, the stage always requires you to develop the art of leaving the audience waiting for more..for something even more grand, something legendary all the time!

Here’s to David Bowie and Alan Rickman, who did all of the above effortlessly, or were they so good that we didn’t notice the effort?

If you have to leave a mark on stage, you know you can look up to Stardust and Snape, always!

Teachings From The Kitchen.

Maybe you too haven’t realized it yet, but there’s a lot to be learned from the time you spend in the kitchen. Whether you just step in to fry an egg or you have gone through years ‘on the pass’, here’s summarizing all that cooking imbibes in us.

Small gestures can make a big difference.Sometimes, after a solemn event or day, you find yourself baking a batch of chocolate cupcakes or simply craving for some. It’s not because you are unaffected by the happening but the truth is (and you know it) that even a tiny cupcake can make the world feel like a more sweeter, comforting place! And if you happen to share that batch or specially make one for somebody who needs a hug – then yes, food does make it all better

Cheap thrills are closer than you think.You’ll nod your head if you have ever tried growing your own food or even preserving some special ones. Even a little herb garden, can help you appreciate the present moment: the sweet delight of that first sprig and the scents that will chase away your stress! For the other kind of people, imagine the smile that you break into when you find a forgotten piece

No over thinking please!If your dough has turned out a little tougher than right, don’t fret. There’s always another batch waiting to be made. If you stress out in the quest to make something perfect, it mostly won’t be. So stop fussing over small things and take it easy to get it right!

There are always second chances.A burnt cake bottom, over salted gravies, a slightly under chicken are all OK! You have made them, they could have been worse and you can always make them again with more experience on what not to do! Smile, and appreciate for what it is!
Less really is more. As soon as we understand this, the better off we will be. Ask yourself – won’t you be more than thrilled to have a simple, yet perfectly oozy cheese sandwich in front of you during one of those lows?

We all have what it takes!A lot has been said about the creative aspects of preparing food― the sheer physical act of being an artistic expression, like painting or dancing. The truth is you can’t always afford to be creative when the table is waiting! But if you think of cooking as creating something, even when you’re making the most basic meal, you might get more enjoyment out of your time in the kitchen, however great or small. And this realization works for life in general.

Like Chef Gusteau rightly said in Ratatouille – “Anybody can cook!”

Your instinct may not be the best, but it’s yours. Some students at a culinary school were sternly reminded to add salt to their risotto. “How much?” they asked. “Enough,” the chef replied and walked away.

When you feel lost, confused..listen to your gut (and in this case, your tongue too!) Maybe it won’t be the best, but it will be rightfully your take!

Pondering Over Productivity

We came across a very useful article last week, on the Harvard Business Review. Some of the thoughts that came across absolutely had to be shared and hence, here is our slightly toned down version of that – making it simpler for the Monday that is!

In recent years, work has become infinitely more complex.

Technological innovations have led to round-the-clock work schedules and mounting expectations. We now face an endless blast of distractions, from the alerts on our smartphones to the breaking news stories and viral videos awaiting us at all our screens.

Now, more than ever, we need strategies for being productive, don’t we?

Below are nine overarching themes that encapsulate some expert advice for improving productivity!

Own your time.Our most satisfying work comes about when we’re playing offense, working on projects that we ourselves initiate. Many of us know this intuitively yet continue allowing ourselves to play defense, responding to other people’s requests.

Block out time to work away from email, programming your phone to only ring for select colleagues, and resisting emails first thing in the morning until you’ve achieved at least one important task!

Recognize busyness as a lack of focus.There’s a satisfying rush we experience when there’s too much on our plate: we feel needed, challenged. And yet that pleasurable experience is an illusion. It robs us of our focus and prevents us from making progress on the work that matters most.

Instead of viewing busyness as a sign of significance, top performers interpret busyness as an indication of wasted energy. The focus should be on one important, meaningful task.

Challenge the myth of the “ideal worker.”Many of us continue to believe that an “ideal worker” is one who works constantly, often at great expense to their personal life, but there’s overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Being productive requires us to realize that you can’t work for extended periods of time and maintain a high level of performance too! We have been seduced into thinking that if only we try harder and work longer, we can achieve anything.

Top performers, we read about, take a different approach. They recognize and honor their physical limitations by getting plenty of exercise and sleep, shuffling between bursts of focused work and short refreshing breaks, taking time to disconnect from email for some portion of their off-hours.

If only we accept this today, it might result in quality changes!

Intentionally leave important tasks incomplete.We often race to finish assignments quickly so that we can move on to the next item on our list…I believe I still am subconsciously doing that!

Instead of aiming to complete important tasks in one sitting, try leaving them incomplete. Doing so will encourage you to continue thinking about your work in different settings and, in the process, position you to uncover creative solutions.

Help others strategically. While sharing skill, helping out when asked can certainly help you succeed, it has also be studies that helping everyone with everything is a recipe for failure!

Avoid saying yes to every helping opportunity. Instead, try to specialize in one or two things that you genuinely enjoy and excel at and help when that particular skill is asked for.

Have a plan for saying no.The more commitments we agree to take on, the more they prevent us from doing the work that matters most.

Have a method or a strategy of saying ‘no’ in advance. Then you don’t have to stop and think about how to phrase your response each time you need to turn someone down. Share your current work agenda with your colleagues and your manager, indicate your priorities and focus for the day/week.

Do things today that make more time tomorrow. Ask yourself this – “how can I use my time today in ways that create more time tomorrow?” Evaluate your to-do list through this lens and you’ll see how this makes it easier to commit to activities that are not immediately enjoyable, like automating bill paying or preparing an induction guide for new employees before they need to ask!

We are at a point where the magnitude of information rushing toward us from every direction has surpassed our capacity for consumption. No matter how much time and energy we have at our disposal, we need to cultivate a certain number of skills in ourselves to succeed at work and life.

Some Great Options For Photography Lessons!

With the frantic rise of smartphones with good built-in cameras, we’ve all become instant photographers, and that’s not bad! It’s now so easy to point and shoot that we instinctively take snapshots of just about anything that takes our fancy. However, we’ve all experienced having to discard what we thought would be awesome photos because the snapshots turned out too hazy, out of focus, blurred or with poor lighting.

The sad bottom line: we failed at capturing some of life’s most perfect moments, perfectly.

Those who master the art of photography will find that it is a skill with many benefits! Besides being able to capture moments into images that will last forever, photography skills have real commercial value. For instance, marketers can take their own great photos for business websites and Instagram feeds, saving money in process. Meanwhile, those with real passion and skill for photography can pursue exciting careers in photo-journalism and portrait photography or the privilege of being wedding photographers as they travel the world to attend their clients’ picture-perfect events!

The truth be told, there is a lot that goes going on in photography: lenses, equipment, lighting, accessories, subject (what you are shooting: scenery, person, object, etc.), and the time and place where you are shooting. And that is enough to make heads spin!

For the passionate few who plan to convert all that stuff into a viable source of livelihood, things may not be as easy as clicking a shutter release button. The good news is that there are many great photography courses, right around you that can help anyone at any skill level — and we’ve got the best of them rounded up below!

1 Day Digital Photography Image-Editing Workshop:

http://www.localjini.com/search/viewcourse/1-day-digital-photography-image-editing-workshop

Advanced Digital Photography Workshop:

http://www.localjini.com/search/viewcourse/3-hr-workshop-on-advanced-digital-photography-techniques

Learn to Capture Movement:

http://www.localjini.com/search/viewcourse/learn-to-capture-the-perfect-movement-advanced-level-course

Master Motion Picture Photography:

http://www.localjini.com/search/viewcourse/master-motion-picture-photography-1-year-professional-cinematography-course

Fashion Photography Master Class:

http://www.localjini.com/search/viewcourse/3-hr-fashion-photography-master-class

Ecommerce Catalogue Photography Workshop:

http://www.localjini.com/search/viewcourse/e-commerce-catalogue-photography-workshop

Like most subjects, photography has a learning curve and modest beginnings. The key is to pick a reliable learning resource. There are many online photography courses that address the many needs of amateur and professional photographers and aspirants. Remember, a course is just the start of your practice, be sure to take what you learn in the classroom to the field.

Have fun learning and take some great photos!

How To Learn New Things!

The new year comes with new goals, new ideas and newer dreams, and so it should!

But many people are afraid to learn something new, and that fear is really natural. When the fear is gone and you are ready to learn, how should you do it?

The process is quite easy, and it’s best when it’s involuntary – almost habitual. By taking these steps you can learn quite everything and this scheme works every time – all you need to do is answer questions honestly and follow the steps!

So whether you want to learn a new cuisine or a new language, or some other minor skill – try these 6 steps and get ready to learn anything you want!

Imagine it

This is the very first part of the process. You should clearly know what you want to learn. After you see something – just dream it and imagine yourself doing it. This is how you gain confidence that is so important in the process of learning.

Compare it.

Compare your dream with yourself – does the task suit you or not. Are you capable enough? You should know your limitations beforehand. The, minimize risks – think about how this new talent or knowledge will help you, how you can benefit from it, are you able to spend enough time to achieve it, etc.

Learn it.

That’s the most important and time-consuming part of the process. You should study as much as possible. Learn all the Do’s and Dont’s, search for the experts in this exact niche, learn the theory, watch tutorials and practice!

Stay motivated.

Because at first, you will probably fail. But remember – success is trying, so don’t step back when you fail. Do it again and again. Learn advanced theory and take more practice lessons – you will only benefit from the continuous cycle.

Make it happen.

What you plan to do, do it! This is what you deserved and what you earned – your new skill. And it’s time to show it to the world. Whether it’s a song you play with a new instrument, or a new language you can now speak fluently – you should have a proof. So go and use your new skill!

And when all these are done try the last one –

Remember the feeling. Learning something new and seeing it shape up is one of the best feelings in the world – the feeling of success, even if it’s just a child learning how to ride his bicycle. Taste the thrill and remember it – this will help you a lot in future.

Keep The Spirits Up This New Year!

2016! Happy New Year guys, hoping the best of everything comes your way!

The New Year night must have been a good celebration, we hope. And when a new year starts on a Friday, you know it’s all going to be good 🙂 May there always be a reason to celebrate and may every celebration not need a reason!

Now the first weekend of 2016 cannot be boring, right? For keeping the spirits high and making sure your hosting and bartending game goes higher (we assume there will be drinks in the party, because obviously!) here are some easy and absolutely amazing infusions you must try making this weekend!

Caipirinha

This first one is a crowd pleaser and a winner with the women! Pour it over crushed ice for a better effect!

The Whiskey Ginger

This one is a class apart, for the appreciators of smooth whiskey with a warm touch of ginger. Time to impress your dad with a new skill?

Bourbon Peach Tea

A twist on iced tea that is set to become a new favorite of all those who like their drinks sweet!

Orange & ginger Infused Warm

What’s a party without some wine, right? Make the white wine super winter friendly and give it a reason to celebrate too!

Take a bottle of wine, add 3-4 tbsp of sugar and soak some ginger in it. When you pour it, serve with an orange peel in the glass!

Seriously Irish Coffee

This is one cliche, we don’t mind on repeat! What’s better to end the night or a date with a strong (really strong) cup of coffee? Start the year with the best conversations over this cuppa!

For a regular sized cup of coffee, add a capful of whiskey and a dollop of cream (or 2!)

Now these are so simple, there is no way you can’t try one of these. We are making sure you start the year with nights to remember, celebrating with people you love!

To more empty glasses, and even more memories.

Part-time Passions To Hone According To Your Zodiac!

As we all get set for the yearly – ‘New year, New me’ thoughts.

It is claimed by various sources that people are inclined to certain interests and skills according to their zodiac sign. Maybe that could become an exciting career option or just be a hobby that lets you value your own time.

Here’s how each Zodiac sign can find a hobby or part-time passion that are best suited to each sign!

Aries

Rams are geniuses when it comes to shameless self promotion and selling (that’s not so bad, ok!). They make great Internet marketers. Yet another talent the Aries native has is speeches. Many of them could make a pretty penny writing eulogies, comedy monologues, and other types of speeches. Some Aries have superior organizational abilities that can be utilized to help organize other people’s lives.

Taurus

The Taurus loves to garden, so the ultimate part time passion would be as a landscape artist or architect. Many of them (both men and women) are natural handypersons. This is an analytic and mechanically minded sign that can repair a vehicle very quickly. Refurbishing antique motorcycles or cars could also be a great job for a Taurus. Yet another bonus to being a Taurus is that you are one of the best cooks in the entire Zodiac (whoa!). A Taurus can always get a part-time job as a chef or even better yet start their own business as a cake maker or caterer.

Gemini

This incredibly creative sign is usually already a freelancer or trying to make money doing what he or she loves. Many are musicians, and artists and can parlay existing talents into a part time job. Learning animation skills would be a great idea for this multi-talented sign. This is also a very social sign and many of them are entrepreneurs who can make money organizing parties (an attending them too). They also make excellent wedding planners or personal shoppers. However, for the most part, the Gemini is a great entertainer and many of them can do things like juggle, dance, and sing. Can you, Gemini?

Cancer

This creative sign is great at any type of arts and crafts. Many are excellent potters who could even make a living selling their hand-made ceramic wares! Yet another interest of this watery sign (that is very intuitive) is the occult. Crabs are also known for their intuitive and healing sense of touch, honing up massage therapy skills might also be a good idea.They are very artistic people with many talents and many Crabs thrive in fashion worlds and worlds of interior decorating. They have nimble hands that are also great at sewing and they are also very doing things like making jewelry!

Leo

The Lion is naturally charismatic so any type of hobby to do with charming people works well as a part time passion. Many of them are also naturally very good looking (alright then!) Leos have the confidence to moonlight as a model or an actor. Being a movie extra might be an interesting way for a Lion to show their skills, as often they are fascinated with social climbing and the movie industry. Lions have large personalities and they excel at anything to do with public speaking, performing or hosting an event. Lions are also famous for their love of drink, so many also so excel as bartenders.

Virgo

The Virgo loves to keep things in order! Their talent for organization extends to the great outdoors as well. They make great gardeners and many would make wonderful landscape architects. Virgos are also very savvy with money and have superior organizational powers. They excel as wedding planners and personal coaches as well. Their knowledge of art and culture also qualifies them to work part time in a museum or art gallery as a guide.

Libra

This sign is ruled by Venus and absolutely loves anything to do with fashion, culture, or beauty. Many are very talented when it comes to making others look great! Other options for this image conscious sign would be to become a hairdresser, personal shopper, or interior decorator. They love to be around people are at their best when they feel they are helping others. This gentle air sign also loves animals.

Scorpio

This sign is curious and can often turn a hobby like photography into a full-time occupation. Yet another passion of the Scorpio native is the occult. Antiques also fascinate this sign which is capable of studying and being an expert about them. The Scorpion also has very good taste and they can often parlay this into a part time career as a stylist for the movies. As they are so charismatic and luring, they do well as copywriters, illustrators, and administrators in the area of advertising.

Sagittarius

This sign loves to travel so a part-time passion as a travel guide or a travel planner is a good choice for the Archer. Sagittarians can also be very talented writers and can often parlay a diary into a successful blog online or a travel column for a magazine. Writing or talking about exotic cuisines or architecture can be another interest. They are also great lovers of nature and might do well giving walking tours of the local countryside. Many members of this sign also know how to ride horses and would make great teachers of polo or other sports. This athletic sign is often in tip top shape and would do well to open a fitness or yoga class.

Capricorn

This sign enjoys the company of children and pets, so they would do well to open a daycare or a kennel that boards pets for people going on vacation! Capricorns enjoy being the pillar of the community and can be great help at organizing events. Both the males and females of the sign are very handy with tools and would do well by becoming savvy with real estate or renovating old homes. Painting, tiling, and refinishing old furniture are also possible part time skills for the Capricorn.

Aquarius

This visionary sign can do very well as a columnist, writer, or illustrator. This is because what they have to say is so unusual and seems to come from “left field.” Quite a few Aquarians are inventors and creative day dreamers! They are also natural entrepreneurs so they do well in the virtual sales places of the internet. This sign also loves the photographic arts and can really make this part time passion, a full time one. Along with their business savvy comes many creative talents as well. They are also natural cinematographers and editors and do better than most signs at being freelancers.

Pisces

The Fish is a natural counselor and can handle any crisis. They do well to go out into the community somehow and be of service there. This sensitive sign is also good at composing music and many of them are also talented artists. Excelling as a videographer or illustrator could always be a way out for this sign. Fish are also great agriculturalists. They could hone the dream of growing grapes, making wine, or making their own honey! Being a water sign, they love working around or being in the water so they also make fantastic lifeguards and aqua-fit instructors. Yet another talent is growing rare plants and being known for it!

Now you might be an Aquarian working in sales or a Virgo who is a renowned horticulturist…and that’s totally great! But if you believe even slightly in Zodiac defined personalities, do give these options a thought and let us know, as comments below, if they work for you!

The Origin Of ‘New Year Resolutions’

Planning to exercise more or eat fewer sweets in the New Year? If so, you’re taking part in a tradition that stretches back thousands of years.

Ancient people practiced the fine art of New Year’s resolutions, though their oaths were external, rather than internally focused.

More than 4,000 years ago, the ancient Babylonians celebrated the New Year not in January, but in March, when the spring harvest came in. The festival, called Akitu, was the crowning of a new king, or reaffirmation of loyalty to the old king, should he still sit on the throne. Special rituals also affirmed humanity’s covenant with the gods.

Centuries later, the ancient Romans had similar traditions to ring in their new year, which also originally began in March but at some point around 300 B.C., the ceremony shifted to Jan. 1. Rome was a military society but as Romans gradually became less warlike, the switch from celebrating the New Year during a month (March) associated with Mars, the god of war to one (January), associated with Janus, a god of home and hearth, seemed appropriate.

The first half of New Year’s Day in Rome would have been taken up by public ceremonies, oath-taking and temple sacrifices, he said, while the second half of the day was for social activities. Citizens would bring each other gifts of honey, pears and other sweets as presents for a “sweet new year”!

Actually, the desire to start anew pops up repeatedly in many major western civilizations –

Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts.

In the Medieval era, the knights took the “peacock vow” at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

At watchnight services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions.

Don’t our resolutions seem very tiny and very selfish compared to these?

Modern traditions

However, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII brought the Jan. 1 New Year back in vogue with the Gregorian calendar — a concept that persists today.

New Year’s resolutions have become a secular tradition, popularized by the Americans. Most of us who make them now focus on self-improvement; some really popular ones being losing weight, volunteering more, stopping smoking, eating better, getting out of debt and saving money!

Still, New Year’s resolutions may be falling out of favor. A news poll online says two things, People under the age of 30 were more likely than older folks to make resolutions — but only about half of resolution-makers keep their promises.

Many of us are still making resolutions today. So what’s the secret to keeping it?

Turns out, simply wanting to change is not enough; you need to make it stick. One way to do this is to share your resolution with others.

“When you keep resolutions a secret, no one is going to check up on you. You’re only accountable to yourself,” says Joe Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago. He says that a party to publicly share your resolutions is an admirable way to ring in the New Year. Social media offers another avenue to let others in on your goals.

Not a bad idea at all!

Letting someone else be part of your resolutions might actually keep you motivated to not give up mid way. And if you still find yourself wondering if you should follow your resolutions, remember the Babylonians, take a lesson from the Romans, do it for the age old tradition that you have chosen to be part of.

By the way, if you know what you want to do but haven’t just started yet, head here to begin! There are just so many opportunities to learn something new, right around your corner.

Happy resolving guys, we totally support you!

For A Last Minute But Very Merry Christmas!

You just woke up, probably just realized it’s Christmas and luckily, you found this.
Now there might be unexpected invitations to visit some friends and their folks or some unannounced pals coming to yours or you think it’s just not right to do nothing Christmas like!
So we put ourselves in your shoes much before you did, and so here are some easy, super fun and absolutely festive things you can do, make, gift or enjoy so that everything is a little more Christmassy 🙂

1) Cake it up!

Whether you carry these along as food gifts or just keep a lovely tray ready at home, these Mini Choc Trees will win hearts, even your own!
Directions: Simply get a packaged cake or brownie mix and ready to use vanilla icing from the store and bake as instructed. Once out of the oven, cut the cake into triangles and keep aside.
Take the icing, add 2 drops of green food color (or skip this step) and stir it in well. Scoop it in a usable plastic bag, cut of a tiny corner and just squeeze the frosting to add ‘snow’ or ‘festoons’ to your tree (the triangle)! You can end by decorating with some colorful sprinkles and inserting a candy cane or just a ice cream stick as a tree trunk. 🙂

2) Instant Gifts

This is to make sure you deliver tons of smiles to all the special ones you meet today!
Just walk up to your nearest kitchen supplies store and buy a handful of plain mugs in bright colors (or just white if you like it classic!). Then get a Sharpie Pen or just a permanent marker and personalize those mugs!
Some ideas that might help: A mug cake recipe, right on the mug for a baking enthusiast with no time. Or an inside joke on a mug that only the receiver will understand! You can even just write a quote or two that you like to live by….the ideas are unending here!

3) Liven up the house!

What’s better than a Christmas tree on Christmas? Well, in the case of its absence and you wondering how to get the most iconic symbol home, here’s what you can try –
Get all your books (novels, magazines, directories, diaries etc) out of the shelves and gather them in the most ideal corner. Now try arranging them in a conical pile, with the largest ones at the bottom (goodmorning!). As you go up just change angles to give the effect of ‘branches’ or just see the image!
Finally, take a string of fairy lights and drape it onto this very unique and literate tree 🙂 It’s set to be pretty cool!

4) Quick Christmas drinks

Agreed you need some ‘high’ spirits for the celebrations and agreed don’t have a bar ready. But do this and sit back proud!
Christmas Sangria: Pull out, or get a bottle (or two, three, four) of wine and know this, that just because plans can be spontaneous, it does not mean those impromptu gatherings cannot include sangria!
Just go with your gut, and if that’s too potent take one bottle of wine to 1/3rd bottle or orange soda, mix them. Pout this concoction over a bowl of chopped apples and a citrus fruit of your choice. Chill it for atleast 2-3 hours!
While serving, scoop out the fruit, put it at the bottom of each glass and pour out the wine, garnish it with a slice of orange or sweet lime. By know even you will agree it looks nothing like ‘last minute’!

5)Hot Chocolate Love:

For a non-alcoholic option, make some indulgent hot chocolate (you get ready mixes too, just saying), put a dollop of cream in each mug and load it with marshmallows! Cheers
Just who said simple cannot be festive?! Invite them over too :p

So be part of the Christmas spirit and have a very merry and love loaded Christmas, guys!