Sliding fast into the holidays
Halloween is scary. Oh not because of goblins and ghosts, or that you ate half of the left over
candy (those little bite size bars seemed so innocent). No, it’s scary because, the second you take down those
Halloween decorations the HOLIDAYs are here. Every year The Three Tomatoes promise ourselves we will actually enjoy this time of the
year rather than just speeding through it in a frenzy of "I have so much to do and I can't get it all done." So here
are a few holiday “this and that’s” that you might find helpful. And repeat after us, “we will not get
stressed, we will not get stressed.”
Skip the mall, head to a Holiday Fair
We love the holiday fairs around the City because they are so not the mall. And what is more stressful than
that? Last year we wrote an ode to Bryant Park because it’s become such a great place and a favorite of ours in any season,
and the holiday season is spectacular. First there’s the delightful rink (now in its second season) with free ice
skating that officially opened today. And even if you have no interest in stepping onto the rink, it will put you a holiday
spirit. And later this month, the Bryant Park Fêtes de
Noël Holiday Market shops open up in tents all around the park. With 125 merchants with items from around the world,
you’ll think you’re in a piazza in Europe. And we might also add that the Bryant Park Grill is a delightful festive spot to have a
holiday (or anytime) martini, lunch or dinner. Shopping, ice skating, martinis and food….all in one
place. It doesn’t get any better for a stress free holiday experience.
Here are some of our other favorite holiday fairs:
Union Square Park Holiday Market, opens Nov. 22 and will feature over 100 artisans and vendors.
Columbus Circle Holiday Fair in Central Park opens in early December.
Grand Central Terminal
Holiday Fair We love this one, not only because it’s inside, but inside beautiful Vanderbilt Hall.
And they always have great vendors. Opens November 19.
Park Avenue Holiday Gift Market Expo This shopping bazaar sponsored by St. Bartholomew’s
Church specializes in multicultural arts and crafts. Opens Nov. 19.
Holiday Ideas using your Digital Photos
If you’re like us you’ve got zillions of digital photos sitting in files on your computer.
Here are some great web sites that will help you use those photos creatively.
Creating personalized printed holiday cards.
Yes, we know there are some of you out there who are already addressing all your holiday cards as we
write. Then there are the rest of us. Now tempting as it is to be very bah humbug about the whole card
sending thing, just think how much you like receiving them. Every year, we think why the heck are we still sending cards to so and
so who we haven’t seen in years. And then we receive a card from old so and so, and it’s like getting a warm hug from
an old friend. So that’s why we send, so we can receive. But it’s not just the sending part
that gets stressful; it’s also finding the perfect card part too. Which is why we really love all the options online, from
creating your own photo cards, or creating your own personalized messages. If your idea of photo holiday cards is still those
flimsie post cardy glossies, think again and check out the options at Kodak
Gallery and Shutterfly.
Kodak has a terrific new line of holiday card options, including ones you create from your own photos, or ones that use their
images with your message. And they’re featuring a new line of Martha Stewart cards too.
Shutterfly has also added new designs including multi photo collage designs which would be a blessed relief from those “year in
review” letters.
And while you’re at these sites, you’ll find great ideas for turning your digital photos into unique and
personalized gifts. Like puzzles, coasters (what a great hostess gift), mugs and more.
Create your own e-cards and more.
We just found out about a relatively new web site called Smilebox, for sharing photos and creating cards, invitations, albums, and more, online and
off. You have to check this out.
You quickly download their software and you have easy access to all your stored photos. We created a greeting in
seconds, using one of their templates with music, and send it out via email. It definitely made us smile! It’s free for
sending via email if you send with ads, and only $1.99 without the ads, which also allows you and the recipient to print your creation too.
Create a real book.
We love creating photo book albums at Kodak Gallery and Shutterfly. But Blurb, a brand new web site (still in beta actually) takes creating and publishing your own book to a whole new
level. You download their software and templates, and from there you can create the most amazing publisher quality photo
books, or books with photos to accompany text, that even have their own dust jackets! They have wonderful
templates and great ideas like creating your own cookbook, family history, travelogue, or whatever you can dream of. You can
even post your book for sale at their web site. And the pricing is amazing -- you can start with a book
with up to 40 pages for just $29.99.
Poor the martinis…fast
Yes, we know. We’re starting to sound like Martha Stewart. Yikes! Time to get out the martini shaker.
If you'd like to comment on this week's email, visit our blog, or email us, tomato@thethreetomatoes.com.
‘til next week,
The Three
Tomatoes
Copyright© 2006. The Three Tomatoes. All rights reserved.
