From daytime office gatherings to the late night lime with family and friends; sooner or later you will find yourself planning a Christmas gathering. Sending invitations and providing refreshments and music is not nearly enough to ensure that your party is a success.

Budget The first rule to party planning is “have a budget”.

The term budget refers not only to money, but to all your resources, like time and people who can lend a hand. Knowing your budget will help you keep in mind what you can and cannot afford, reduces the likelihood of running into difficulty. Once the budget is settled you can choose a date, venue and make a guest list.

Invitations During the Christmas season there a so many parties and gatherings, it would be best to get the word out about your event as soon as possible. The initial invite can be a call, text or email and serves the same purpose as a save-thedate for a more formal event. This initial contact should include at least a tentative venue and at this point you can make inquiries about special dietary needs or restrictions. The ultimate goal of the invite is to inform and excite your guests about your party.

Menu The menu should suit the type of party that you plan to have. If it’s a more formal dinner, heavier, more filling food could be prepared. If your party is one where the guests will mostly be standing and socialising, then you should serve lighter finger foods or cutters that do not require dinnerware or too much cutlery. This will make it easier for guests to move around and enjoy your event.

When selecting menu items, choose ones that can be prepped ahead of time to reduce the amount of work that you will have to do on the actual day of your event. If your budget does not allow for catering, a potluck is often a good way to go, especially since it’s Christmas time.

Set the Scene The layout in a party needs to allow conversation, mingling and or dancing. If you are having a sit down dinner, your center pieces at the table should not block guests from seeing each other. The center pieces should be short or tall enough to allow guests to see each other with little to no visual obstruction. The bar should be set near a sink and running water if possible, especially in the case of a more informal party that has a self serve bar, clean up in case of spills would be quicker. Try to place trash receptacles in a few inconspicuous areas to prevent a pile up in your kitchen. In the case of an informal party, you should have seating for at least half of your guests even if you do not expect them to all be used.

Decorations at a Christmas party are a major part of the planning process. The decor in your event will go a long way towards setting the mood.

Whether you are planning a small get together or a larger event, outfitting your venue with festive decorations will get your guests in the party mood as soon as they enter. In addition to decorations, lighting contributes greatly to the ambiance.

Candlelight flickering against the reflective surfaces of Christmas ornaments, glassware and mirrors gives an ambient glow that is characteristic of the season. The final element is music, a mix of local music (parang and soca parang), classic carols, and contemporary music will complete your event.

With all the elements in place for your Christmas party, the only thing left to do is have a great time.

Beauty Jar

Nothing screams “do it yourself” more than mason jars. I love upcycling and repurposing jars of all shapes and sizes, from baby food, jam, pasta sauce, coffee, giant pickle jars and even large candles; you never know when they will come in handy. If you want, you can spray paint the lids to make the jars look classier. You can put together jars with solely makeup, nail products, hair products or body items, or you can include an assortment of beauty items. Generally, you should line the jar with a soft item to cushion the other items so they won’t break. For example, cotton balls, a soft head wrap, a loofah or shredded kite paper. In you jar, you can include smaller sized items such as lip balm, single eyeshadows, lipstick, lipgloss, mascara, false lashes, travel sized setting spray, mini nail kits, nail polish, nail decals, cuticle oil, travel sized shower gel, body lotion, body scrubs, body butter and other similar items. If you want it to be more personal, fill the jar with items that are your recipient’s favorite color. If there’s still space in the jar, fill it with their favorite candy, or with glass beads, so that they can use the jar to store their brushes after they take the makeup out. Tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar, or stick a bow on top, and you’re done!

Sugar Scrubs

Sugar scrubs can be made using simple ingredients. You can use whatever essential oils you like to change the scent, but your base should be coconut oil, sugar (white or brown will work), your essential oils of choice and optionally, food coloring. For the sake of this how-to, I’ll teach you how to make a candy cane themed sugar scrub. Divide 1 cup of white sugar into two bowls. Add melted coconut oil, stirring in one teaspoon at a time, until the sugar starts to stick together without becoming runny. Once the desired consistency is achieved, stir in peppermint essential oil, approximately 5 drops per half cup of sugar. Add 5 drops of red food coloring to one bowl and mix thoroughly. Take whatever size jar you’d like to gift, and layer in the white and red mixtures, carefully pressing down with a spoon to compact each layer. You can tie a bow around the neck of the jar, and attach an actual candy cane to decorate your sugar scrub. Feel free to fill miniature jars with your candy cane scrub, and include them in the larger beauty jar. Handwritten labels will add an extra personal touch.

DIY Beauty Survival Kit

This is an easy and thoughtful gift to put together. Firstly, you’ll need a pretty makeup pouch. Simply fill this pouch with whatever travel sized “emergency” items you like. Your recipient can keep this pouch in their car or at their office desk. Some examples would be hand sanitizer, gum, mints, a mini flash light, pain killers, lip balm, hand cream, wet wipes, a compact mirror, tweezers, a mini first aid kit, a mini sewing kit, sample sized perfume, mini hairspray, dry shampoo, double sided tape, facial tissues, blotting papers, dental floss, a nail file, safety pins, bobby pins, hair brush, hair ties or whatever other items you think they can use in a pinch. You know at some point, these items will come in handy.

Tea Lover’s Gift

Start with a festive tea cup. You can add an assortment of tea bags, or loose tea with an infuser, homemade cookies wrapped in cellophane and tied with a bow, sticks of cinnamon, candy canes and mini jars of honey or agave. If there’s still some room, you can pop in a pretty lipstick, lip balm or any other small beauty item. It’s a small but thoughtful gift.

Remember, if there’s something that you can make rather than buy, your gift will be far more personal. Items like body butters, sugar scrubs, foot soaks, cuticle cream and other beauty items can be made at home with a little research, creativity and love.

It’s difficult to get to the gym simply because time just doesn’t permit.

Kids are about to go on vacation and most gyms don’t offer child care so everything has to happen around the house.

So I’ve compiled an at home routine you can do in 20 minutes.

The only thing you’re going to need is a 15 pound weight in the form of a dumbbell, kettle bell or even a can of paint. If you get an empty paint can then add weight using sand or rocks to a manageable weight The following routine is a high intensity all body circuit. This type of routine is timed so you’re also gonna need to set the stopwatch on your phone to 30 seconds.

Here’s the breakdown. You’ll be moving nonstop from move to move using several muscle groups around the body creating a fat incinerating experience for your body. It’s a mix of strength and cardio training all in one short but intense 20 minutes.

The glutes and abs will be continuously engaged through the process.

The single side approach addresses any imbalances between either side of the body.

Do these exercises for 30 seconds rest for no longer than ten seconds.

• One arm bent over row

• One arm overhead press

• One front squat

• One arm overhead reverse lunges

• One arm swings (like kettle bell swings)

Complete all five moves on one side and then switch to the other arm.

It should take five minutes to complete a full set doing both sides.

Rest for one minute Repeat three more sets and be completely drenched in sweat 20 minutes later.

Do this routine anytime you can spare 20-30 minutes during your day.

What’s most novel about Mondayness is that the band will utilise a committee of over 65 women from various islands throughout the Caribbean to guide it. Designers for the costumes came from Barbados, Martinique and TT. Martinican designer, Pascal Giboyau, was present at the band’s launch on December 12.

On the day masqueraders can look forward to what the organisers described as a two-fold experience- ‘Road Sesh’ and Night Frolic or “Festival of Friends’ [a big after party for masqueraders and their friends].

No, not that kind of temperance, I like a single malt as much as the next guy. I’m talking about a little self restraint this Christmas, as in avoiding that most common of biblical sins, gluttony. Is our Christmas less wonderful if we eat a little bit less, drink a little less and spend a little less? Nope, not in the least.

So this year try using last year’s Christmas curtains rather than buying new ones. If you buy a smaller ham and turkey, nobody’s going to notice if it’s a few pounds lighter than last year’s. Season them to death, bake the hell out of those suckers, and dress it up on a serving dish and nobody is going to notice the difference and you’ll keep some change in the bank. As for your liquor? Serve everything over ice, pour a little less and let the ice melt to make up the difference. Do you really think your guests are going to notice? They’re all too merry to taste the difference. Make a bottle last twice as long. This is a great strategy for rum, scotch and vodka.

Wine, serve whites very cold or reds at room temperature and put a little less in the glass. You feel really full either way and your liver will thank you later.

At the dinner table there are lots of ways to save money this Christmas. Having a lot of sides makes it appealing to the eye since it gives lots of options and sides are always cheaper than meat. A welcome side effect is it’s healthier to eat less meat anyway. Dress up your vegetables, find whatever is on sale in the market and focus on that. Is ochro cheap this week? Try crispy fried ochro. Is pumpkin cheap? A roasted pumpkin dish would be amazing. Broccoli is always affordable and is a natural with cheese. Add a rice dish, a pasta dish and one with potatoes and you have a lavish spread for a lot less money.

Just a turkey or a large roasted chicken rather than a ham, a turkey and third meat dish will give your pocket a little ease without your belly feeling deprived.

You know the biggest unnecessary expense of Christmas? The tree. Yes it’s fun to decorate and everyone can laugh and have a great time putting it together but a tree is just for looking and every major mall and even some front yards have one that you can look at for free!!! You will save on the cost of the tree, the decorations and the electricity it takes to keep those annoying lights blinking day and night. I may come off as a bit of a Scrooge but I think his message of frugality is a sorely neglected part of the story.

We don’t have to be excessively cheap but neither do we have to part with every cent we have, then borrow more to have a picture perfect season. Be mindful of two things this Christmas, balance and temperance. They will keep you from financial distress in 2017.

Let’s start getting honest with ourselves and stop trying to impress the neighbours and family members. I don’t even think about ‘keeping up with the Jones’s ‘ I’m too busy trying to keep up with inflation, that’s my real competition.

If we forgo the requirements of keeping up appearances, you’d be surprised just how little you really need to get by. In this day and age where we feel an iPad and a smart phone are necessities, we are driving up our own expenses unnecessarily. I don’t know who you are trying to keep up with but I can guarantee you they are as financially strapped as you are, so scaling back your Christmas a little bit is not the end of the world. We can celebrate within our means and still have a good time, well, that’s as long as no ravenous parang groups descend on your house.

If that happens you’re on your own.

Nicks: Worst gift ever received? Somebody else gift with tag addresses to the person still on.

Staci: Wtf. Nah man.

Mel: Wow, you win already, next topic.

Mel: Hahaha! After I committed adultery, my mummy got me a Catholic-type plaque with a saying on earning forgiveness!

Staci: Shaded by mummy. Ouch.

Ronz: Worst gift ever! A long leather coat with huge shoulder pads and patches in suede. Allyuh remember a video from the 80s, “Wild Wild West” or something so? It looked just like that! I wanted a short, stylish leather jacket, fitted, classy, etc and my ex gone and get me something from I doh even know when! I returned it immediately. He was vex.

Mel: I got a vase once! A little stupid boyfriend I had for a three months before I met hubby. Anyway, it looked like a vase that comes with a single rose for Valentine’s except this one was flowerless.

Staci: An ex bf knew I loved heels and pink but the pink heels he chose were just tragic. I tried to wear them once and properly buss my ass, of course that was first and last time but that one time I wore it I made sure he saw me in it. I think I ended up donating them to charity the following Christmas.

Lis: Girlfriends, allyuh take a look at the item in this photo and tell me what it is? I dunno what it is to this day! The armhole goes all the way down to the elasticated waistband…

Ronz: Is it a sweater?

Lis: Nope.

Staci: Lis, I turn my phone all how to watch that pic and I still cannot figure out what it is.

Lis: Neither can I, sighs.

Staci: Maybe a beach throw over? Or a scarf that sewn in a circle?

Ronz: Lol, maybe it eh even clothes. Could it be to pull over the back of a chair?

Katherine: Lis, that is awful indeed. I got a fuchsia pink frill dress once. I hope my face didn’t sell me out. T’was from my mother in law, she gave better gifts after that. So I guess my face did sell me out.

Ronz: I want to find something positive about it but even as a scarf it looks a bit like something you’d find on a table or like a doily. That said, it could be pulled over a cushion and given to someone old gran or tanty.

Lis: And that is from my brother, which is why it is tucked away in a drawer…far away

Ronz: I knew it had to have been from a man. No female friend or relative (who likes you) would do you that!

Lis: at least put the bill with it so I could return it!

Ronz: Ent! Gift receipts are so necessary sometimes.

Martie: I’m at lunch with a friend and she said her man got her windshield wipers once. She said “oh thank you, but why? My car is brand new”. He said they were on sale on Amazon and they’re very expensive in Trinidad and she’ll need them one day.

Staci: Her ex man?

Martie: No, her current man.

Staci: He sound like the kind of man who at some point will also get her a blender or pot holders.

Martie: She said he always gives a practical gift with the others.

Staci: Practical is not something u want to unwrap though.

Ronz: Gifts like that are fine if they also come with jewelry or perfume, etc

Staci: So let’s try and help these clueless men out, what are some of the worst gifts to give your mother / wife / girlfriend / BFF / crush.

Rory: Exercise equipment, unless I asked for it and even then, I don’t want it as a gift. Another terrible gift is self-help books, like are you trying to say something?

Katherine: I hate when people buy me clothes. It’s usually nothing I would buy for myself. I also hate “fashion” jewelry as gifts, usually nothing fashionable about it, or it scratches your ears.

Rory: Or turn ya skin green Katherine! What about knock off brand name handbags or knock off anything in fact? Don’t do it!! A heffa gave me one once. Bright yellow. Bout Prada, I swear she get that in Rattans! Even if you get something from Rattans, no brand is fine. But keep the knock-offs. I was sure it was re-gifted too eh. She had a cheap mother in law who used to give her those things. How you will bad talk she with me then re-gift the shiz to me self?

Ronz: Ent! Gift certificate is king in the land gift giving. Unless you know me well enough to guess then gift cards to a store/ website you know I like is always safe, or ask a friend.

Mel: Stuff for de house, miss me with that.

Ronz: Scented candles! Usually they just smell of chemicals if they smell at all!

Staci: Unless it’s like super personalized or UH-MAY-ZING then please no coffee cups / mugs unless the person if addicted to caffeine.

Ronz: Anything another woman helped you pick out…

Mel: My husband bought me a TIgger cookie jar once. I don’t like cookies

Ronz: Hahaha wow

Rory: Oouuuu! Lingerie you bought for your ex but y’all broke up before you could give her and so you telling me to have it. And yes that really happened.

Mel: I know someone who proposed with the ring he bought for the ex and he did it at Christmas. She said yes and they married and she sporting ring proudly. And it was too small when he gave her eh…but that ain’t my business.

Ronz: Oh hell no! Recycled engagement ring is a NEVER! Unless is yuh great great gran Aunty so and so family heirloom ring.

Any gift should have thought and consideration behind it. If you know I only wear gold then miss me with anything silver, etc. If you know I hate cookies then leave the cookie jar in the store. I don’t care how cute, if it was a good deal, or if you trying to drop hints that I should take up baking. Gifts should make someone else happy not cringe or start reconsidering the relationship.

Kimba: But do you all tell them though? Like say I hate this?

Ronz: Good question…

Kimba: Especially when an effort was made but they just really missed the mark?

Ronz: I think if the effort was genuine and you care about the person’s feelings then it’s probably just best to file that under “it’s the thought that counts”. But if it’s someone who should know better then I say tell them!

The recipe

(what you’ll need)

1. 500 yards of 12 LB Fishing Line

2. 143 Sliver Tacks

3. Clear Tape

4. Mounting Tape

5. 38” X 38” sheet of White Foam Core Board

6. Scissors

7. Measuring Tape

8. 142 Glass Ornaments (must be light in weight)

9. 1 Glass Star

10. Plotter

11. Ladder

Let the merriment begin!

1. Print acla:works’ tree plan and elevation

2. Plot the plan on a 24” x 38” sheet of paper.

As most plotters print a maximum width of

24”, you will need to separate the plan into halves and proceed to print each half separately.

3. Lightly tape the halves to your 38” x 38” foam core.

4. Using a pen or a sharp pencil, score the location of the ornaments on the plan onto

the foam core.

5. Remove the print.

6. Cut 143 lengths of fishing line using the plan and elevation as your guide. Ensure that you separate the fishing line into batches based on their lengths to avoid confusion.

7. Tie ornaments onto the 142 measured lengths and the star to the 143rd.

8. Using the mounting tape, stick the foam core board to your ceiling. Ensure that you have 10’ of space from floor to ceiling.

NB: Mounting tape works best in an environment that is not humid.

9. Starting with the innermost scored ornament locations – using your clear tape, attach the shortest length of fishing line with ornament (which in this case will be your star) to the appropriate location. Tack your silver tack onto tape to reinforce.

10. Continue this instruction moving outwards to the final and outermost scores.

VOILA! Your minimalist tree is complete.

Either the Government enacts legislation to determine who holds executive authority in the event of a tie or the court is asked by either side to interpret the provisions of the law.

The shambolic nature of Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony underlines the need for a more orderly approach. It is not correct for the caretaker chairman to overreach his roles and functions. We make no finding as to whether this has occurred, but note that an argument can be made stating that chairman Terry Rondon went too far.

Equally, it is not acceptable for UNC representatives to leave their constituents unrepresented on the basis of their own private views of the legality of the meeting.

The UNC’s walkout — a fourth for the party in recent months — was prompted when caretaker chairman Rondon sought to exercise a “second vote”, something which would ostensibly have the effect of a casting vote and would break the deadlock that arose after electors gave an equal number of seats to both the PNM and UNC.

The UNC described Thursday’s events as an “act of thuggery” by the Government, which was a gross exaggeration of the conduct of the PNM officials named.

At the same time, it is true that it would have been far more advisable for Rondon and his party to err on the side of caution, to allow a motion calling for legal advice to be put forward and possibly widened so as to include all the officials around the table.

PNM chairman Franklyn Khan, the day after the local government election, publicly hinted at the possibility of legislative action being undertaken to break the tie — which means the party at that stage was of the view that the law had a gap. If that view has since changed due to subsequent legal advice, that is no reason to not defer to judges.

The fact that the position has shifted is itself a good reason why the Supreme Court should be called upon to deliberate.

The State should file a request for the High Court to interpret the law as it stands.

If the court finds a gap that cannot be cured by interpretation, a bill should be tabled in Parliament fixing the problem.

To ride roughshod over all of the uncertainties, pretending as though there is no issue of interpretation — of both the letter and the spirit of the law — is to do a disservice not only to the Sangre Grande community but the entire nation, a nation premised on the rule of law. It cannot be a case of one party’s untested interpretation of the law prevailing over the will of officials duly elected by the people.

None of this is to ignore the fact that Section 15 (2) of the Act clearly states: “Unless the mayor resigns or ceases to be qualified or becomes disqualified or is removed from office in accordance with this Act, he shall continue in office until his successor in office has accepted office and has made and subscribed the appropriate declaration.” Rather, the argument being advanced is that it is for a judge or a panel of judges to rule on this, not lawyers hired by the PNM or UNC.

Meanwhile, we again ask why this situation was allowed to develop in the first place. The Elections and Boundaries Commission should urgently review its boundaries for all of the corporations that have an even number of seats. (Incredibly, even after the infamous 18-18 tie of 2001, about half of them do.) For now we call on all members of the corporation to work together for the people of Sangre Grande.

The best way to do this is to place the question of the governance of the council in the hands of impartial adjudicators trained in law: judges.

Simplified economics around two scenarios can make a picture of what affects the scripts and the deals ahead. Tax concessions may not be enough to bring new investments, just so, since at this time they would be, inter-alia, buying into a strong US dollar, costly labour market, rotten US domestic and international fiscal and monetary positions, and exporting on a high dollar into a possible trade war (over protectionism projected by Trump).

New Eurobond issues with better interest rates from the US companies and hedgers would further devalue existing US debt, raise interest rates and possibly take pressure off the US dollar though not the US bubble.

A later devaluation of the US dollar would help new US exports but significantly alter the capital already invested. It could be that the move to build back up the military and at the same time supply a remilitarising Europe would be the engine and fuel to help alter the overall situation, beforehand.

This would mean that the world in general would trip into a cycle of militarisation and we can expect the US to be blaming certain parties while still pushing pseudo-societal agendas (same old). What other concessions are to be on offer might be things kept strictly private, eg, secret currency/trade pairing and related hedging and kickbacks/swaps etc that help the US dollar stabilise and the US to reorganise its indebtedness.

All this is not to suggest that the US necessarily is on the verge of bankruptcy. If the US were to devalue first or along the way, it most certainly could reorganise debt on the cheap and avoid bankruptcy.

Whatever the “script” and “deals”, it is clear that information gathered through FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) is crucial for the US to plan its angles on both the vast offshore pools of funds and the timing associated with using them, and leverage them.

E GALY via email

This after the club-versus-country row sparked up again; however, it has to do with the availability of three Central FC players for the 28-man national training squad.

Goalkeeper Jan-Michael Williams, midfielders Sean De Silva and Nathaniel Garcia were called up for training on Tuesday by Saintfiet, ahead of the December 27 and 30 international matches away to Nicaragua.

But Sancho, the ex-national defender, alleged that Saintfiet, during a telephone conversation on Wednesday, stressed that the trio could be dropped from the squad if they declined the offer to train with the TT team.

Sancho, in a telephone interview yesterday, admitted that the club received a letter from the national team’s technical staff on Tuesday requesting the trio for training on Thursday evening, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.

“Immediately after that letter was received, we sent a letter stating that ‘please understand that, of course, we have three games coming up in the TT Pro League (yesterday, December 20 and December 23) and we just wanted to be clear that it would be a challenge for us to send the players now but we can send them on the 24th’,” said Sancho.

A meeting of the 10 Pro League coaches and/or administrators was called on Wednesday at the TTFA office, located at the Hasely Crawford Stadium but, according to Sancho, “we already had our training planned so we, and one other club, didn’t partake in the meeting.

We had made our position clear in the letter we had sent out.” However, around midday on Wednesday, Sancho got a phone call from Saintfiet, via team manager Azaad Khan (while the meeting was in session).

“I let (Saintfiet) know that we’re very short-handed because of injuries (but) we can both work amicably towards our various goals,” said Sancho. “Before I could finish what I was saying, his tone was on a high-octave one and (he stated) that he was not interested in that.

He (said he) called his players and he’s not going to sit back here and allow this Third World mentality to permeate throughout.” Sancho continued, “I was taken aback by the tone and the manner in which he spoke. I had to again assure him that I was here to work with him, not to work against him.

He (continued) yelling some more and he hung up the phone after all.”Khan, when contacted yesterday, denied that Saintfiet used the exact term “Third World” during his telephone conversation with Sancho.

Assistant coach Jamaal Shabazz, in a post on local sports website Wired 868, clarified that Saintfiet – the former coach of Bangladesh – said “even in a developing country like Bangladesh they will be more serious about their national team” The games against Nicaragua would not be played on FIFA match dates.

TTFA president David John-Williams yesterday insisted that the Pro League clubs previously all agreed that their players will be released to train with national teams, even during the tenure of ex-coach Stephen Hart.

Sancho is adamant that no such agreement exists – official or otherwise.

The Central FC owner argued that what the clubs came to a consensus on was that there would be no breaks during the Pro League.

“We wanted the League not to lose interest by playing games straight through the window. The relationship we had with Stephen Hart is that he may meet with the coaches first to find out when is good, not select a team and throw dates down your throat.” Concerning the heated conversation with the TT coach, Sancho continued, “I am a club owner. I’m extremely sure he would not speak in that tone to Khaleem Hyland’s Westerlo, to Sheldon Bateau’s club (Krylia Sovetov Samara of Russia) or (Kevin) Molino’s club (Orlando City FC).” Sancho later said that his players would be allowed to train with the national team this weekend but will be back in club colours on Tuesday.

Efforts to contact Saintfiet and Pro League Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dexter Skeene proved futile yesterday.