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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2008-12-24, Page 38It’s that season for making party rounds and opening up homes to friends and family. Maybe it’s your turn to play host or hostess and you’re not sure where to start or how to set your party apart from the others. More importantly, you want to ensure guests have a good time. Even if you’ve waited until the last minute for party planning, you can still host a memorable and fun event. Here are a few ideas how. * Secret Santa gift exchange: Part of the enjoyment of the holidays is exchanging gifts with others. Instruct guests to bring along an inexpensive gift. You can set the price limit at $10 to $15. Place all of the gifts in a big red bag and play Santa, handing out a gift to everyone who attended. * Play games: Scour the game aisle of your favourite store for board or action games that would work well in large groups. Or, modify baby or bridal shower games to fit a holiday theme. Door prize games, or Pin the Red Nose on Rudolph are silly ideas that can add up to fun, especially when the cocktails are flowing. * Create the mood with lights and music: Christmas and New Year’s are celebrated in most areas during the darkest days of winter. So shed light on your festivities with plenty of twinkling lights and votive candles. Create a holiday playlist on your MP3 player and make sure the tunes continue all night long. * Involve guests in decorating: Short on time? Gather up supplies for decorating and advertise that you’re having a tree-trimming or house-trimming party on your invitations. Allow guests to get crafty and be involved in dressing up your home. * Don’t fret about food:You don’t have to be a gourmet chef to host a winning party. If food isn’t your forte, don’t worry about catering the event or looking to pre-packaged appetizers and snacks. As guests mingle and hop from party to party, they’re not going to be looking for an elaborate sit-down dinner. Fresh veggies and dips, bite-sized finger foods and the like are standard party fare. If you want to get creative, take any of your favorite foods and just make them in miniature. Tiny burgers, bite-sized pizzas, and even small peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can delight. * Cocktail savvy: Stock the bar with the old standards for variety and come up with one signature drink you can make in bulk. Why not try a frosty punch and give it a theme-inspired name, such as Winter Wonderland? Be sure to have plenty of non- alcoholic drinks on hand for those designated drivers. * Dessert bar: Top off the evening with a dessert bar where guests can create and garnish their own desserts. Set out ice cream and fixings, a fondue pot with skewers of fruit, different pies with nuts and whipped cream, or any other combination you can think of. Try out a couple of these tips for a memorable evening that doesn’t take much planning. Supporters of a new drain onDuncan Street in Bluevale wereurged to get more support on apetition when Morris-Turnberry council met at its Dec. 16 meeting. David Thompson appeared before council for the second meeting in a row wondering what the council’s position is on committing to the project to provide drainage to residents on the street after meetingwith its consulting engineer.Nancy Michie, administratorclerk-treasurer said that the engineerhad estimated a cost of $12,000 toconduct the preliminary study forthe drain. This amount would be picked up by the petitioners for the drain if a majority of those whose land will be involved vote against proceeding with the project after they’ve seen how much each landowner will pay toward the cost. Thompson questioned the cost ofthe study but councillor PaulGowing pointed out the report willbe complicated, since nearly everyproperty in the village will beexamined to see if it will benefitfrom the drain. Gowing noted there are quite a number of people in Bluevale who have drainage problems that need to be addressed, but others who will be assessed costs may not support the project. While council should support the project, he didn’t think itwas appropriate for council to haveits public works co-ordinator signon, thereby forcing the project to goahead.Michie noted that the engineer hadrecommended the municipality request the preliminary report. If the project went ahead, the cost of the report would be added into the assessments for the drain but if it didn’t, the municipality would pick up the cost of the study. “We need to decide how serious we are (about going ahead)” said Jim Nelemans, deputy mayor. “There’s no sense spending $12,000 if we’re not going to go ahead.” Nelemans noted that in the 1970s a study was done that estimated the cost of the drain at $68,000, and suggested it might be triple that now.When asked, Thompson said hehad the signatures of 14 peoplerepresenting eight lots now and hadseveral others he hadn’t approached.Nelemans urged him to get moresignatures on the petition which would bring down the share of the study’s cost to be paid by each person. Gowing said the project is more likely to go ahead if someone such as Thompson is selling its benefits, rather than the municipality calling for the study. Mayor Dorothy Kelly agreed. “If you can get enough people with a problem to sign, the project will go ahead,” she said, suggesting he come back to the Jan. 6 meeting. PAGE 38. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2008. At the Dec. 15 meeting, North Huron council approved a recommendation that the North Huron Children’s Centre move to a straight daily billing for child care services effective Jan. 1. *** An extensive recommendation regarding the ice in/ice out policy for the Wingham and Blyth arenas was presented for council’s consideration. Included was the time for the regular ice season. Beginning next year, ice will be made available at the Blyth arena from the first Monday in October until March 31. In Wingham ice will be in from the first Tuesday after Labour Day until April 15. If March’s ice usage at both arenas isn’t enough for them to stay open, it will be removed at one facility and all activities will be moved to the other arena. This will be at the discretion of the recreation department. *** The season for winter highway maintenance has been defined as Nov. 15 to March 31. *** North Huron is asking the county to erect temporary speed limit signs for 80 km an hour on township roads being used for detours as most county roads are posted at 90 kms an hour. Also, they are asking that a sign be placed indicating slow moving equipment will be using the road. *** The director of public works, Ralph Campbell, has been authorized to attend the 2009 drainage conference in London, Jan. 20-22. *** Shultz Brothers have given up the snow removal contract at the East Wawanosh landfill after more than 30 years. Ken Siertsema will be blowing the snow there for this winter. *** Christmas trees will be picked up Jan. 12 for chipping at the landfill site. *** Accounts totalling $1,189,025.39 were approved for payment. *** A letter will be sent to residents of Edward Street from Patrick to Alfred Streets in Wingham to advise them of the reason the snow is no longer being cleared from the sidewalk. The service was stopped because of complaints from some residents about snow being blown onto their property. Other residents wanted the service continued. *** A record management software program is being purchased for $9,895 from Versatile Express. Dial up the fun factor M-T council urges residents to get support North Huron council briefs New billing for child care With exceeding great joy, we wish you and your family a truly miraculous holiday season. It’s been a privilege for us to serve people like you. Thanks! Duizer Plumbing & Heating Londesboro 519-523-4846 Clinton 519-482-5267 Tom and Marjorie, Steve and ChristinaINSTALLATION • SALES • SERVICE Central Boiler Dealer Outdoor wood furnaces and outdoor grain boilers Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year BRUSSELS www.centralboiler.com 519-887-6405 MERRY CHRISTMAS May happiness and peace be yours all through this joyous season and through the new year from our home to yours Feed Mill Walton Dungannon 519-887-6023 519-529-7951 ~ Winter Store Hours ~ Mon.-Fri. 6:30 am - 7 pm, Sat. 8 am - 7 pm, Sun. Closed Country Store 519-887-8429 401 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-8011 CAFÉ More than just a great sandwich! Friday Night 5 pm - 7 pm Wishing everyone all good things, plus all the gifts the season brings! Merry Christmas and many thanks for your business this year. From all the staff at Cinnamon Jim’s By Keith RoulstonThe Citizen