WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 38

Santa’s Bad Day
Not long ago and far away, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip, but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves got sick and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the sick elves. Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her Mum was going to come and visit. This obviously stressed Santa even more.When he went to harness the reindeer, he found out that three of them were about to give birth (go on Rudolph!!!) and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress.

Then he began to load his sleigh, when one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the floor and scattered the toys everywhere.Totally frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of tea and a shot of sherry.

When he went to the cupboard, he found the elves had drunk all his liquor and there was nothing left to drink. In his frustration, he dropped his tea-pot and it shattered into a million pieces and all over the kitchen floor.

He got his broom to sweep all the bits up only to find that mice had eaten the straw off the end of the broom.Just then the door-bell rang and Santa cussed on his way to the door.

He opened the door to see a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.

The angel said, in a sweet little voice, "Where would you like me to put this tree, fat man?"

And that my friends, is how the little angel came to be on top of the Christmas tree....

LINK 2 IN LETTERKENNY

Link2 in the Courtyard Shopping Centre in Letterkenny opened its doors this October and has a great selection of gift ideas this Christmas. Paul and Keith Harvey had been working in music retail in Letterkenny for seventeen years and really know and appreciate their customer base. They saw a gap in the market and decided to branch out on their own, selling gadgets and novelties as well as music and DVD’s.

Link2 has a superb selection of all the top Irish CD’s including the new albums from Ronnie Drew, Enya and Snow Patrol. Don’t forget the comedy gem Nob Nation 2 –The Recession Album and DVD’s from Conal Gallen, Tommy Tiernan and Brendan Grace. There are loads of others to choose from and include all the chart stuff as well.

Novelties
At office Christmas parties it is customary to have a Chris Cringle and it can be difficult to think of a gift for a colleague who you may see every day, but not know that well. There are all sorts of fun ideas at Link2 such as the tight-git wallet (only €7.99) or the swearing punch ball (for €9.99). Guaranteed to break the ice and get a laugh before your first glass of wine takes effect.

Gadgets Galore
What is it about boys and their toys? How does a remote control helicopter make a seemingly well-adjusted man go weak at the knees? How many fathers buy a remote control car for their son and end up only giving them a turn very reluctantly? Link2 has a wide range of gadgets including the latest remote control helicopters, which they demonstrate in the store every Saturday and Sunday.

Ideas for Kids
Of course kids love gadgets too. What about a popcorn-maker at €34.99 for a healthy and fun treat or there is a rocket lava lamp (at €19.99) to create the right atmosphere for your moody teenager. They also have all the Sesame Street Puppets as seen on the Late Late Toy Show including Bert and Ernie and Oscar for €20.

On-Line
Paul and Keith have recently launched Link2 on-line too and you can purchase items at http://www.link2.ie/. This website only shows a few of their in store items but more are being added.

So when you are in Letterkenny, why not pop into Link2 in the Courtyard Centre and grab a few innovative and different gifts.

SHOPPING IN CARNDONAGH - EDITORIAL

CARNDONAGH – THE PLACE TO BE FOR SHOPPING

Take a look at the map of Inishowen and you will see that at its centre is the town of Carndonagh. Carn Domhnaigh or ‘Cairn of Donagh’ is a thriving market town - and has been for centuries. It is the place that farmers and traders have always come to serve the wider community from Ballyliffin to Culdaff, Gleneely and Moville. The thriving Inishowen Co-op and cattle market still serve the farming community but in today’s economic climate a town needs to serve all the consumer interests of an even larger catchments area. Carndonagh does this.

Driving in on any road, the prosperity of the town is apparent. Carefully planned new developments are still being built even though there is a down turn in the economy. New retail outlets will soon be in place to add the already comprehensive choice of shops. Carndonagh boasts one of the largest community schools in Ireland, which shows just what a large population the town and catchment area has, the last census showed over 2000 people living in the townland alone.

CATERING FOR THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPER
If you are asking yourself how Carndonagh can cater for the Christmas shopper then let us take a trip around town, starting in the Diamond, the fresh looking central point of the town.

The Heel Bar
Situated conveniently next to the Diamond, the Heel Bar knows all too well what men want for Christmas….High visibility jackets, trousers and safety boots. Men like a bargain and when they find out that the whole set costs a credit crunching €44.50, they will insist that they get a set for their birthday too. The bargains don’t stop there either. The shop stocks top of the range brand names such as Gore-Tex and Snickers work wear which will also make the ideal gift. Make sure that Santa doesn’t get left out in the cold either by getting him a key cut at the Heel Bars key cutting counter. Better still get a couple of sets for yourself and the family that will be popping around. No-one likes to be left in the cold. The Heel Bar also stock Alike locks, which allows on key to fit all of the doors of the house. They do free estimates and free fitting as well.


Shoe & Sport Store.
The Shoe and Sport store in the town have plenty of Christmas gifts for every-one. There’s €5 off a wide range of their boots and they have the latest stock just in of team calendars and teddies. These products are highly sought after so don’t leave the shopping until the last minute as stocks are limited. Check out the other bargains in store as they have €10 off a range of their sports shirts of all the top teams like Liverpool and Chelsea.


Hirrells of Carndonagh
Next we come to Hirrells, a shop that is bursting with a huge selection of vital Christmas goodies. As soon as you walk into the shop you are aware of the huge selection of lights and decorations for both indoors and outdoors. Christmas would be a dull place without the shimmering glows on the trees and houses. Talking of trees, Hirrells are selling fabulous fibre optic ones for only €49.00, and because you can use them every year they make fantastic financial sense. If you are decorating the doors, walls and tabletops then Hirrells have a great range of cribs, candles, wreaths and garlands too. Let’s not forget what Hirrells are well known for, they also have a fabulous range of toys for all ages. If you are looking for board games, crafts or techno games for the PSP, Nintendo DS and X Box the Toyland section of the shop is now open.


THERE’S MORE THAN SHOPPING IN CARNDONAGH

Branching out a few steps from the Diamond we get to more shops, not all of them are selling products, some are giving us that much needed services that boost to our self confidence and well being.


The Natural Touch Beauty Salon
The Natural Touch Beauty salon on Chapel Street has fantastic offers available from now until Christmas. Fancy a facial or an Indian head massage? Maybe you would enjoy a full body wrap and body massage to get you in the mood for going out to the staff party. Whilst you are enjoying the pampering; why not get a gift voucher from them for a loved one too.

The Loft
Just off of the main road we find a brand new row of shops. The Loft on the New Road in this complex has full beauty and tanning treatment facility for the serious beauty seeker. They offer exclusive Glamma Puss products. There are injectable treatments for wrinkles and a wide range of other services from lip enhancement, mesotherapy, restylane/perlane fillers, facial line smoothing sclerothereapy and cosmetic enhancements. Their next clinic is on the 2nd December, and booking is essential.

Serenity Hair Design by Collette
Don’t forget your hair, the winter weather can be hard on your head insulation. Serenity hair designs in the town are stocking a full range of organic hair colours and mineral products. These are generally more expensive products in the salons but at Serenity they are used at no extra cost to you. There might be time to get a couple of styles in before Christmas and if the man in your life wants a trim them at Colette’s then there are reduced rates (they have less hair after all) On Tuesdays there are special rates for senior citizens too so all of the family can go along


ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET

Ryan Carpets
Heading down the Malin road out of the town you will see Ryan Carpets. There’s no better time to roll out the red carpet for your guests over Christmas and the New Year. Ryan carpets also stock a wide range of vinyl and wood flooring for those of us who need a low maintenance, practical surface to mop up the spilt wine and trodden in mince pies that were dropped over the festivities. If you are having friends and family staying over the holidays and would like their stay to be comfortable and luxurious, then a new bed and bedroom furniture might be on the cards. Just make sure they are not too comfortable, you don’t want them staying too long after the New Year…

FOYLE RIVER DERRY

Derry might be busy with last minute shoppers,but there is still peace and quiet on the River Foyle walk out of the city.

NEW YEAR CLEANING

I was reading the statistics about the percentages of people that manage to stick to their resolutions. It makes for interesting reading but it shows that it depends what you have decided to give up as to how successful you are. The percentage of people that stick to putting their socks on the right way around and not inside out is very low, whilst the percentages for people who decide to cut something like smoking out of their lives is a little better. Cutting cigarettes from your daily diet can cause loads of tension in households and so can saying no to sugar. I have every admiration for those of you that made a decision to abstain in something, it’s not easy making the changes but I’m sure the benefits will show through in no time at all. If you fail in your resolution, don’t be too hard on yourself! For me this year, I have resolved to put up some shelving in the front room. This sounds like a small project but to get to the tools to do the job I have to go into the attic. When I beat a path into the loft space I will have to clear it out to find the tools, it’s no wonder I put it off from last New Year!

Here are a few other ideas that could go on the list of jobs to do.

NEW YEAR CLEANING IDEAS
If you have a dishwasher it will probably have been working overtime over the last few weeks. Run a hot vinegar rinse through your empty dishwasher, just to clean out the interior. Add lemon juice for a fresh scent.

Purge leftovers from your fridge. And any old condiments, or weird food items you just don't know what to do with. You will probably have loads of old food and half empty jars of red jelly stuff left over from Christmas. Throw out the contents and recycle the jars. It's easier to cook, and keep your fridge interior clean, when you can see what you have.

Pull out your fridge and vacuum those coils! You'll get big energy savings and your appliance will run longer.

· Next sunny day, turn off the heat, throw open the windows and doors, and let the clean air carry out your musty indoor atmosphere. Fluff your bed pillows outside in the sun, and turn them over to air after an hour or so. Drag everything outside: couch cushions, blankets, dog beds, upholstered chairs, and your sock drawer. The ultra-violet sunshine will kill off any clinging microbes, while the fresh air will linger inside your home for weeks. Watch out for rain showers though.

CHRISTMAS CANDLES

RECYCLE OLD CANDLES
We have a lot of candles this year. Candles give off a lovely warm glow and add a bit of cosiness to the long winter evenings. Most of them burn fairly well for the first few times bit they can get very messy and irregularly shaped, which makes them a bit dangerous to burn. This year we decided to recycle them into new candles and the result has been very successful. When soap bars get too small to use they can be compressed together to make a new bar, candles can be re-used in much the same way but instead of pressing them together we melted the wax. The whole affair proved to be a bit messier than we thought, but this shouldn’t put you off. We found an old saucepan and popped in all of the old candles then put them on the Parkray to melt slowly. We then used an old Pringles tube as a mould and used old string from a yo-yo as the wick that was held in place by a pencil resting on the top of the tube. I was very careful to tell the children to be careful, as hot wax is both dangerous and messy. As I was doing this I managed to spill the liquid on the cooker and also as I poured out the wax into the mould I spilled it all over the kitchen table. The washing up bowl has a ring of wax around it that I can’t get off and I have wax splats on my jumper and trousers. But I don’t care because we have this great big, tube shaped, red candle taking pride of place on the mantelpiece!