Woman's World December 26, 2022

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25 CHRISTMAS Feel extra joyful! Spread Christmas joy with a floral display! “This bouquet adds festive color, texture and seasonal fragrance to any table,” says Michael Gaffney, founder of the American School of Flower Design. To make: Fill a 6" white vase halfway with water. Snip handfuls of fir, pine or other evergreens and berry branches to 8"; place in the vase, then nestle 2 red amaryllis stems in front of the arrangement. To finish, tuck in ribbons and a craft-store Santa plant pick and hang a mini ornament or two on the evergreen branches. JOKE OF THE WEEK Home for the holidays A man in Miami calls his son in New York and says, “Your mother and I are getting divorced. We can no longer stand the sight of each other. Call…

MOVIE Get swept away by the drama with the epic story in Babylon! Go back in time to 1920s Los Angeles during Hollywood’s Golden Age, when the shift from silent pictures to “talkies” was in full swing. In this era of jazz music, Prohibition and decadence, some movie stars made it big, while others faded away. Follow aspiring starlet Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) as she tries to become a success and make her way to the top, while uber movie star Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) does whatever it takes to hang on to his fame. Find out more at BabylonMovie.com and see it in theaters December 23. UPTV Warm your heart with Christmas in Wolf Creek! Fall in love with this heartwarming story about Sam, who has dedicated her life to rescuing animals and is…

● Bing Crosby sang “White Christmas” on his radio show in 1941, and it spent 11 weeks at #1. ● The Crown Jewel Dessert became a popular holiday treat when R.J. Gatti sent General Foods the recipe in 1955. ● To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the 1960 novel by Harper Lee, opened in theaters in 1962. ● Revlon’s fragrance Charlie launched in 1973, and the advert was the first perfume ad to feature a woman in pants. ● Fisher-Price introduced the Safety Bus in 1959—the most popular Christmas present that year.…

Fiction COZY MYSTERY Christmas and Killers by Josephine Smith This quirky holiday whodunit is set in the Pacific Northwest, where Simone is expecting a calm, cozy Christmas at the Hemlock Inn. But that all goes very awry when one of her staff members takes off on a cruise, her mom shows up in town with secrets up her sleeve and an acquaintance is murdered. Now, Simone must dig for clues to uncover the truth—or else this could end up being her own nightmare before Christmas! ROMANCE Shine a Light by Rebecca Crowley Filled with heartfelt moments and lovable characters, this sweet tale follows Ellie Bloom, whose life goes up in flames—literally—when her apartment catches fire. She reluctantly flees to her sister’s house, where she soon spots a handsome man lighting a menorah in the window next door…and who…

Christmas was around the corner, but Louise Locker was feeling down. Her father had recently died suddenly and her mother was working for minimum wage. Christmas just didn’t feel the same anymore to the then college freshman. Then, one night, Louise was watching The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson read children’s letters to Santa on-air. A lump formed in Louise’s throat, listening to the heartfelt requests from kids, many sharing their family’s financial struggles but still having hope that Santa would stop by—and an idea came to her. What if I could find a little girl who wants dolls for Christmas, and she’s not going to get them? Louise thought. I could anonymously give dolls to her. Forever, she can believe that her dreams can come true—that there’s goodness in the world…

1 Make this call! Spend a few minutes dialing up holly-jolly joy by calling a senior citizen! Visit Covia.org, click “Programs,” then “Social Call” to sign up as a volunteer to be matched with an older adult. Grow a relationship, chat about holiday traditions and trade stories to make the season even brighter. 2 Grant a wish! Make Christmas special for a foster child by logging on to SantaCAN.org, clicking “Buy & Send a Gift” and browsing through requested gifts. Then click on the wish you’d like to grant, from a puzzle to art supplies to action figures. Then buy and ship it to the address provided to make a wish come true. 3 Pay someone’s layaway! Around the holidays, many families put gifts on layaway to pay later. To free them from financial worry…