Gift Ideas For The Holidays

The holiday season is here, and the rat race to pick up the perfect gifts for loved ones is on. Whether it is a necktie for Dad or blanket for the new baby in the family, finding the right gift can take up a lot of time. Here’s a list of hot gift items for all members of the family:

Find ornamental figurines for your loved ones at la confetteria in whitestone.

FOX’S GIFT SHOP
For the newly weds, Fox’s Gift Shop has a wide variety of crystal, dinnerware, picture frames and china. Get the happy couple the perfect frame for their wedding day picture or the first piece of china for their collection. Fox’s Gift Shop is located at 159-02 Northern Blvd., Flushing. For further information call (718) 463-9674.

YANNI’S FURS INC.
When shopping for that special woman in your life, stray away from the usual pajamas and slippers this year, and spring for a fur coat from Yanni’s Furs Inc. Yanni’s has a large collection of designer furs and minks at reasonable prices. Whether you’re looking for a fur stole or a full-length mink coat, Yanni’s has what you’re looking for.
Yanni’s Fur Inc. is located at 130 Middleneck Rd., Great Neck. For further information call (516) 504-1113.

Crystal dinnerware can make the perfect gift for that newly-wed couple.

SAM GOODY
What do you get the man in your life that has everything? The Seinfield Season one through three DVD collection at Sam Goody. The new Sam Goody store in Queens Center Mall has an array of DVDs, CDs and gift cards, if you can’t pick out the perfect present. Sam Goody is located in on the Concourse Level of Queens Center Mall, 90-15 Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst.

FOREVER 21
Teenage girls can never have enough trend setting attire, so this holiday season stop by Forever 21 to pick up a tweed blazer, velour sweat suit or colorful accessories that will go with any outfit. With sweaters and jeans ensembles for under $20, you can get the young lady in your household a whole new winter wardrobe. Forever 21 is located on the Main Level of Queens Center Mall.

Fox gifts on northern boulevard in flushing have a wide selection for this hoilday season.

FOOT LOCKER
If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the teenage boy in your household, Foot Locker is the one stop shop for the newest Jordan’s and workout apparel. Whether they’re on the basketball court or hanging out with their friends, looking cool is a must, and Foot Locker will definitely help you get the job done. Foot Locker is located on the Second Level of Queens Center Mall.

LA CONFETTERIA
When shopping for grandparents who have everything, it is always safe to keep it sweet and elegant with a Lenox Holiday Figural keepsake from La Confetteria. Put a smile on your grandmother’s face with a sculpture by Armani, Swarovski or Versace. Or maybe a salt and peppershaker set. Let them know you care by personally selecting a gift from La Confetteria. La Confetteria is located at 1533 Clintonville St. in Whitestone. For further information call (718) 747-2489.

Fun Holiday Drinks
BY ALEX PADALKA

Nothing warms the blood during the cold months like some holiday beverages. Keeps the family at bay too. Here’s some classic concoctions to make at home.

Take a bottle of bordeaux, add cinnamon and cognac = gluhvein!

Mulled Wine
Mulled means heated and spiced, and these wines have been popular all throughout Western Europe since the B.C. era. In medieval times they were called Hipocris, after the Greek physician Hippocrates, because they were thought to be healthy, and they may have been considering the unsanitary conditions of regular water back in the open-sewer days. Mulled wine has been served to children in England as Negus, and in Germany and Russia Gluhvein is still used as a cold remedy.

Mulled wine can be made with almost anything — cider, mead, white or red wine, some spices, honey and fruit. Here’s a few worth trying :

Hint: When using red wine, Bordeaux works best.

Colonial American, as served in Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts: In a pint of water, boil 1 beaten nutmeg, 2 broken cinnamon sticks and 1 tbsp pounded cloves; reduce to half and strain into a quart of wine, bring to a boil, sweeten and serve.

Cinnamon Cognac: Boil 1 cup of water with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 cinnamon stick; add 1 bottle of red, heat slowly, add 1/4 cup Cognac, serve with lemon twists.

Glögg: a popular Scandinavian drink during Advent and Christmas, this mulled wine can be set on fire! Heat 1 bottle red wine, .75L, Aquavit or Brandy, 10 cardamon pods, 5 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 orange peel and 5 dried figs. Place about a 1/2 lb of sugar cubes, or one sugar lump, in a sieve (which will get destroyed), put on a mitt, set the Glögg on fire and ladle the Glögg over the sugar until it’s melted. Cover the pot to extinguish the flames, and serve with raisins and almonds.

Note: Drink responsibly – warm alcohol hits the blood stream much quicker!

Flaming Tea
Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights, and Russian Jews had a great way of celebrating it. They would take great lumps of sugar, break them up and pass them around to each of the guests. Out of a piping hot samovar, they would pour tall glasses of strong tea and serve it in metal holders, along with a “pony” of brandy. The lights were turned off as a light taper was passed among the guests. Each person dipped the sugar lump in brandy and lit it, passing the flame to her neighbor.

“As the glow spread from one another, songs were sung and then all together the flaming cubes were dropped into the waiting glasses.”

- From “The Jewish Festival Cookbook.”

Coffee Drinks
Alcohol with coffee, perhaps the greatest thing about being an adult. All coffee drinks are served best with cold heavy whipped cream floated on top (not mixed), for a total assault on the senses. Add the following to 6 oz hot coffee:

Irish Coffee: 1 1/2 oz Irish Whiskey, sugar, ideally brown.

Jamaican Coffee: 1 oz Tia Maria, ¾ oz Rum.

Keoki Coffee: 3/4 oz Brandy, ¾ oz Kahlua, sugar, garnish with cherry.

Mexican Coffee: 3/4 oz Kahlua, ¾ oz Tequila.

Italian Coffee: 1 1/4 oz Sambuca.

Hot Mulled Cider
Cider became an alternative to beer in New England when grains didn’t take and became more expensive in the 1600s. Eventually, however, it became so popular that a town’s wealth was measured by the amount of apple cider it produced. A quintessential New England drink, cider is now having a revival.

For a holiday treat, try adding some spices and heating it up. Add 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks and a couple of teaspoons of nutmeg to 2 liters of cider over low heat. Slice 1 to 2 oranges and stick whole cloves into the rind, then float in cider as it warms, serve before boiling. You can keep re-adding cider until the spices get old.

Eggnog

Eggnog: a truly american holiday tradition.

While eggnog appears to have roots in Europe, it is definitely an American drink, at least in the way it’s prepared today. In the Old Country, the drink was a combination of milk and wine; in America, eggs were added and rum was used in place of wine, which may also partially explain the name. In colonial America, rum was called “grog”, so – “egg-and-grog.” Another theory says that “nog” comes from the word “noggin,” which was a small wooden mug used to serve drinks in taverns. Either way, eggnog became a big holiday drink in America in the 1800s. Even before, George Washington was allegedly a big fan who mixed up his eggnog with rye whiskey, rum and sherry, a mixture for the truly brave at heart.

Kentucky Style Eggnog
Separate 6 eggs, beat the yolks and add sugar, add 2 cups Bourbon while beating. Beat whites until stiff, fold into yolks, then fold 1 qt whipped heavy cream into mixture. Refrigerate for more than 4 days and stir frequently. Serve with nutmeg or cinnamon.

Williamsburg Eggnog
For an extra-naughty extra-quick nog, take 6 eggs, separate the yolks and whites, mix the yolks gradually adding 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup milk and 1 cup sugar. Whip the white until soft peaks form and fold the white into the rest. Gradually add 1/2 cup of each: Rum, Brandy and Whiskey. Age in the fridge for at least 2 hours, sprinkle nutmeg and go nuts.
— Sheyda Haghani contributed to this story.