A Taste of What the Festivities Have to Offer
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17 SUNDAY MAIL • December 8, 2013 It’sChristmas A taste of what the festivities have to off er The rules of Yule T’S party season, and as we begin the long, Start calorie counting the canapés. The only way to survive the party tipsy, steadily accelerat- Iing downhill pinwheel season is to stick to the Christmas laws, says Nick Curtis towards Christmas, I have become aware of conversa- one else is pouring: I’m not ports that her plans for a on Miss Piggy’s diet - never protected to lessen their year, not just books and tions of a certain uniform opening a bottle myself,” Just-Say-November dis- eat more than you can lift,” shame when they inevitably organic fl apjack” and “not tone and timbre taking adds a third. solved midmonth in a vat of jokes Carmel Allen, the styl- fall off the wagon. They’re to feel sorry for myself on place among my friends “I’m allowing myself 30 prosecco. Another, that her ish and slender brand direc- all women. The Yule Rules Christmas morning when and colleagues. Ostensibly mince pies in the whole of plan for a 5:2 sugar diet was tor of Heal’s, before going on of the men I know tend to be I don’t get exactly what I chummy, the chats have December, and if I eat them ruined by a William Cur- to detail a stringent regime different. My sister Rachel’s want: I’m 46,” and fi nally a combative, competitive all in one go, too bad,” says ley Advent calendar. Ho- that involves porridge, ba- Danish husband Mads says “not to covet other people’s edge. These people, you a fourth, laying a lateral- meopath and entrepreneur nanas, Itsu Special Salmon, his Christmas rules are to New Year’s ski holidays or see, are comparing notes thinking trump card. Which Celia Gray apparently just and alternating each glass resist the pressure to buy trips to the Maldives”. on soirée survival guides, prompts the second speaker keeps Mondays booze-free of champagne with mineral my nieces and nephew ever- Calorie-counting and drunkenness disciplines, to raise her game and up the in December. (As an aside, water. It also involves her more expensive gifts, in or- unit monitoring don’t get a canapé regimes. They’re stakes: she only ever drinks der to leave more cash for mention, you’ll notice. For constructing complex algo- one glass of mulled wine; adult carousing. “No rules blokes, Christmas is a time rithms involving calories, she makes sure she only ‘My Rules of Yule are based on Miss at Christmas, that’s my only for blowouts and booze-ups alcohol units and quantums goes out in December with rule,” says Tom Rollett, who - that’s the point of it. As of potential shame. They’re friends who are “in synch” runs sporting collectables the restaurant critic Giles comparing their respective (ie who also want to be at Piggy’s diet - never eat more than you company Exclusive Memo- Coren pointed out, Yuletide Rules of Yule and there’s an home in bed by 10pm); she rabilia. “Although from De- is the only time of the year element of one-upmanship tries to “create a varied can- can lift’ cember 1, I listen every day you eat roast turkey, mince involved. apé meal at parties, rather to The Christmas Song by pies, Christmas pudding, “I’m only allowing myself than standing near the ones Nat King Cole.” etc: so why on earth would two schoolnights out for with the highest carb con- shouldn’t a homeopath be young daughter Josephine: John McNally, screenwrit- you want to change that? parties a week,” says one tent”; and she forces herself able to survive on a mere pi- “The best party controller is er and author of the forth- Similarly, when given a li- colleague. “Me too, and if I to drink three pints of water pette-droplet of champagne childcare.” coming Infi nity Drake series cence to party, you should do a third I don’t allow my- before bed. dissolved in water?) One thing unites all those of novels, says his rules are embrace it. My own Rule self to drink,” offers another. Not everyone’s regime Others are more rigorous. quoted above - even those to buy his kids “at least one of Yule? It’s Christmas: it “I’m only drinking if some- is so strict. One friend re- “My Rules of Yule are based whose identities have been crap electronic gift each doesn’t count. 18 It’sChristmas December 8, 2013 • SUNDAY MAIL Cost of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ gifts leaps in 2013 BUYING a set of the gifts named in 1984 have averageded 2.9 per in the classic holiday carol ‘The cent, the same numbermber as Twelve Days of Christmas’ will cost the US infl ation index.ex. a true love $27,393 this year, up 7.7 The only bit of savingsavings per cent from the 2012 price tag, on the carol’s gift lilistst according to an annual tongue-in- this year comes fromom cheek analysis released this week. a 3.2 per cent dropop Prices for most of the items in in price for the par-r- the song, including the partridge, tridge’s pear tree,ee, two turtle doves, three French which costs $184, thehe hens and fi ve gold rings, remained company said. steady from last year. The overall pricee But the cost for 10 lords-a-leaping increase is the larg-g- jumped 10 per cent to $5,243 and est since 2010, whenn nine ladies dancing increased by the index rose 9.2 perer 20 per cent to $7,553, PNC Wealth cent. Management’s Christmas Price In- Cyber Monday savsav-- dex showed. ings may save Christmastmas The company said its sources for days but not money,y, PNC calculating the cost of the items Wealth Managementnt said.said. include retailers, the National Avi- Buying one set of tthehe giftgiftss ary in Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia online would costt aalmostlmost Dance Company and the Pennsyl- The cost for ten lords-a-leaping jumped ten per cent $39,763, or $12,300 moremore than vania Ballet. making the purchasesses in person. “We were surprised to see such aging executive for investments The US government’s Consumer True loves intent onn a real splursplurgege a large increase from a year ago, of PNC Wealth Management. “But Price Index increased only 1 per will pay $114,651 in stores for the The partridges givengiven thethe overalloverall benignbenign thethe dancersdancers iinn thethe iindexndex took a cent for the 12 months through 364-gift tally that amasses fromfrom pear tree was the inflinfl ationation raterate in the huge leap this yearr to plplayay catch September. the traditional singingging repetition only item that saw UnitedUnited States,”States,” sasaidid uupp ffromrom palpaltrytry iincreasesncreases tthehe Year-over-yearYear-over-year increasesincr since of all the carol’s verses,rses tthehe aanaly-naly- a saving this year JimJim Dunigan,Dunigan, man- prevpreviousious ffewew years.”years.” thethe ChristmasChristmas PricePrice Index began sis showed. 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