Home for the Holidays

For even more great ideas in the greater Baltimore area, Visit Baltimore.org

Baltimore’s Miracle on 34th Street
November 29, 2008 - January 2, 2009
Christmas Street.
34th St. between Chestnut and Keswick in Hampden

This nightly display of lights along Hampden’s 34th St. is a long-standing tradition in Baltimore. From the first Saturday following Thanksgiving through New Years, the community transforms this street into an astounding display of kitsch and lights. Take in this celebration of the holiday season and then pop around the corner to Cafe Hon for hot chocolate or do some shopping at the many quirky boutiques and shops on Hampden’s Main Street.

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K’Nex: Building Thrill Rides
September 28, 2008 - January 4, 2009
Maryland Science Center
601 Light Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
Website

The K’NEX: Building Thrill Rides Exhibit offers hours of entertainment and exciting building fun for the entire family. The exhibit contains a Kid K’NEX building station for children ages 3-5, in addition to the ever popular K’NEX stations for children 6+.

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A Chorus Line
December 2-14, 2008
Hippodrome Theatre at The France -Merrick Performing Arts Center
12 N. Eutaw Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Website

In an empty theatre, on a bare stage, casting for a new Broadway musical is almost complete. For 17 dancers, this audition is the chance of a lifetime. It’s what they’ve worked for - with every drop of sweat, every hour of training, every day of their lives. It’s the one opportunity to do what they’ve always dreamed — to have the chance to dance. This is A CHORUS LINE, the musical for everyone who’s ever had a dream and put it all on the line. Winner of nine Tony Awards®, including “Best Musical” and the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this singular sensation is the longest-running American Broadway musical ever. Now A CHORUS LINE returns. Come meet the new generation of Broadway’s best. “A CHORUS LINE is back, and it’s thrilling!” - John Lahr, The New Yorker.

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The Polar Express 4-D Experience
November 15, 2008 - January 4, 2009
National Aquarium in Baltimore
501 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Website

The Polar Express 4-D Experience, a holiday classic transformed into a magical 15-minute journey. Embark on a cold winter’s journey that’s sure to warm your heart, and to make you believe.

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Holiday Festival of Trains at the B&O Railroad Museum
November 28, 2008 - December 30, 2008
B&O Railroad Museum
901 W. Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21223
Website

The B&O Railroad Museum’s Holiday Festival of Trains will be better than ever for the 2008 holiday season. In addition to its already renowned rotating display of model railroads and holiday entertainment, the B&O is offering something brand new—a train ride with Santa! During weekends through December 21st, Santa and his helpers will be on the train handing out candy canes to visitors. Where else can you ride the rails with Santa but the B&O?! Another addition for 2008 is “Santa’s Secret Shop” hidden within the museum, where children will have the opportunity to purchase their very own gifts for family and friends. There will also be holiday stories and videos, and a craft area for children.

Please note: The Museum is closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

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The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes
December 2, 2008 - December 7, 2008
1st Mariner Arena
201 W. Baltimore St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
Website

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the world famous Radio City Rockettes is an unparalleled show featuring the Rockettes’ signature eye high kicks and precision choreography in multiple show stopping numbers including: the legendary “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” and “New York at Christmas,” a dynamic holiday celebration. Families will be delighted as Santa flies high above the crowd and touched as the true meaning of Christmas is brought to life in the awe-inspiring “Living Nativity.” This legendary Spectacular has dazzled and inspired over 65 million people for more than 75 years and continues to create memories that will last a lifetime.

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Lighting of the Washington Monument
December 4, 2008 | 6:00PM
Mount Vernon Place
600 block of North Charles Street

An Evening of Choir Performances, Strolling Entertainment, and More
Mount Vernon Place celebrates the holiday season with the 37th annual lighting of the Washington Monument.

A Monumental Occasion takes place Thursday, December 4 with pre-event festivities at 5:30p.m. in Mount Vernon. The ceremony begins at 6p.m. with the official lighting at approximately 6:50 p.m. The evening includes performances, strolling entertainment, refreshments, and the official lighting by Mayor Sheila Dixon. The event ends with a colorful fireworks finale choreographed to music.

For additional information, visit http://www.godowntownbaltimore.com or contact 410-244-1030.

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Annual Parade of Lighted Boats
Fell’s Point
December 6, 2008

Baltimore’s nautical spirit is aglow as more than 50 boats and pleasure crafts, bedecked and sparkling in their holiday finery, make their way from the Inner Harbor to Fell’s Point after dark, festooned with holiday lights. Santa himself has been known to set sail for the occasion. 1-877-BALTIMORE.

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David DeBoy and the Hons in “Crabs for Christmas”
Dec 18, 2008 at 7:30 pm
300 S. High Street, Little Italy
Website

Dec 18, 2008 at 7:30 pm
The Rockettes may be coming to Baltimore, but at the Cabaret at Germano’s we are celebrating Christmas Bawlmer style. It’s a Crazy Carnival of Crabby Christmas Carols, audience participation, surprises and fun for all ages. David DeBoy will be performing hits from his album “Crabs For Christmas for Twenty Years” plus premiering new songs. Joining David will be special guest Brent Hardesty, the novelty songwriter from WBAL Radio and creator of countless jingles you hear every day. Celebrate the season like a true Balti-moron! Doors open at 6 pm for pre-show dining.  $10 cover. $15 food/drink minimum.  Cabaret at Germano’s, 300 S. High Street, Little Italy, 410.752.4515.

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Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker
December 19, 2008 - December 21, 2008
The Lyric Opera House
140 W. Mount Royal Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201
Website

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker returns to Baltimore’s Lyric Opera House 12/19-21. Tickets are discounted during the pre-sale up to $20 per ticket for the best seats in the house.

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Barbie: Fifty Fashionable Years
December 20, 2008 - May 31, 2009
Geppi’s Entertainment Museum
301 W Camden St
Baltimore, MD 21201
Website

Since her debut in a plain black-and-white swimsuit in 1959, Barbie has been a symbol of America’s changing and sometimes controversial perception of the role of women in our society. GEM looks at a half-century of dream houses, sports cars, shifting fashions and hairstyles, and how Barbara Millicent Roberts has changed the face of pop culture.

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Ports America New Year’s Eve Spectacular
December 31, 2008 - January 1, 2009 | 9:00PM - 12:30AM
Inner Harbor

Inner Harbor Entertainment
Enjoy dynamic live music and non-stop fun at the Inner Harbor Amphitheater located at Pratt and Light streets.

Fireworks
At midnight, following a countdown led by Mayor Sheila Dixon, the largest Baltimore New Year’s Eve fireworks show returns turning the sky over the Inner Harbor into a multitude of colors. The fireworks are choreographed to music. This glistening fireworks presentation by Zambelli Internationale officially welcomes in the New Year.

There’s something magical about this time of year when
everything is trimmed with tinsel and various shades of red
and green. Festive music is playing in every shop and
people are having parties, entertaining friends and
enjoying time with family. In that spirit, we’ve decided to
share some of our best baking secrets with you to ensure
that your holiday baking will be the best it’s ever been.

1. Start out Fresh: Last season’s ingredients just won’t
cut it. Start out fresh and stock up on fresh holiday
cookie baking ingredients. A holiday cookie that tastes
likes stale flour just won’t do it. Sugar might be able to
keep for quite a while, put products like, baking soda and
flavored extracts can quickly become stale and dull-tasting.

2. Easy on the Oven: Overbaking will result in dry hard
cookies. Follow the recipes time for baking closely, and
remember to pre-heat your oven before sticking the cookies
inside. Most cookies should be removed from the oven while
they’re still soft and just lightly browned around the
edges. They should be moist & chewy and will firm up after
cooling. Be sure to store them in an airtight container to
keep them fresh.

3. Keep the Cookies Handy: Fresh cookies are the best
cookies, so when baking, make an extra batch or two. Store
cookie dough in a tightly covered container in the
refrigerator for when you need it.

4. Keep it Clean: For easy clean up, grease a tray or dish
with margarine without getting your hands dirty: put your
hands inside a small plastic sandwich bag. When you are
done, just turn the bag inside out and throw it away!

5. Don’t use Guesswork: Baking is not like cooking. Mostly
with cooking you can easily alternate and improvise
ingredients to your liking and experiment with various
quantities and still cook up a perfect meal. Baking takes a
lot more precision and you need to ensure that the recipe
ingredients and measurements are spot on. There are however
exception, if you want to change the flavour of a cookie
recipe dough you can easily exchange it for another and
still come out with a perfect batch.

6. Freezing to Make it Easy: If you are not going to be
serving your cookies in the next three days, freeze them.
To freeze, cool the cookies thoroughly before wrapping them
well. Good packaging keeps cookies in prime condition and
prevents dry freezer air from drying them out. Freeze
cookies in layers, separated by a sheet of waxed paper. To
thaw, let the cookies stand for 15 minutes in the container
at room temperature.

7. Tasty Nutty Treats: Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees
and spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Or, toast in
the microwave by spreading nuts in a single layer on a
microwave plate and microwave on High for 2 minutes. Stir
nuts, then continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes longer, until
nuts are fragrant and toasted to taste.

8. Chocolate to Top it all Off: Sweet, smooth, and
decadent, chocolate makes the ultimate garnish for any
baking. Make small curls by drawing a vegetable peeler
across the narrow side of a chocolate bar. To make large
curls, draw the vegetable peeler across the wide side of a
chocolate bar. Milk chocolate is the easiest chocolate to
use for making curls.

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An interactive kitchen to share ideas, inspirations and
tips about cooking, crafts and life.We love cooking from
scratch and crEATing new delights in the kitchen. Reveal
the kitchen goddess in you…find out more at
http://www.foodcreations.co.za

Recently, Ed Hardy shirts have undergone an increase in
popularity, due to their colourful designs and strong
themes and graphics. They tend to bring out the rock’n'roll
in people, and generally they look good on anyone. Wearing
one of these t shirts can certainly make an impact! There
are a few things to take into account when buying an Ed
Hardy shirt online, and the main one at this point in time
is to consider whether the shirt is real, or whether it is
a fake. There are a number of shirts out there that are
fakes, and can be quite easily picked out from the real
shirts due to their poor quality printing and fabric. These
shirts might be cheaper, but you get what you pay for -
they won’t last long!

So how do you tell a fake shirt from the real thing when
buying online? This is difficult, and the main way to
ensure that you are not buying a fake is to consider the
quality and reputation of the vendor. If buying from ebay,
consider the reputation of the vendor. If buying from a
website, ask them if the merchandise is authentic. Ask them
for some guarantee. Another telltale sign is the price. If
the item looks to cheap to be authentic, it’s probably a
fake. As far as Ed Hardy shirts go, you get what you pay
for. The fakes generally fade quickly, and won’t last.

There has recently been a new range of Ed Hardy shirts
released - here are my recommendations for the best designs.

‘Red Cross Fun’ t shirt - A red cross nurse and a heart.
Available background is red. Unlikely to be a fake because
this print is brand new.

‘King Skull’ t shirt - A green skull, crown and wings. A
long sleeve t shirt in charcoal. Sales of this one have
been huge and it will continue to be a hot item as we head
up to Christmas.

‘EH Eagle’ t shirt - An eagle, skull with the Ed Hardy
banner. Rose edging. The backgrounds available are black or
army green / grey.

‘Devil Pin Up’ t shirt - A pin up girl, with a heart and
dagger. It’s available on black.

Men’s ‘Death or Glory Platinum’ Long Sleeved T-Shirt - This
is my favorite.  The foreground design is a skull with a
dagger, death or glory banner. The background has some nice
detailing in the design. Available in charcoal or chocolate.

Whether you’re buying for yourself or for a gift, if you
buy one of the new Ed Hardy designs mentioned above you’re
sure to look great on the street, and turn heads.

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Dean Richards is a well recognised fashion expert, having
worked in the industry for 15 years. He is currently one of
the leading writers for the website
http://www.mensfashiononline.com.au - the premier online
resource for men’s fashion.