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Cleveland Holiday: ‘Caroling’, cookie making, dressing up the pet

2010 December 21

Six Ways to Make Your Holiday Feel More Festive

CAROLING: Last night Ryan and I hiked down to Prosperity Social Club to meet Ann Marie and Darren and check out what turned out to be pretty fantastic karaoke. If you don’t mind going out so early in the week, you can go next month — they set it up every third Monday of the month from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.  Even if you’re not into karaoke, this is one of my favorite places to go during the holidays for the kinds of decorations my grandma P would have loved. On the menu: multiple people say their Gouda Burger is one of the best they’ve ever had. They have bread pudding and holiday-ish hot chocolate-with-other-stuff-in-it drinks. The perfect holiday gathering place. Backup Plan: I haven’t been to Tina’s in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, but I have heard nothing but delightful comments about this hole-in-the-wall establishment’s nightly karaoke activities. I’ll keep you updated.

COOKIE MAKING: Mix milk, powdered sugar, a little vanilla with food coloring until it’s pourable. Drizzle it in your mouth with a funnel. Or on a sugar cookie. This is the recipe for sugar-induced happiness.

FESTIVE PETS: With much of the same confusing, I’m-not-sure-if-this-is-ironic Christmas Sweater Wearing, I’ve been dressing up my dog in costumes during various holidays (Christmas, Halloween). My costumes are $5 at Target. My dog looks so pissed off, it never fails to make me laugh. Sorry, Molly.

HUMAN BEINGS BEING GOOD TO EACH OTHER: The holidays are the best times to find stories in the newspaper that will cause embarrassing emotional reactions. Here’s one my mom found: Regina Brett’s column. Make sure you read the whole thing. Come on, it’s not that long.

THE HOLIDAY BOOK (that isn’t lame): One of my best, quirkiest, and most intelligent students reads Dickens’s novella from 1843 “A Christmas Carol” every year. It’s fewer than 100 pages and, of course, gorgeous. Plus, when people ask what you’ve been up to, you can say, “Reading some Dickens,” and it’ll probably sound better than, “I just picked up a copy of ‘In Touch’ and I’m really worried Bieber’s going to cut his hair. Bad move if you ask me.” Come on, Dickens is cool!

THE HOLIDAY BREW: This is the scenario. They’re out of Christmas Ale, and you’ve promised your out-of-town friends that they’re going to try something amazing. Pick Troegs uber-potent “Mad Elf,” but pour it into a small glass. It’s not from Ohio, but it is nearish in Pennylvania. And it’s a good backup for our local-loved Great Lakes.

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