Back in the end of 2009, I was all about Snow & Graham’s big, beautiful wall calendar. Now, I’m excited for a particularly bright, shiny new year and am looking for the calendar to match. In the year calendar department, I’m swooning over the 2011 Antonia Calendar by Michelle Armas, At $30, it doubles as a signed piece of art when the year is done. The Places I Have Never Been Calendar, $25 at JHillDesign entertains flights of fancy with vibrant patterns inspired by the designer’s imaginary vacations, and includes a note about the destination and inspiration of the print for each month, while Flora Douville’s watercolor calendar, $16, is a subtle yet stunning take on color. What do you think, readers? Any front runners in your calendar hunt? –Sarah C.

via The Neo-Traditionalist, Cornflake Dreams & Simple Lovely

Hosting holiday parties is stressful — there’s just no way around it. Between the guest list, the menu and the drinks, it’s easy to completely overlook one of the most critical elements: décor. Nothing can deflate my festive mood faster than looking around my house and realizing it’s as utterly unimpressive as a holiday scene can be.

Fortunately, I’ve figured out a few tricks to make my next holiday dinner party fun, festive and — most importantly — frugal. The key for me was to splurge on one piece that’s a classic, and then supplement with dressed-up grocery finds. So, I nabbed a gorgeous Marimekko tablecloth I’m utterly in love with, and will use for years to come (plain white from your favorite bargain store will work just as well). Add some colorful napkins (mixed colors and patterns are especially good), and then hit the grocery store.

For the setting in this photo, I bought a dozen pears in different colors, a pile of fresh thyme, sage and rosemary, and a bag of unshelled nuts. I think my total at the register was about $17. Arrange the pears in a bowl, clear vase, or in a straight line along the table. Scatter nuts on the table, and accent each place setting with a little bundle of mixed herbs, tied with raffia or twine. If it’s not a sit-down affair, take the herb bundles and pop them into shot glasses or tea light holders for instant doses of green that also happen to smell amazing. Presto — your inner Martha is smiling, and your holiday spirit should be in full swing. –Becki S.

I adore the smell of holidays … pine, cinnamon, mint, crackling fires … Those fragrant smells usually put me in a state of calm after a long day of holiday shopping or planning. Since I don’t purchase a live holiday tree, or have a fireplace, I’m always on the lookout for a way to bring those scents to my home without too much work. I’ve purchased a lot of holiday candles, cinnamon pinecones, and other scent-givers over the years, but I find my favorites are the ones that come from nature. I just tried one I saw on The Kitchn last year, with great success! I used an orange, added cloves and a tealight, and now my home smells amazingly festive! I’m sure this would also work with grapefruits and other citrus. Be sure to put your candleholder on a small plate or glass cup before lighting. They can get hot! What do you do to warm up your home? –Rebecca F.

Who wouldn’t want to find one of these Celtic art-inspired hobby horses under the tree? Each one is handcrafted from start to finish by Dan Hillman in County Roscommon, Ireland. Small hobby horses, for decorative uses, start at 70 euros (about $100). Medium hobby horses, for kids ages 2-4, are about $105. Horses go all the way up to extra large to fit a seven- to eight-year-old. You’ll also find dragon toys on the site, too. — Sarah L.

First, an update on the K-9 Ballistics bed: amazing! Not a single shred, and thanks to the fabric, the bed looks cleaner, too; definitely shows the mastiff drool much less. I just washed the cover for the first time, and that Velcro closure is super heavy duty. The bed’s insides are good, too: sewn with buttons to keep its shape. We are calling this a win.

Now to the latest challenge! One of our dogs’ many nicknames is “Chum” since they’re our pals, but on certain days it’s also an apt descriptor for their breath. I recently heard an ad for Just Magick — have you tried it? Any other dog breath remedies you’d like to share? — Mary T.

It’s not that I’m worried about catching a dread disease from my toothbrush — I’m really not, even though the video on this page from the Rachael Ray show talks about the “germy droplets” that can fly onto your toothbrush if it’s stored near the toilet. (This is part of the reason mine lives inside the medicine cabinet.) But hey, I haven’t done all the research, and I have to admit these Zapi toothbrush sanitizers — they do their work with UV light — are just cute as heck to look at, and only $30. Check out ZapiPOP — like a happy Humpty Dumpty! And who wouldn’t want the help of a ninja in fighting germs? You can find them all at Violight. — Mary T.

1) Matryoshka dolls would be a welcome addition to the holiday tree. Sarah L. provided a how-to complete with pattern, and you’re excited to try it. Ellie says: “Sweet! I almost succumbed to a wooden one at Target last week. This would be so much better.”

2) Miss summer fruit? In the bleak midwinter, consider the persimmon. In the midst of a snowstorm, Megan B. whipped up this pear persimmon pudding cake and found a happy home for the fruit. Greta says: “Wow–I was just writing a post on how much I missed summer fruit, but am trying to solace myself with the lovely persimmon. Not quite as good as a ripe summer peach, but I am becoming more happy with it.
Given my growing appreciation for the persimmon, I’ve been perusing persimmon recipes and this one looks the best so far. I can’t wait to try it!”

3) We love the look of mercury glass but the mirror spray is hard to find! Brianna says: “I couldn’t find the mirror paint either!!! I have tried and tried this project, but it really MUST have the mirror paint. (seriously I have attempted this 5 times in the last 2 weeks) Though I managed an awesome faux pewter with just the regular old silver paint. They look lovely, now I’m going to have to find the mirror paint and try one. more. time.” Fear not – Sarah L. found it on eBay but warns that the bottles are about a third of the size of the recommended versions. Be sure to buy at least two! Find the DIY project here.

4) Rolling your clothes saves suitcase space. Katie D. asked for packing tips and you had a bunch! Daffodil says: “Roll your clothes! You can fit tons more in your suitcase that way, and you have fewer wrinkles when you arrive.” Also, make lists, mind your packing order, and more! See the full list here.

5) Speaking of packing, Megan B. will be noting those tips for her trip to Hawaii, and will also keep your sightseeing suggestions in mind. She asked, you answered. Seems like Oahu is a happening place! Movies on the beach, shrimp trucks, bed bugs? Add your two cents.

Dress up your old set of twinkle lights with these great ideas at CasaSugar.

Casement windows are the “new old thing”, at The New York Times. But fear not, these are *supposed* to be way less drafty than the old ones. Drafty or not, they are incredibly beautiful!

Get yourself to Rockefeller Center for The Real Simple Holiday pop up shop! Those of us not blessed by a Manhattan address can console ourselves by entering a giveaway of some of the goods. Via Carrie Leber.

More DIY ornament ideas at Sonsi Living: these designed to make with small children.

Happy Hanukkah! Celebrate with a new modern menorah — this roundup at Apartment Therapy should give you plenty of eye-pleasing options for your Festival of Lights.

The most incredibly attractive sheet vinyl floors we’ve ever seen, at Retro Renovation. Too bad, it looks as if they’re available in the UK only.

Peppermint Bark snowflakes at Baked by Rachel. These would even be great as edible ornaments, just sayin’…

photo courtesy of Annie Schlechter

Are you a holiday crafter? No? Me, neither. Still, I was encouraged by a recent poke around the Lowes site, where the holiday ideas look somewhat achievable by my low standards. These pillar candles have that oh-so-chic rustic look but just require a little sanding and staining (something I actually managed to achieve with a garden bench over the summer). Some of these wreath ideas look incredibly easy — check out the “Fresch Cut Snowflake” made of several scraps of fir, simply tied together. (Added bonus: the folks at tree lots will often let you take away scrap branches for free.) I like the Twinkling Christmas Ornament Tree, too, but can I tell you a secret for instant festivity? The bowl with the lights on their main page is the best idea they have. Just get a big glass bowl or a tall glass vase, and fill it with a string of lights or a bunch of shiny ornaments, or a combo of the two. Even sort of beat up round ornaments will look good grouped this way. Voila — you just brought the world’s easiest yet greatly effective holiday decor to your mantle or sideboard. I know; I do this every year. — Mary T.

When it comes to financial documents, I’m a certified hoarder. I love the look of a streamlined file box and like to think that I’m an accountant’s dream come tax time: ready and willing to produce any document one could possibly request from the last six years. In the information age, keeping everything I’ve been filing is unnecessary and has resulted in an overworked file box and lots of paper clutter. So, as an early start to my “declutter my apartment” New Year’s resolution, I put on a movie after the feasting and family time was over last weekend and went through my files. Suze Orman has some handy guidelines detailing how long to keep personal and financial documents before sentencing them to the shredder and a full garbage bag of paper shreds later, I’ve cut the clutter and trimmed my file box down to a svelte, wholly-contained operation, all while taking in a holiday flick on the couch!

Next on my list: managing money online with mint.com. How about you readers? Any organizational New Year’s resolutions to share? –Sarah C.