Start with chocolate-coated mint leaves! Dip the leaves in melted chocolate, or paint some over the leaves. That's it. IMO, it's best with peppermint, but spearmint is nice, too. Or try these: Frosted Mint Leaves 1 egg white, lightly beaten castor sugar mint leaves Lightly brush each mint leaf with the egg white, roll lightly in the castor sugar and place the leave onto a cake rack. Leave for about an hour while the egg white dries with its crust of sugar. Use to decorate cakes, pavlova etc or as an after-dinner treat. Mint Jelly (2) 2kg tart apples 3 cups strong mint water 2 cups white vinegar sugar To make mint water, steep 500g mint in 3 cups water overnight. Next day, chop apples and place in a pan, barely cover with water. Cover and simmer about 1 hour until apples are soft. Strain. Combine apple juice, mint water, and vinegar and strain again. Measure and place in a pan, adding cup for cup of sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to boiling and cook rapidly until the jelly will set. Bottle and seal. Serve with meat, especially lamb, or on toast, in sandwiches etc Mint Liqueur 2 cups any fresh mint leaves, except eau de cologne 3 cups vodka 2 cups white sugar 1 cup water 1 teaspoon glycerine Use mint leaves only, stems removed. Measure 2 cups of snipped leaves and put with the vodka in a large glass jar with a non-metallic lid. Stand for two weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain and discard leaves. Combine sugar, water and bring to the boil, then cool. Add to mint liqueur base, add glycerine and stir to mix. Pour into a sterilised jar and leave for at least 6 weeks to mature. Sip a small amount to aid digestion either before or after a meal, or enjoy with after-dinner coffee. Mint Sauce with Syrup Half fill a small bowl with golden syrup, leave a few hours to thin. Chop mint leaves and fold them into the syrup to make a thick paste. Transfer to screw-top jars. To serve, take a small amount and thin it down with vinegar. This sauce will keep indefinitely and does not need to be kept as cool as mint jelly. Serve with roast lamb. Mint Cookies 1 cup butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon ground dried mint leaves 2 cups flour 1/2 teaspoon salt Cream butter and sugar. Add mint, flour and salt. Mix thoroughly. Chill dough. Form small balls and roll in sugar. Press with thumb in the centre. Bake at 180C for 12-15 minutes. Mint Syrup 2 cups water 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed 4 cups sugar food colouring, optional In a saucepan, bring the water to the boil. Remove pan from heat, stir in the mint leaves, cover, and let steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the leaves. Bring the liquid to the boil again and add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the syrup is reduced by about one-third. Add colouring if desired. Pour the syrup into small, sterilised jars and seal. Place the jars in the boiling-water bath and process for 5 minutes. Other herbs can be prepared in the same way. Make extra of everything, and send the excess to me! LOL!

We're planning a closet -- typical hall closet size -- that'll have a lock instead of a doorknob; thus, it'll be accessible only to me and my husband. This closet'll have shelves top to bottom, and maybe basket type shelves on the inside of the door for bows, ribbons and so forth. The closet will serve a couple purposes: - gun safe - purchased-ahead gifts - gift wrap - a small amount of cash that we keep on hand As for buying ahead, I do pretty well with it. It's rare that I buy something that just sits around forever and ends up at Goodwill. When I wrap things, I just do basic wrap and use a sticky note to remind me what the item is. I add the bow at the last minute so that I can stack boxes without messing up th wrappers. I like the idea of putting your gift wrap items near the dining room. Practical and efficient.

I agree with nancylouise -- something that is special to your area. Around here, central Ohio, it would be "buckeye" candy; in Green Bay, it could be dried cranberries or cheese; in the southwest, a local salsa -- you get the idea. My cousin in Atlanta gave everyone a little bag of grits! He said, "Just call it polenta." Fruit is nice and appreciated by dieters. Maps are good, especially one you prepare yourself showing key venues, one-way streets, and parking, but I'd only include the info on local attractions if they will have a lot of free time to fill. They came to see YOU and each other, not the zoo. Maybe reconsider the bottled water? I have been happy to read that it's going out of style, for good environmental reasons. Its ecological costs are staggering, and that's why restaurants in SF and NYC are stopping serving it. Be sure to include a note welcoming them and giving schedules, venues with addresses, and phone numbers they might need.

As long as I didn't have to clean up the mess of the shredded paper, I didn't mind wrapped. I kind of enjoyed wrapping gifts. But I do think it's a waste of money and other resources. Better to use the comics or something. You can get creative in wrapping. My sister was the first to start using bags and cheapo that I am, I'd save and reuse them. We'd give the same bag back and forth. Now I use the reusable shopping bags more and more for gift bags. It's an extra gift in itself. As far as what I'd prefer to receive? An envelope. Stuffed with cash. Large denominations. As I've said before, THERE'S a thoughtful gift! You may wrap it in money if you want. Or use cash for the tissue too if you like. Christmas is approaching. Feel free to send anytime. It's cheaper to ship too!