Hospitality_Recreation

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Photo courtesy of Denise Willard Place faux snow or fine sand in a thrifted apothecary jar and then fill it with coordinating ornaments, some shiny, some with a matte finish.

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By Angie Seckinger/Courtesy of Shanon Munn Using pretty display stands can make the desserts part of the table's decorations.

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** FILE ** Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for North Korea affairs, speaks to journalists at a hotel after he met with Chinese officials in Beijing on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

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Dr. Ken Neil, a Virginia Beach-area dentist, is rewarded with a hefty rockfish for braving the cold.

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Joseph Bottum “It's been sweet,” said South Dakota-based writer Joseph Bottum. “What else could one want for a Christmas piece?”

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**FILE** A tourist couple walks Dec. 8, 2010, in the shallow waters at a closed beach in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. (Associated Press)

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Workers prepare for lunch Dec. 7, 2011, in the kitchen at the Palio D'Asti restaurant in San Francisco. (Associated Press)

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Historian and school teacher Eleni Nikolaidou provides tips on frugal living in ''Starvation Recipes,'' a book targeted toward the millions Greeks who have found themselves in an new age of hardship. (Associated Press)

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The renovated kitchen has granite counters, stainless steel appliances, gas cooking and a pressed-tin backsplash.

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The Roosevelt model at Waverly Overlook includes a center-island kitchen with an adjacent breakfast area that opens to the family room.

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Jefferson Island, a 20-acre island in the Chesapeake Bay, is on the market for $3,950,000. The five-bedroom house on the island can be upgraded to a year-round home. There is also a three-bedroom guest house.

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Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, left, and team president David Samson chat as they walk through the lobby of the hotel hosting Major League Baseball's winter meetings in Dallas, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011. (AP Photo/LM Otero) **FILE**

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A Japanese dive bomber goes into its last dive as it heads toward the ground in flames after it was hit by Naval anti-aircraft fire during surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. (AP Photo)

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GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, now the front-runner, addresses a tea party rally Saturday in Staten Island, N.Y. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** Bikers in the Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally ride across Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. In Michigan, the repeal of the helmet law is gaining traction. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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The chance to visit an underwater Santa Claus comes this Sunday (Dec. 4) at the Olney Swim Center. In exchange for bringing $5 worth of canned goods to the swim center, kiddies will get a short lesson in scuba and a chance to pose for a picture with an underwater Santa.