TAKE THE CHAOS OUT OF CHRISTMAS!

SOME IDEAS TO HELP YOU SURVIVE THE BUSY CHRISTMAS SEASON

Q What is the best way to prevent a hangover?  A: Drink a glass of milk before going out; it will line your stomach. Alternate every alcoholic drink with a glass of water, and, according to Trade Secrets, by Katherine Lapworth and Alexandra Fraser (Orion, £7.99), eating a desert spoonful of coleslaw before bedtime does the trick.

Q What drinks should I avoid and are there any I shouldn't mix? A: Mixing grape and grain is nothing more than folklore. Some drinks, however, will give you more of a hangover than others. As a rule, the darker the drink, the greater the pain!

Q I failed! How do I get rid of a hangover? A: Eat a greasy fry-up, take a long walk and drink something fizzy. Alternatively, make a Prairie Oyster: Rinse out a glass with olive oil, add tomato ketchup, an egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Down it in a gulp (Think I would rather give the booze a miss!!!!)

Q Whats the best way to avoid catching a cold? A: Take vitamin C tablets and if you already have a cold, take 2g tablets every four hours. Eat a clove of garlic a day or take extracts of Echinacea augustifolia, a herbal extract known for boosting the immune system. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially red and blue berries, nuts and seeds.

Q How can we buy presents for each other in the office without shelling out a huge fortune? A: Organise a Secret Santa Party. Put everybodys' name into a hat and take turns to draw the names out. You buy a present for the person you have picked (if you pick your own name put it back). Set a spending limit, for example £10, and keep the identity of the person you are buying for a secret. Put them around a tree and make everyone guess who got them their present.

Q What pills should I pop to help me keep up with the pace? A: John Eastman, nutritional therapist for the Hale Clinic, London, suggests a combination of four supplements to keep going: 500 mg of vitamin C which will help boost your immune system, a good B complex vitamin and 400 mg of vitamin E are anti-oxidents. Extract of artichoke is said to be good for maintaining a healthy digestion of rich foods. Cynara Artichoke is available at Boots and Holland & Barrett.

Q What is the easiest way to buy a Christmas tree? A: For Christmas trees delivered to your door, contact Trees Direct on 01584 856 689.

Q How on earth am I do do all my Christmas shopping in the few days left before the fray? A: Choose one shop to buy all your presents in and stick to it, Or.....

Q Which are the best Internet sites and mail order catalogues for Christmas shopping? A: For books and music, visit www.amazon.co.uk, for various items visit www.argos.co.uk. Also visit http://iwanttoshop.com

Q How can I save money on all the drinks I have to buy? A: Majestic Wine is offering at least 25% off all wines, sparkling wines and a range of soft drinks until January 31st. For further details, call 01923 298200. Oddbins can arrange a sale-or-return agreement where you can take back up to a third of your purchase if you dont manage to drink it all. Telephone 0181 944 4400 to find out your nearest store.

Q How do I make sure my skin will stand up to the party season: A: Take a night off now and get pampering. Exfoliate and moisturise your body focusing on your shoulders, legs and decolletage. Book any leg or bikini line wax treatments as soon as possible as salons are increasingly booked for the season ahead.

Q How can I do my make-up in five minutes? A: Keep it simple. Use a tinted moisturiser that will add a hint of colour. Exploit one of the many three-in-one products on the market (MAC's Cream Colour Base, £11, is good) and use it on your cheeks, eye lids and lips - use a shimmery one for extra party appeal.

Q How do I jazz up my hair for a party without washing it? A: If you dont have time to wash it, make it smell nice. Use Samsara scented hair gel, £17.50. If you're plagued by split ends or dry locks, try Charles Worthingtons Shining Star spray, £6.95, which adds a floss to frizzy or dull hair.

Q What if I get a last minute party invitation after work? A: Create a party-pack for your office drawer. Along with an essentials make-up bag, add some sparkly dark tights, a necklace or wrist cuff, a sparkly evening bag, a sexy pair of mules and a bottle of your favourite perfume. Drop a little sequinned vest in there too.

Q How can I make sure my wardrobe is organised for all the parties? A: Sort out all hems and loose buttons. Make sure you are comfortable with any dress or outfit you plant to party in and have shoes to match. Get everything dry cleaned now!

Q I am currently dieting and I am panicking about staying teetotal when everyone else is knocking drink back? A: You dont have to be legless to enjoy yourself. Allow yourself one glass of champagne or wine at the beginning of the night and make it last. Then if you've been good and kept off the canapes, have a last tipple before you go home.

                               A FEW EXTRA TIPS! 

HAIR: Give your hair a nourishing protein conditioner after a good night out - otherwise your crowning glory may end up as dull as a dishcloth. Hairspray, smoky environments, and centrally heated nightclubs and bars all take their toll. An intenstive treatment the following morning will ensure it stays in tip top condition. Experts say, "Centrally heated atmospheres coupled with products like hairspray and mousse can end of making the hair very dry and brittle by evaporating its natural oils. A smoke-filled atmosphere will also end up clinging to your hair, doing nothing for your sex appeal."

SKIN: It might be the last thing you feel like doing when you get home at 3am but removing your make-up is essential. Slapping on the party face, binge drinking, smoking and lack of sleep all affect the skin and the least you can do is treat it well with thorough cleansing and moisturising. Watch out for sudden spots or dry patches - sure signs you are overdoing it. It is especially important for allergy sufferers to remove make-up because some products contain chemicals which can irritate the skin. Smoking is a big no-no. It breaks down the collagen which supports the skin and makes it wrinkly and the dehydrating effects of alcohol can make it very dry. Drinking plenty of water inbetween alcoholic drinks as well as the norning after and washing off make-up before bed will help to re-balance the skin. If you are drinking stick to colourless drinks like white wine or vodka rather than brandy and whisky and you will be less likely to suffer the next day. But - be warned - an evening of endless drinking could temporarily shrink your brain. The dehydrating effect pulls water out of the brain cells causing them to shrink. In turn, the membrane surrounding the brain, which contains pain fibres, contracts and causes headaches. The colourings in alcohol can make the pain worse.

DIGESTION: Before going out, have a sandwich and a glass of milk to line the stomach, but dont spoil it all by ending the night with a big curry or greasy kebab and then falling into bed. This could lead to indigestion. Alcohol is an irrirtant which can produce gastritis, or indigestion - all part of the hangover. Symptoms range from mild queasiness to severe stocmach pain. Food will help before you go out but a late-night curry containing lots of colourings is not such a good idea. Drinking energy drinks like Red Bull to get you through an evening instead of eating properly will only make you stressed and could lead to ulcers, indigestion and heart disease. The caffeine it contains will raise your heart rate and blood pressure. A good breakfast such as cereal and wholemeal toast with fruit the next morning is also vital.

KIDNEY: Take lots of non-alcoholic drinks to counteract the effect of the alcohol. Large amounts of alcohol can cause the kidneys to malfunction. The kidney filters the blood, taking the junk out of it before passing it out with the urine, but alcohol fools it into passing more than it should. You drink a glass of alcohol and you excrete a glass and a half. It wont cause damage in one evening but it makes you dehydrated.

LIVER: Take a break between alcoholic drinks - to give your liver a break. The liver filters blood and can become overwhelmed by alcohol. It suffers cell damage, turning it white and leading to cirrhosis. You would see a difference in colour after one night of drinking but the liver does have a great power to recover. It is advisable to leave a gap between your drinks.

LUNGS: There is no way round this one - smoking or even just being in a very smoky atmosphere is a health risk. Smoking paralyses the little hairs inside our lungs whose job it is to waft out the junk contained in tobacco. Smoking and drinking large amounts at the same time often result in a worse hangover because you double the amount of toxins entering your body. It is best to avoid smoking.

BACK AND FEET: Save our back and feet if you want to strutt your stuff - kick off your high heels and dance in stocking soles. Of course it is not always possible - but continual wearing of high heels can result in back pain and bad posture, and those pointy toes can also cause blisters, corns and bunions. Our toes need plenty of space in accordance with the natural position of the foot. If they are pushed down into a point, the pressure will cause all manner of unfortunate problems.

                         A CHEATS CHRISTMAS LUNCH!

If you want to take the easy way out - here's a delicious way to do it!

MARKS & SPENCER BONELESS CHRISTMAS TURKEY BREAST JOINT (£18.99)  This is great because it is topped with rosemary, thyme and a lattice of pork fat basted so its extra juicy - no dried up turkey here. It roasted perfectly and carved with ease, so there was absolutely no waste. You really cant go wrong with this. Serves eight.

For those bits on the side try the great selection from Marks & Spencer Their  GARNISH SELECTION (£4.99) contains 12 pork, sage and onion stuffing balls, 12 bacon rolls and 12 port cocktail sausages. And good old Marks have a delicious CRANBERRY AND PORT SAUCE (£1.99).

No need to spend hours peeling potatoes and parsnips or chopping sprouts. Sainsburys have frozen ROAST POTATOES (1.49) with garlic and rosemary. Also ready prepared frozen ROASTING PARSNIPS (£1.75). The stores FROZEN BUTTON SPROUTS (89p for 500g) are delicious - and so simple to serve. Complete the meal with a deliciously rich ready-made gravy from the Covent Garden Soup Company. Their CHICKEN GRAVY (£1.19 for 329ml) is ideal and on sale at most major supermarkets.

If you want to be really posh and serve a fancy starter, you cant do better than the Covent Garden Soup Companys soups of the month. For Christmas it is STILTON, APPLE AND CHESTNUT. Proceeds from the sale of this soup go towards raising funds for a party event for the homeless on New Years Eve.

To finish your feast, it would be hard to beat SAINSBURYS INDULGENCE MERRY CHRISTMAS PUDDING ICE CREAM (£2.49 for 500ml) which is available in most stores. It is a brandy dairy ice cream full of spicy rich fruit, almonds and a brandy butter sauce. Apart from being delicious it is the perfect end to the perfect short cuts Christmas dinner!

And finally... if you still feel stressed out by Christmas you could try the Alpha-Stim. A Walkman-sized device the Alpha-Stim claims it will leave you calm in just 20 minutes. Clip the electrodes to your ear lobes and it sends a mild current to the brain, smoothing out abnormal brainwaves caused by stress. In clinical trials the Alpha-Stim caused a 25% improvement in four out of five people suffering anxiety. But at £197 the device doesnt come cheap!!!

'THE EZIO EXPERIENCE' WISHES YOU   A WONDERFUL  CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL NEW YEAR!

04/06/00