Dos

1. Use the magic words. And avoid four letter words. People are drawn to positive people.
2. Make eye contact. If your eyes are wandering around the room, the person with whom you are talking will feel like you are bored and looking for someone more interesting to speak with.
3. Be aware of your body language. You may be crossing your arms because you are cold or shy, but it can be read that you are hostile or aloof!
4. Talk about politics or religion…but only if it’s appropriate! These topics that used to be taboo are acceptable, but it is entirely dependent on the conversationalists and the venue.
5. Be confident! You are a fabulous person with valuable things to share. Let those around you know it!

Don’ts

1. Don’t be shy! Initiate conversations by commenting on the things around you. For example: I’ve never been to this event before. Is it always so well attended?
   
2. Don’t forget to keep the conversation balanced. Make sure you ask the other person their opinion. Use questions to draw them out.
3. Don’t interrogate. Unless you are Barbara Walters, keep your questions light and casual.
4. Don’t interrupt. It is rude and unnecessary. Wait until the other person has finished their point and then share what you have to say.
5. Don’t worry. Everyone says stupid things from time to time. It is important to laugh it off and then keep chatting

Indoor activities:

• Go to a toy store and grab whatever you think would be the best gift. Donate it to charity. (Teenagers are a highly neglected group during the Christmas season. Consider purchasing something appropriate for adolescent youth.)
• Visit your local tourism office and become a tourist in your own town.
• Make candy. Visit for www.allrecipes.com and search for Christmas candy recipes. Enjoy your treats while watching the snowfall.
• Plan a game night or a karaoke night. Invite your friends!
• Go to your local college or university and buy coffee for students who are in the middle of exams. Do this anonymously, in cahoots with the cashier, then sit back and watch the smiles.
• Play mini-golf.
• Make hot chocolate and look through your old photo albums.

Outdoor activities:

• Be a kid again! Make a snowman and then “paint” him with spray bottles of water mixed with food colouring. (If you don’t want to build a snowman, use the coloured water to write messages in the snow.)
• Take an evening walk or drive through your neighbourhood to look at Christmas lights.
• Try a winter-snow-storm-barbeque.
• Add hot chocolate mix to clean snow for a chocolate-snow-slushy.
• Go to the local library with a map. Ask the librarian where she thinks you should go. Explore!
• Make snow cream. Mix 4 cups of clean snow with ¼ cup of milk and ¼ cup of sugar. Stir until frozen. Add some vanilla extract or chocolate syrup to flavour

66,944 – Canadians died during WW1

1,598 – days between Austro-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia and the cessation of the war on November 11, 1918

900 – calories worth of food per day were given to each soldier

160 – tons of chlorine gas was used by the German forces at Ypres in Belgium

97 – words in Lt. Col. John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields

40 – million casualties of WW1

29 – the number of days for 13 countries to become involved in WW1

19 – million poppies worn by Canadians in November 2007

1 – day to remember the sacrifices made