The eagerly awaited completion of the Hilltop Drive “enhancement project” is upon us! With newly landscaped medians, new street side planters and trees, decorative street lights and underground utility wires, Redding’s new “Hospitality Boulevard” is complete! To celebrate the completion the Hilltop merchants and the City of Redding will be hosting Holidays on Hilltop, a week-long celebration from Sunday, December 13th – Saturday, December 19th.
Activities include:
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Lots of us are trimming expenses where we can. For me, that means saving a few hundred dollars by skipping a visit to a portrait studio this holiday season.
While there is something hokey about it, I enjoy the way the photos turn out when the studio plops us in front of the Christmas tree backdrop, arranges our elbows on large plastic snowflakes, and hands us plush snowballs. I really do. But this year I’m toughing it out and taking the pictures myself.
But I’m not sure I have the skills. And that’s why I asked Kerry Allen, Consumer Reports’ senior project leader in electronics, to give me some pointers. Here’s his advice for smashing holiday-card photos—and holiday photos in general.
Dress-up time. Have everyone dress in colorful clothing, and avoid darker, somber colors. It’s more cheerful that way!
Get the light right. Unless you’re a photography hobbyist, you may not have studio lights handy. In that case, natural light is best, so try to have some window light coming in. The next best kind of light is from incandescent bulbs, which are nice and warm. Colored holiday lights in the background add color to your photo. Stay still. Sure, you’ve got the steadiest arms out there, but a tripod will always trump you, and is the surest-fire way to get a blur-free shot. They start at as little as $25. Or simply place the camera on a secure surface that’s an appropriate height for your shot.
Get the right gear. If you’re in the market for a new camera, consider one with the wide-angle option in case you want close-to-expert-looking group shots. With this feature, you can include more people in your shot without having to back up—and avoid that huge expanse of wall over everyone’s head that takes up the top half of the picture. Cameras with wide angle lenses, at least “28 mm equivalent” are good for group shots. If you’re not in the market, most late-model cameras should provide a decent image, even from up to 12 feet away, as long as the shot is lit properly. Or take several photos with a few people in each rather than a large-group shot with inadequate light. Portrait perfect. If you want individual, indoor photos of kids, Allen suggests you make your own backdrop with holiday wrapping paper. Then sit your kid down and pretend you’re the studio photographer! At about $5 a roll, it beats the portrait studio fee. Feel free to fill the frame for individual shots, or photograph the upper ¾ or so of your child’s body if you want to emphasize a special sweater or prop such as a wrapped package.
Take it outside. The outdoors is better for light—as long as there is not too much (such as the reflected light from a snowfall), or too little to expose the subjects’ faces. Since you want your holiday card to be cheerful, using a flash is not such a bad idea, even outdoors, to provide even light.
Great pyramid. If you have a lot of people in your family, composition is important. Try forming a pyramid with the tallest person in the middle and everyone else in descending order on either side. Then have everyone turn their bodies in, toward the center of the shot. Or reverse it, and have children or smaller family members sit in the middle, with everyone in increasing-size order on either side.
Candid camera. A self-timer allows for more candor than when someone is standing behind the camera. So set your shot up on a tripod or secure surface, and get in front of the camera with everyone else. A good time might be after the holiday decorations are set up, when you and your kids might be in a more jovial mood. Make it fun, Allen adds—“Give them a lollipop, at least.”—Artemis DiBenedetto
For related information, see Save money with these 8 photofinishers, How to photograph young children, and Tips for using a professional photographer.
As people crowd stores for those all-important holiday bargains, it's important to keep child safety in mind—especially when it comes to shopping carts.
Though they may seem sturdy, shopping carts are deceptively unstable, especially when you’ve got a baby in an infant carrier perched on top, or a squirmy toddler who won’t stay in his seat. It’s no wonder shopping carts are among the leading causes of head injuries to young children.
To prevent shopping cart injuries from falls and tip-overs, keep these cart precautions in mind:
DO:
DON’T:
Learn more about holiday shopping survival tips and shopping cart covers.
Enjoy a great lighted Christmas parade through downtown Redding on December 5th beginning at 6pm. The theme this year is “Candy Canes and Christmas Carols”. Arrive early to find parking nearby, parade wraps through downtown around the downtown Redding mall.
November 27th at 6pm The State Theater in Red Bluff will feature a holiday open house with Santa in the lobby and a feature holiday film. Call 530.529.2787 for more information.
With all of the technology that we’ve got today, its no suprise that the folks at www.blackfriday.org have gotten the idea to take all of the major sale ads and merge them into one location for buyers to plan their Black Friday shopping in advance…even in Redding! I just went there and clicked on the Wal-Mart ad and found some great deals…even a 5-quart crockpot for $15 and a 2-quart one for only $4.00! From Nintendo DS Lites for under $100, to laptops and TV’s…its there for a great price! So…if you are planning to go shopping on Black Friday in Redding visit www.blackfriday.org so you know where to shop and don’t forget those online shopping deals as many of them are as good as the in-store deals!
Visit Cottonwood for Old Fashioned Day on Saturday, November 28th from 11am – 6pm on Front Street…you are invited to dress in 1800’s-era clothing to attned the holiday boutique and antique street fair. Santa Claus will visit at 2pm, raffle at 3pm, and Christmas tree lighting and caroling at 5pm. Call 347-6800 for more information.
When you're traveling with an infant, a hotel crib or play yard can be a safe haven for your baby. But if you don't know how old the crib or play yard is, it could be outdated and not up to today's safety standards.
To play it safe, you may want to take your play yard from home when you're traveling. When your baby sleeps in a play yard at night, place the play yard next to your bed, within arm's reach. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your baby sleep in the same room with you (but not the same bed) until he is at least 6 months old, whether you're at home or on the road.
Because the bassinet feature in play yards can only be used for sleeping for babies up to 15 pounds, you'll need to go to plan B after that. One option: Put your baby to sleep on the floor of your play yard. It's close to the ground and uses the same mattress/floor pad as the bassinet.
If you can't or don't want to travel with a play yard, use the hotel's crib or play yard, but be sure to do your own assessment. For hotel cribs, check to make sure that the mattress is firm and tight-fitting. You shouldn't be able to fit two fingers between the edge of the mattress and the crib side. You shouldn't be able to fit a soda can between the slats. There also shouldn't be any missing parts, which can make the crib unstable or create dangerous gaps. There should be no protruding parts, screws, or bolts, or corner posts more than 1/16 inch or less than 16 inches high (anything in between can catch clothing, posing a strangulation hazard) or cutouts in the head or footboard, which can trap an infant's head or limbs. (Do the same tests at home and at Grandma's house.) Ask for another crib if the one you're offered doesn't pass muster. (See more safe sleep tips.)
If all a hotel has to offer is a play yard, check it out. (These criteria also apply to your baby's play yard at home.) It should have mesh panels, which allow airflow, but a weave that's small (less than ¼-inch openings.) Ask for another if the mesh is larger or has any tears, holes, or loose threads, or if the mesh is not secured all around to the top rails and the floor, or the top rail cover has tears or holes. The sides should lock securely (press on them to be sure), and the play yard should include a snug, tight-fitting mattress/floor pad. Use only the mattress or pad provided by the manufacturer. Don't add a second mattress, pillow, comforter, or other soft bedding to either a hotel crib or play yard. Consider bringing a crib or play yard sheet from home in case you need it.
There will be a Christmas parade in downtown Red Bluff at 5:30pm on November 28th. For more information call 530.527.6220.
Four babies have died and 31 others have been entrapped or injured in one of the 2.1 million Stork Craft cribs recalled yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. Almost 150,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher-Price logo. The recall involves 1,213,000 drop-side cribs sold in the U.S. and 968,000 sold in Canada over the past 16 years. (See our cribs buying guide and Ratings.)
The CPSC and Health Canada are aware of 110 incidents in which the drop-side of a Stork Craft crib detached. Of those, 15 were entrapments in which four children died of suffocation. According to the CPSC, the deaths include a 7-month-old in Gouverneur, N.Y.; a 7-month-old in New Iberia, La.; a 6-month-old in Summersville, W.Va.; and a 9-month-old in Bronx, N.Y. Also reported were 20 falls from the cribs with injuries ranging from concussions to bumps and bruises. The cribs involved in the recall have plastic drop-side hardware that had broken, gone missing, or become deformed as well as other hardware that was loose or missing. In some cases, the drop-sides had been installed upside-down.
The recall notice says major retailers in the United States and Canada sold the recalled cribs including BJ’s Wholesale Club, J.C. Penney, Kmart, Meijer, Sears, USA Baby, and Wal-Mart stores and online at Amazon.com, Babiesrus.com, Costco.com, Target.com, and Walmart.com from January 1993 through October 2009 for between $100 and $400.
Read more in the full Safety blog post.
