It's always a good thing when families can enjoy outings together.

Christmas play or concert. That's because amateur actors, singers and budding

musicians in their neighborhood will usually take part in several Christmas

performances for local residents. These amateur but entertaining events can be

found at local schools, churches or at a community theater or performance

center.

It's very popular for those groups to stage performances of the Nativity

story, or other Christmas related works such as 'A Christmas Carol.' churches

and school groups may even have a complete concert series that includes a full-

length production of a play along with choirs, soloists and the band singing

Christmas carols and other Christmas songs.

What makes local Christmas performances special is that members of the

community and maybe even of your own household can be among the entertainers.

It is therefore special to see familiar faces doing something interesting and

different. For those who are budget-conscious, the performances are usually

priced to be very affordable, therefore offering an economic incentive to go out

and have an enjoyable afternoon or evening.

Those people who are lovers of the arts and who are more interested in

seeing a professional performance will likely also have a professional

theatrical company within reasonable proximity of their residence. Professional

groups may also perform Christmas classics such as 'A Christmas Carol' or they

may do another dramatic production from the works of other playwrights.

Music lovers also have a variety of performances to enjoy at Christmas

time. While one can always catch various groups singing carols in downtown areas

or at malls, there are other places to hear rich, melodious performances of

Christmas music. These include concerts by acclaimed or recognized

conservatories, orchestras, symphonies and renowned choir groups.

The beauty of hearing Christmas music by these groups is in the accompaniment of

instruments and the harmonious blending of voices, which all happens in a venue

that has acoustic features to optimize the auditory pleasure of the

performances. The different components that together make the whole performance

offers a richer quality to Christmas songs and carols that may be described as

'sounding heavenly.'

Another popular artistic performance that is popular during the Christmas season

is classical dance in the form of ballet, and particularly the performance of

the 'Nutcracker' ballet. With music written by Tchaikovsky, the story is about

a young girl who has a dream on Christmas Eve of a Nutcracker Prince and a

fierce battle with a Mouse King that has seven heads. After a fierce battle

between the Nutcracker, who leads an army of toy soldiers, and the Mouse King

who leads an army of mice, the Nutcracker is captured. But the little girl

throws her slipper at the Mouse King, hits him in the head and kills him. In the

end, the Nutcracker turns into a Prince and takes the little girl to the magical

and enchanting Land of Snow with dancing snowflakes and the Land of Sweets with

the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Attending Christmas plays, concerts or musical performances serves the basic

purpose of providing enjoyment, but it can also help young people, and even

adults, to develop an appreciation for the arts. Seeing different variations and

the creativity in performances of Christmas plays, as well as hearing different

renditions of Christmas songs, can be the first exposure that leads to a

lifelong love of the arts and maybe a dream to pursue a career in the arts.

Cheaper is Not Always Better

I work for a large insurance firm in the northwest, in an office with over 500 other employees. Management recently decided to replace our existing phone system as the old system was no longer meeting our needs. I and my co-workers were under the impression that they were going to update the system, as in "make an improvement", and that we would have late model phones with technological advancements galore. Boy, were we in for a surprise.

Keywords:

Telephone, telephones, phone, phones, telephone systems, telephone system

Article Body:

I work for a large insurance firm in the northwest, in an office with over 500 other employees. Management recently decided to replace our existing phone system as the old system was no longer meeting our needs. I and my co-workers were under the impression that they were going to update the system, as in "make an improvement", and that we would have late model phones with technological advancements galore. Boy, were we in for a surprise.

One day a few weeks ago, we all came in to find new phones on our desks. These were not the state-of-the-art communication devices we had in mind. Instead of the sleek, sophisticated, caller IDing, multi-line handling, LCD displaying wonders of the modern age we all dreamed of, there was a simple phone with a keypad on the receiver...not unlike what you might have had at home 15 years ago. In addition to the new phone, there was a sheet which explained in graphically painful detail exactly which series of buttons one would have to push in order to make this thing function properly. We had to now enter a digit to put someone on hold, enter a three digit code to transfer someone (one digit, dial tone, two digits) and enter a ridiculously long series of numbers to access our voicemail.

Needless to say, we were in shock. I knew it wouldn't take long before the roars of complaining would drown out the usual office din. Sure enough, by lunchtime our office manager came in to tell everyone that we were simply going to "try it out for a while" and that the company had saved thousands by choosing this option. I and the other employees were fairly certain that we had already lost thousands in reduced productivity that morning alone. Oh, well...it's their company, we just bring in the money for them.

For the next few days, we tried to get used to saying "hold, please, while I transfer you", removing the receiver from our faces and trying not to curse as we made a lame-duck attempt at pressing keys, listening and pressing more keys. It was a nightmare. We were getting pretty fed up with it, but just assumed that this was what we would have to deal with. Then, out of the blue, we came in one day to find real phones with real features at our desks. No more looking at the receiver while we frantically tried to key in numbers fast enough not to drop the call. No more ten digit voicemail "pins". No more of having no idea who was calling or where the call came from. Ahhhh, relief at last.

Later the same day, we heard a rumor circulating around the office that the VP of operations had returned from a two week trip to New York. His words, upon seeing one of the phones management had originally purchased on his desk were, "get rid of them". All it took were those four words from a higher-up to set things right. Unbelievable.

Five Interview Questions You Should Always Ask

These five questions go beyond the obvious ones, such as the title of the job, the job description, to whom it would be reporting, and other such basic questions. In fact, it's unlikely you'll even need to ask those questions, as they're usually outlined for you.

With some preparation and thought, you should be able to easily come up with 15 - 20 first-interview questions to ask. But these five - in some form - should always be asked.

Not only will they help you to asce...

Keywords:

interview help, interview tips, career, new job, questions, advice

Article Body:

These five questions go beyond the obvious ones, such as the title of the job, the job description, to whom it would be reporting, and other such basic questions. In fact, it's unlikely you'll even need to ask those questions, as they're usually outlined for you.

With some preparation and thought, you should be able to easily come up with 15 - 20 first-interview questions to ask. But these five - in some form - should always be asked.

Not only will they help you to ascertain if the job for which you are interviewing meets the criterion of your perfect job, but the answers, when put together, will give you a fairly accurate picture of what's really going on behind the interview.

1. WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES THAT WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY IN THIS POSITION?: A title alone tells you nothing. The job description won't reveal much either, except whether or not you're capable of doing what's required functionally on a daily basis.

For the same reason that you put your accomplishments on your resume - and not just the job description - here, too, you want to get a sense of the individuality of this job in this company.

Was everything left running smoothly? Is it pretty much picking up and continuing daily functions as normal? Or is there damage control that needs to be done? If so, is there a time line for the repair, and is it an achievable one considering your capabilities? Is it realistic regardless of who holds the position?

If you don't have any information already, this will begin to clue you in about both the supervisor and the previous employee. If you have been provided with some detail already, then the answer should track with what you've already learned.

2. HOW LONG WAS THE PREVIOUS PERSON HERE? WHY DID THEY LEAVE? Generally, in answering the first part, the interviewer will answer the second part as well. But if they don't, then ask it. And if that person was there an oddly short time, you also want to know how long the previous person before that was there.

See where I'm going with this? If the job is in disarray, and the last two people were there a short period of time and were fired, you don't need to ask any of the other questions here.

Exit gracefully and then run! Because before long, you, too, will be terminated for not achieving whatever it is they want done - regardless of if the stated time frame sounded realistic or not.

3. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE. HOW DO YOU BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOUR EMPLOYEES?: Is he a micro manager? Is he an information hound that needs to be kept informed of everything? Does he leave people alone to do what he hired them for and simply keep on top of what's going on? Does he help you if you have trouble? Do any mentoring? Or is he a berating, derogatory, jerk?

Obviously he's not going to come right out and tell you he's a micro manager! Instead he might say, "I like to keep a very close watch on what's going on in my department," or "I visit with each member of my department on a daily basis to make sure they're staying on track," or something similar.

You'll find that the person will be fairly straight forward in sharing their management style with you. What you want to pay attention to is how they word it.

4. WHAT TYPES OF PEOPLE TEND TO EXCEL HERE?: Workaholics? Ones who are self-motivated and manage themselves well? People who work well in teams or committees? Employees who keep their supervisor informed of "where they are with things" on a daily basis?

This tells you something about the pervasive culture in the company or department. Generally speaking, companies - or departments - tend to be made up of similar types of people that are in harmony with the company culture and philosophy.

An entrepreneurial person won't function well in a committee environment. While sales personalities can vary greatly, the top achievers are goal driven and motivated to achieve, rather than complacent.

People who are accustomed to thinking for themselves will find themselves chafing in a company that has a more dictatorial style, while those who perform better when they're told what to do will find themselves adrift in a company that requires its employees to think for themselves.

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? WHY DO YOU STAY?: The answer to this question will give you an indication as to the feeling or health of the department or company. The way in which he answers the question will also give you additional insight into your potential boss, his management style, and what type of people excel in the department or company.

These are informational questions, not challenges. Be genuinely interested in the answer, because you're gaining valuable information that has to do with your future. When you leave the interview and process it within yourself, you'll be matching what you learned with what you are looking for.

Pay attention to the interviewer's body language and facial expressions. Is he relaxed? Does he fill in some of the spaces? Does he speak to you - or AT you? Does he answer the question briefly and then quickly fire off another one?

These, too, are valuable cues, and after the interview, you'll need to piece them together with the verbal information you received.

Your perfect job might land in your lap by grace and good fortune. But more likely, you'll need to look for it. It's there - but to recognize it, you'll need to know what it doesn't look like, as well as what it does.

In New York, a style capital of the world, black is always a chic and

a white one, is a must-have accessory.

Holiday-themed apparel with snowflakes, candy canes, stars, Christmas

trees, are also popular during the season. Along with being colorful, they also

convey the message that the person is fully embracing the spirit of the season

and is in a festive mood. When individuals wear holiday-themed apparel, they are

therefore radiating a positive attitude and giving the signal that it is

pleasant to be around them. After all, nobody wants to be around the 'grumpy

bah-humbug' type of personalities during the Christmas season.

Holiday-themed jewelry also works well as accessories. These can add that

little sparkle to an outfit that makes it stand out in an admirable way.

Holiday-themed jewelry is also perfect for those individuals who simply want to

show a touch of the holiday spirit without having to actually wear holiday-

themed apparel because it maybe too different from the conservative style of

their wardrobe.

It is necessary to add some sparkle to apparel during the Christmas season

and current style trends of having jewel-engraved or embroidered tops play well

for the Christmas season. They will allow the wearer to look festive in a very

understated but elegant way.

Fall popular styles will also undoubtedly be a fashionable way to dress

for the holidays. Based on the Fall Fashion Shows in New York, there are five

basic outfits that stylists say should be in the wardrobe of all women. They

are: the Tunic, Winter Short - which is cut just above the knee - the Vest,

Pencil Skirt and the Super-wide pant.

The vest can be a dressy one with embroidery or other adornments, or it

can be more minimal based on the overall outfit. The Winter Short and Pencil

Skirt can easily convert from working outfit to party wear with the right

accessory, making them perfect to wear to an early evening Christmas or holiday

party. A variation from the Pencil Skirt is the Pencil dress. This too is likely

to be popular for Christmas as it can be easily accessorized with a broad belt,

which is one of the accessories that top fashion advisers say is a 'must-have'

accessory for the Fall.

The Tunic and Super-wide pant are also liked for Christmas and the Holiday

season because they are very flexible in how they can be paired with other

garments.

Another fall fashion staple are Knit Sweaters - oversized and as tunics. They

will also work well with black tights and leggings, which has made a comeback in

leg wear. Leggings can be worn under skirts or dresses. Very slim leggings can

also be worn simply in place of pants, worn with a jacket or again, with an

oversized knit sweater. Using the basic colors of red, white and black that are

popular during Christmas and the holidays, colored leggings will definitely add

a nice touch of style to outfits and make them seem perfect for the Christmas

and holiday season.

It is also good that dresses are once more welcomed among the fashionable.

And the red dress for Fall fits well into Christmas and the holiday season.

The latest in jeans, which is a mainstay in everyone's wardrobe and suitable to

wear at all times including during Christmas and the holidays, is that a skinny

fit is in. And if ultra-skinny is not very complimentary to your body shape, you

can still get one of the newer types of jeans that are said to have a lot more

stretch, giving a 360-degree or all-around wrap to the body for a perfect or

near perfect fit.

And since Christmas is the season to be happy and cheery, the truly jolly

can always top off their Christmas outfit with a cone-shaped, red and white