Hello everyone, this is your captain speaking, we’re on the final approach to Christmas day so can I ask you to remain calm, loosen your belts and prepare for a bumpy landing (on the 26th !). This festive season its going to be a funky fun filled fiesta and of course one of the more important things for me to organize for crissy day is the sound track, and its going to be hello 70’s discorama!

The grog has been planned, Fizz, Sparkling Shiraz, Dusk, a token chardy and some good reds, sorted! The food, as good as done, Viet salad of prawns, Smoked salmon and trout, mussels, fresh asparagus and roast tomato salad, cold roast turkey rolls, leg ham, tabouleh etc, tick that box. Can’t forget dessert, individual ice cream puddings with drunken strawberries and my favourite, Panettone, its not Christmas without it!

Outrageously expensive present for Kath…. that’ll be an IOU! Even got a pressie for the dog (Kath’s idea) now just waiting for the rellies to arrive and turn it all upside down, so what’s new!

I’ve finished The DaVinci Code and what a read, I highly recommend it as it’s a great murder mystery and really makes you think about all we believe, I’ll say no more lest I spoil it for you.

I found out to my surprise that its been 20 years since Band Aid released “Do they know its Christmas”, one of my favourite all time songs. It only seemed like yesterday! But, on Xmas night at 7.30, SBS has, as part of their “Songs that changed the world” series, this modern classic. If you’re like me you’ll be singing along, full of nostalgia and feeling a tad guilty about our full bellies!

An interesting poll held by the BBC recently was vote for your favourite Christmas song, and another of my all time favourite xmas songs came in at No1 , The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl and the brilliant “Fairy tale of New York”, If you’ve never heard it seek it out, a heart felt beauty. It sure beats the traditional sugar coated Xmas standards. Heres the list.

VH1’s Top 10 Christmas Songs in U.K.:

· 1. "Fairytale of New York" — The Pogues And Kirsty MacColl (1987)

· 2. "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" — Band Aid (1984)

· 3. "Last Christmas" — Wham! (1984)

· 4. "Merry Xmas Everybody" — Slade (1973)

· 5. "Do They Know It’s Christmas" — Band Aid 20 (2004)

· 6. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" — Mariah Carey (1994)

· 7. "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" — Wizzard (1973)

· 8. "White Christmas" — Bing Crosby (1942)

· 9. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" — John & Yoko & The Plastic Ono Band w/ The Harlem Community Choir (1971)

· 10. "Stay Another Day" — East 17 (1994)

Hey what about those beer gift packs we made, sold out! Yep, so damn good, sold out! The good news is that we’ll be making more gift packs for him and for her as of Tuesday. Add that to the already huge list of gifts in store and it all adds up to us being your “One stop grog buying gift shop”.

Gift packs...

HIS

...contains, in a foam esky, a stubbie each of Pilsner Urquell, James Squire pilsner, Kirin, Steinlager, Becks and Heineken plus two excellent beer glasses from Belgium, Cadbury Favourite chocolates and a bag of mixed nuts. Great value at only $29.95

HERS

...contains, also in a foam esky, a 200ml Piccolo each of Yellow bubbly, Pink bubbly, Jacobs Creek bubbly, Killawarra Dusk, Kahlua and milk and Baileys Glide, plus four delicious gourmet chocolate packs and two French Bubbly flutes. Again representing great value at only $29.95

Also... One of my favourite beers, Grolsch, has a ripper of a pack; it’s a 1.5 ltr swing top bottle and two Grolsch beer glasses together in a sturdy carry box. Only $24.95 and the bottle has a myriad of uses when not full of beer.

Speaking of beer, we now stock the full range of Mildura Brewery beers, so there’s an extra gift idea to stuff into the stocking.

Our Fishers Liquor catalogue is out now and the specials last until Christmas so there’s no point waiting till the week before to see what’s on special... HERES your chance to get stocked up with all the drinks and goodies and miss out on the madness the week before xmas.

The Summer edition of BYO liquor and lifestyle magazine is now in stock. Its quite a good read with wine reviews, recipes, new products and travel all for the reasonable price of, $ZIP.00, you read that right,nix, nothing. So don’t forget to grab a complimentary copy next time you're in.

Tasting

This Friday afternoon, Xmas eve, if your not to busy you must stop by and taste the range of wines from Three Crows in a Row. They have a good range of interesting wines with fruit from this area. So drop in for a sip and Xmas wishes.

I must say I really liked last weeks wines from Stepping Stone especially with the new price of $9.95 I suspect they will fly of the shelf this week. I have even grabbed a couple for Xmas day.

Food

A couple of weeks ago I promised my wife’s family recipe for rum balls, and seeing as we don’t use rum we like to call them Santa’s balls (a favourite of Mrs. Claus! boom boom). It’s a pretty easy recipe and a good one if you have young kids as they just love rolling the mix into balls.

12 Weetbix

375g chopped raisins

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

2 tablespoons brandy or kid friendly orange juice

1 tin lite condensed milk

desiccated coconut for rolling in (not you silly, the balls)

In a large bowl crush the weetbix very finely and mix in all the other ingredients, cover and put in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

All you have to do now, or should I say all you have to show the kids how to, is to roll the mix into balls whatever size you like and toss through the coconut.

Leave them in the fridge until needed. Very simple and very delicious!

Christmas Give Aways

'SUM UP CHRISTMAS COMPETITION'

First Prize: We are giving away 4 MAGNUMS OF WINE.

2nd & 3rd Prize: Will win l magnum each.

We are still sifting through the entry’s for our terrific Christmas giveaway and we will email the winners later this week.