MiltonSearch.com Home and Garden

The garden takes on a different and enchanting personality in the evening hours when we often have more time to sit, relax and entertain. You can make your garden shine at night by using different types of lighting to set a special mood.

Lighting Sources
More than ever before there is a variety of different kinds of lighting to consider for the garden.

Low voltage: Easily installed low voltage systems are probably the most popular garden lighting options for today’s do-it-yourselfers. Typically these garden lights are low to the ground and placed along paths or around the garden to highlight a featured tree or garden ornament. Low voltage systems use a transformer to drop your 120-volt house current to 12 volts, about the same amount of electricity used to run a car battery.

Line voltage: Line voltage lights use the same 120-volt electrical current as the house. These lights are “hard wired” and should be installed by professionals.

Solar: Solar lights are widely available, many housed in whimsical casings (like turtles, frogs, etc.) to double as garden art during the day time. Solar lighting uses photovoltaic cells that convert the sunlight absorbed during the daylight hours into electricity to charge a battery after dark. No wiring or external power source is needed. Most solar lights run for eight to 10 hours when they receive a full day of direct sunlight. Generally this light is diffused and doesn’t illuminate a wide area.

Torches and candles: Candles and torches provide a flickering light that creates a soothing and romantic ambiance.

Designing with Light
When planning your night time landscape lighting, of course personal preference rules. However, here are a few considerations:

- Avoid placing your lights in a straight line along pathways. Rather, stagger the lights to avoid a harsh “airport runway” look.

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Lights that are not shielded tend to create an unpleasant glare that is hard on the eyes.

- Most plants are not bothered by night lights, but there are some that may have their growth or bloom patterns disrupted by being exposed to light during the night.

Plants for the Night Garden
Don’t overlook the use of plants to light up your garden at night. For example, though many flowers disappear as dusk approaches, white flowering plants continue to shine. Some flowers bloom only at night, and then release their fragrance into the still night air. Locate these plants near a deck or patio, or where you are most likely to be in the evening. Here are some favourites to light up your garden:

Evening Primrose opens in the evening with soft, clear white petals that gradually fade into pink as the flower matures. Their perfume is similar to honeysuckle with a hint of citrus. The flowers open every evening throughout the summer until the first frost.

Sweet-scented nicotiana has creamy tubular flowers on gracefully arching branches. The trumpet-shaped blossoms are closed during the daytime but in the late afternoon and evening they fill the air with a jasmine-like scent.

Moonflower has large, very fragrant, trumpet-shaped blooms that unfurl in slow motion each night as the sun sets. Pure white with faint green tracings, the blossoms bloom all night. By noon the next day, the flowers are closed up and barely seen among the plant’s dense foliage.

Angel’s Trumpet has 15-cm (6-inch) white trumpet-shaped flowers that open at night and remain open well into the following day.

Evening Stock is a multi-branched plants with grey-green leaves and 2.5-cm (1-inch) pale mauve, star-shaped flowers. The blooms are closed tightly all day but open at dusk with a spicy fragrance.

Four O’Clocks open in late afternoon, with 5-cm (2-inch) trumpet-shaped flowers that release a jasmine like scent. They bloom in pink, rose, white, orange and yellow and are very easy and fast growing.

– by Veronica Sliva of HGTV.ca

Easy ways to spice up your holiday

Make Valentines from Household Supplies
Paint samples, playing cards, sponges, sugar packets, matches…

Original Purpose: Taking up space in your kitchen and desk drawers.
Aha! Use: It’s all there, and now you know why you’ve never gotten around to throwing it out: a private, inexhaustible stock of Valentine-card-making props. Dead AAA batteries ("I get a charge out of you"), old lollipops ("I’m a sucker for you"), stray keys ("the key to my heart"). Sit yourself down and grab a pile of craft supplies — construction paper, scissors, markers, tape, X-Acto blade, large-eyed needle and strong thread (or dental floss!), doilies, ribbon saved from the last party. Don’t worry about getting the edges straight. It’s the message that counts.
Reward: Recycling with heart.

Candy Canes as Valentine’s Day Treats
Original Purpose: Adorning Christmas trees and stuffing stockings.
Aha! Use: Valentine candy. With some minor melting, they can decorate cupcakes and gift boxes, or cards that will be hand delivered.
How to Do It: Remove the cellophane wrapping from the canes and form hearts by placing them hook to hook and tail to tail on a nonstick baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350º F for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on the canes’ size) or until they stick together when you pinch the ends lightly. Cool thoroughly and remove with a spatula. If you want to make flat hearts with psychedelic stripes, bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Reward: Leftovers that say "love."

Greeting Cards as Gift Tags
Original Purpose: Mantelpiece clutter, proof of popularity.
Aha! Use: Gift tags. Last year’s holiday and birthday cards may be too pretty to throw away, but they’re probably not meaningful enough to keep. Cut out hearts, flowers, or any other whimsical illustration from the card’s cover, avoiding handwritten notes on the opposite side, and stash them with your ribbons and wrapping paper.
Reward: It’s not regifting; it’s recycling.

Quick Valentine’s Day Treat
In between dropping the kids off, picking up the dry cleaning, and making your to-do list for the week, you’re supposed to fit in romance? Try this easy trick: Melt a Hershey’s bar in a saucepan over low heat and dip some fresh strawberries in it to make a treat for your sweetheart. Let them cool on wax paper. Candles and canoodling optional.

DVDs for an Instant Holiday-Theme Party
Struck by a mad urge to play Cupid, you’re throwing a Valentine’s party. First head over to Blockbuster and pick up an appropriately themed DVD—preferably a romantic favorite like When Harry Met Sally, Casablanca, or An Affair to Remember. Come party time, pop it in the machine, press Play, then mute the sound so the film can serve as a quiet but not-too-subtle backdrop for the evening. Bonus: If a partygoer gets tired of small talk, he can zone out and tune in to the on-screen romance until he makes his own love connection with bachelorette number three.

Wrap Presents with Newspaper
Original Purpose: Looking up words, getting the news, finding your way.
Aha! Use: One-of-a-kind wrapping paper. Leftover paper of all kinds — wallpaper, old maps, last week’s Sunday comics — begs to be recycled as gift wrap. You’ll see: Almost any mundane printed matter is transformed by a big, shiny ribbon. Use a copying machine’s enlarger function to make much of small things. Choose a dictionary definition to suit the occasion: love for Valentine’s Day, shamrock for Saint Patrick’s Day, ageless for an anxious friend’s birthday. Photocopy the page onto an 11-by-17-inch sheet of paper (if possible) at the highest magnification, repeat as needed to increase the word size, and squeeze in the choice part of the definition. When the boss catches you wasting paper and toner, offer to run off a set for her wedding anniversary.
Reward: Oohs and ahs from the impressed recipient.
Other Use: Lining a birdcage.

Decorate Plates with Ketchup Squeeze Bottle
Original Purpose: Dressing French fries.
Aha! Use: Decorating dishes like a professional. Run an empty plastic ketchup bottle through the dishwasher (or pick up a fresh one at the Container Store; $1, www.containerstore.com), then fill it with your favorite sauce or condiment. Drizzle some rosemary-scented olive oil across a bowl of white bean soup, a squiggle of fudge or raspberry sauce around the rim of your Valentine’s dessert plate. (If calligraphy is not your strong suit, practice on a paper plate or stick to abstract designs.)
Reward: Five-star-chef presentation in less than five minutes.
Other Use: Fill with a week’s worth of homemade salad dressing and squirt as needed.

Create the Perfect Setting
For a romantic and fragrant centerpiece, float a few small orchids and some tea lights in a glass bowl.

Tips to liven up your living space

With the dreary winter months spent scurrying from driveway to duvet, Seasonal Affective Disorder is bound to set in. Take some therapeutic measures and follow these tips on how to beat the winter blahs by spicing up your space.

Colour
Colour is the most powerful element to consider in vitalizing your living space. Not only does colour reflect our likes and personalities, but it also has the power to enhance or affect our moods. Warm colours (reds, yellows, oranges) evoke joy and excitement, while cooler hues (blues and greens) promote rest and relaxation. During the winter months when you want to "let the sunshine in," consider accenting your space with bright, energizing and uplifting colours. The trick is not to overpower your space with colour, but rather to create visual dynamics by placing colourful elements throughout your space.

If you consider taking on a painting project, create an accent wall that evokes vitality without overpowering your space. Use one solid colour or investigate painting techniques that incorporate appealing colour or texture combinations. If painting is too much, shop for colourful fabrics that can be framed or stretched like art canvases. In this way you can play around with colour, texture and pattern combinations without making a formal commitment to your walls. You can also change the arrangements on a regular basis, eliminating the feeling of commitment to a design or colour scheme. This also applies to accent items like throw cushions; draperies; table, bath and bedroom linens; and even tableware, which can be mixed and matched for variety. Use contrasting colours for dynamics, or complementary colours to create a more soothing, harmonious effect. Never be afraid to use colour!

It’s Alive!
There’s nothing that speaks vitality in your home like the presence of living things. Consider greening up your space with plants or—if you’re feeling ambitious—an aquarium. If you find you don’t have a green thumb or haven’t the patience or budget for an aquarium, consider bringing fresh, colourful flower arrangements into your home on a regular rotation. The colours and fragrances will have you hearkening to spring and summer, ultimately lightening your spirits.

Personality
Blank walls, neutral colour schemes and an overall lack of identity in a space do nothing but nurture the winter blahs. Make your home speak "you" by injecting a little of your personality into it. Display collections of your favourite items or showcase your own hobbies/creations/accomplishments. Liven up a dull corner or hallway by creating a collage of family photos arranged either chronologically or thematically. Consider colourful groupings in fanciful frames or dramatic black and white shots in more minimal frames. If you’re a crafter, create colourful, textural or "just plain fun" accent pieces for your home. Embroider some funky tea towels, quilt an exciting pillow cover, knit a new throw or have some of your favourite needlework projects framed. Consult crafting resources and speak with fellow crafters. You’ll quickly realize there are limitless possibilities when it comes to energizing your space and putting your own personal stamp on it with fresh, new ideas and projects!

– Kathryn Bailey, HGTV.ca

Got your game face on for the most watched TV broadcast? Host a Super Bowl party that die-hard fans — and those there just for the commercials — can enjoy

Here’s everything you’ll need to throw a winning Super Bowl party.

Beer and Beer Steins: Stock up on brands of brews that represent the two opposing teams. (For examples, go to www.realsimple.com/beer.)

Decorations: Show off your home-field advantage with a festive football-themed decor (shown). Cut coasters out of AstroTurf ($1 per square foot at www.ondecksports.com, or go to your local hardware store). Set out potted wheatgrass (available at flower shops and nurseries) topped with pennants and mini footballs (check out www.michaels.com and www.partycity.com). Design your table runner to look like a football field; just spread out Con-Tact Chalkboard Contact Paper ($6 for a roll, 18 inches by six feet, at www.amazon.com) and draw yard lines with chalk and a ruler. Then leave out the chalk and let your guests strategize their own plays throughout the party.

Food: Upgrade traditional tailgate fare with these healthier — and tastier — versions: Spec-Taters, Pigskins in a Blanket (with chicken sausage), and baked Kickin’ Chicken Fingers (see recipes).

Party Game: You will need tags, string, and a marker. In lieu of a football pool, have each guest predict the winner’s final score. Write each guess on a tag and tie it to his or her beer stein. Whoever gets closest to the correct score wins.

Recipes

Kickin’ Chicken Nuggets

1 6-ounce bag spicy pita chips (such as Stacy?s Texarkana Hot)
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets, cut into 3-inch pieces
1 cup sour cream
4 scallions, trimmed and chopped

Heat oven to 400° F.

Place the pita chips and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the parsley, if using.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water. Dip the chicken in the egg, letting any excess drip off, then in the pita-chip mixture, pressing gently to help it adhere. Place the chicken pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and scallions and serve with the chicken for dipping.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 285(71% from fat); FAT 14g (sat 4g); SUGAR 4g; PROTEIN 21g; CHOLESTEROL 90mg; SODIUM 301mg; FIBER 3g; CARBOHYDRATE 17g

Pigskins in a Blanket

1 12-ounce package fully cooked chicken sausage
1 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/3 cup whole-grain mustard

Heat oven to 400° F.

Cut the sausages in quarters lengthwise, then in half crosswise.

Cut the puff pastry into strips 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Roll the sausage pieces in the pastry strips and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer to a platter and serve with the mustard for dipping.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Spec-taters

Swap a sports-bar favorite for a snack that’s more refined and better for you, too. Create a potato bar by baking a 15-ounce package of Alexia Oven Fries frozen potato wedges (available at supermarkets) and serving them warm with a variety of toppings, like chopped red onion, salsa, grated Cheddar, jalapeños, and low-fat sour cream.

It takes no less than a small army of helpers and countless hours of preparation (and an ample supply of duct tape and glue) to prepare for family holiday celebrations. From hoisting outside lights and pinning mistletoe overhead, to marathon-like shopping trips and speed-wrapping gifts; it’s a wonder the tasks get done in time! Yet after all the celebrations have finished, the eggnog carton is empty and the reindeers have left – it’s time for some heavy-duty household clean-up! This guide will show you how to pack up, recycle and return the home to its natural splendour.

Wrapping it up!

If mountains of torn gift wrapping paper have started to collect dust bunnies in your home – chances are it’s time to tidy up. Here are some ways to help you and your family plan a strategy to pack up the decor. Starting as early as the week after New Year’s, hauling down the Christmas tree and dissecting the light cords can begin!

• Start the packing process with the ornaments by grouping each into categories such as: fragile, glass or special collections. Give kids their own box of non-breakable decorations to wrap for next year. Use acid-free tissue papers to deter discolouration, and keep all breakables in hard cases (shoeboxes can easily hold 3-5 medium sized baubles). Label the contents in each box or colour-code boxes if you have multiple trees to decorate.

Tip: Use egg cartons to store Christmas tree balls, and keep bubble wrap close by for delicate pieces.

• Untying tree lights can be a painstaking task. Group coloured lights and single-coloured lights separately, and outside lights together. For packing, if you cannot navigate through the original light packaging, try tying light cords around an empty paper towel roll to keep it tidy.

• Artificial trees can be as prickly as a real spruce! Wear worn leather or close-pored gloves for extra-tough pines. Use yarn or twine to tie down sticky branches and avoid possible scratches while opening the box next year (trees can shift while being moved into storage). Wrap the tree base and place it inside with the tree, making sure all the nuts and bolts are inside. Finally, tape the set-up instructions to the outside of box to avoid mishaps next year.

• For any remaining household odds and ends, create a scavenger hunt where kids seek out remaining pieces like holiday candles, tea cozy’s or serving platters. Kids can pass them to the parents to wrap up as they find the remaining pieces!

• Store all boxes and supplies in a dry area of the house that’s free from any possible water damage (like leaky pipes or hidden drains).

Waste Not, Want Not

The holidays are as much about giving as they are about receiving, as we reflect and think consciously about our environment there are many ways to give back to Mother Nature during this decadent time. Here are some ideas to help you and your family give back by recycling some of the resources used during the holidays:

• Watch for local recycling listings to determine what your neighbourhood waste management centre can accept and keep these in a visible location (fridge or home office).

• Most resource centres can accommodate the following items: greeting cards (and envelopes), paper gift bags, wrapping paper and rolls, shopping catalogues, cardboard boxes, paper egg cartons, pop cans and bottles, aluminum trays that have been rinsed thoroughly and wine bottles (some beer or liquor stores can accept these in some provinces).

• Organic food recycling is available in some areas, which can help reduce the amount of waste leftover from entertaining.

• Local tree recycling is usually announced to areas ahead of time, be sure to mark the appropriate dates.

Planning Ahead

Consider some alternatives for next year’s planning to help reduce overall waste produced by holiday decorating.

• Purchase generic wrapping paper to wrap gifts as-needed throughout the year (great for crafters and kids). This reduces the amount of holiday-specific ribbons and bows needed too! Or use the comic pages of the newspaper for gift-wrapping (it’s both recyclable and funny!)

• Decorate a potted plant rather than a traditional Christmas tree, the plant can stay in your home throughout the year and this eliminates having to purchase an artificial or real tree altogether. Or if you do purchase a new tree each season make certain to mulch, compost or recycle it through your neighbourhood waste disposal.

• Sift through your greeting cards and pick out the most meaningful ones. Consider making a scrapbook, and besure to recycle the others!

• Consider re-using gift bags for the immediate family to use for gift exchanges year after year.

Being organized and environmentally conscientious for the holidays starts where you left off, just as opening up holiday boxes neatly packed with all the memories of years past can present as much of a surprise as the gifts bring themselves.

The gifts are unwrapped (revered or returned) and the last turkey sandwiches are officially done, but don’t tuck yourself in for a long winter’s nap just yet. Raise your glass and toast to good fortunes to come while singing a round of Auld Lang Syne. This guide will help you throw one last hurrah before the year comes to a close:

The Decor

A cocktail party, especially one with a New Year’s theme, is meant for mingling, sipping tasty concoctions and nibbling on delicious morsels of food. Here are some tips on creating the perfect atmosphere for your swanky soirée:

• You will need some sort of sidebar to hold your bottles, glasses and food. Move a low cabinet or card table over to the side of the room and out of the way. End tables placed in the corners of the room can house chips, dip and other munchies.
• Turn your space into a hip lounge by creating a good party flow. Rearrange furniture into “conversation clusters” so that the couch is freed from the wall and placed in the middle of the room, two wing chairs are grouped in another area and a couple of floor cushions are placed in a corner for more intimate conversations.
• A few white indoor Christmas lights strung around the room can give your space a festive touch without looking over the top. If that’s not your thing, check out Chinatown for paper lanterns.
• Mirrors make very sexy serving trays and with the addition of a few tea lights will make the serving table twinkle all night long. Just wash your mirrors thoroughly and adorn with a few votives held in small holders.
• Pick up a light dimmer from your local hardware store for the party room. Turn the main light down a bit and place floor lights, replaced with low wattage bulbs on the peripheral of the space. Start the evening with brighter lights when everyone is getting to know each other, going darker the closer you get to midnight.Here are some essential items you will need to make your party a hit:
• Martini glasses and wine goblets – Stock up on glasses at your local dollar store. They’re cheap and your guests won’t be afraid of breaking them. Also have some plastic cups on hand in case you run out—do you think Dick Clark is washing dirty dishes on New Year’s Eve?
• Ice storage – If you run out of space in your fridge, set up some cooler cases on the balcony, in the garage or in the bathtub for additional storage. Yes, the bathtub—it’s big and no one is using it, might as well put it to work.
• Noisemakers and party hats – New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be complete without them. Go for a chic approach and choose hats and noisemakers in similar colour schemes that match your room’s décor.
• Sound system – You’ll never be forgiven if the music is muffled or barely audible. Now’s the time to finally install those speakers or borrow a great player from a friend. Keep your CDs close by or burn your MP3s onto discs to make switching it up easier.

The Invitations

Send your invitations two weeks ahead of time. New Year’s Eve is such a fun-filled night, take the liberty to play up this theme and send out cheeky invites in vibrant colours and patterns. The party should start a few hours before midnight; around 9 or 10 pm is a good bet.

The Playlist

Take a cue from professional DJs and start the evening off with mellow tunes, slowly progressing to more upbeat tracks towards the middle of the night. Here are some great album ideas to stock your sound system with for the party:

• Light My Fire [Astrud Gilberto]
• Modern Cocktail Party [Various Artists]
• Baby Its Cold Outside [Holly Cole]
• Nina: The Essential Nina Simone [Nina Simone]
• Cocktails with Cole Porter [Various Artists]

The Bar

Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive spirits and wines, take the easier route by making one signature drink that will be universally appealing, such as your own personal take on a familiar favourite, filling in the rest of the evening with bottles of inexpensive red and white wines. Another cost-friendly alternative is to arrange the ingredients for three or four cocktails out on the table along with shakers and instructions so guests can create their own drinks. Below are a few popular cocktail party drinks to try:

• Classic Martini [Gin, Dry Vermouth, Pimento-Stuffed Olives]
• Bellini [Peach Schnapps and Champagne]
• Cosmopolitan [Cointreau, Triple Sec, Vodka, Lime Juice, Cranberry Juice]
• Black Russian [Vodka and Kahlua]
• Long Island Iced Tea [Vodka, rum, gin, tequila, Triple Sec, Cola]

And, here is a list of additional items to stock the bar with:

• White or blush wine
• Red wine
• A case of good quality domestic or foreign beer (24 pack)
• Festive liqueur such as Bailey’s Irish Cream or Grand Marnier
• 1 non-alcoholic mixed drink
• A few bottles of cola, ginger, orange juice, soda water and cranberry juice
• Corkscrews
• Ice scoops
• Shakers
• Small cutting board and knife (to slice lemons and limes)
• Shot glass (for measuring mixed drinks)
• Pitchers

Good to Know

A 750 ml bottle of wine will serve about four to six people, while the same quantity of spirits (vodka, rum, etc.) will make about 12 to 16 mixed drinks. Also, figure each guest will go through about a pound of ice. A time-saving tip for wine is to open a few bottles and then reinsert the corks half an hour before the party starts. This way you won’t have to struggle to uncork bottles while your guests stand there empty handed.

The Menu

Guests don’t have the luxury of sitting down to a table to use knives and forks, so meals should be served appetizer-style, either laid out on the sideboard or taken around with napkins.

Parting Gifts

Inexpensive parting gifts are simple to make and are a great memento of the fun your guests had as they capped off the year at your party. Here are some small parting gifts you can do weeks in advance in preparation for the big night:

• Buy a stack of re-writeable CDs that come in colourful case colours (even better if the colour coordinates with your decor scheme) and burn a personal album for each guest containing a selection of the music you played during the evening.
• Pick up inexpensive, Chinese take-out style boxes and fill them with gold chocolate coins. Personalize each box by writing a good luck wish for the New Year.

Fretting about what to buy for your loved ones? Have no fear — Toronto Star writers advise you on gifts for everyone from the theatre buff to the music lover to the hardcore gamer

FOR THE THEATREGOER

When it comes to buying a holiday gift for the theatre buff in your life, I believe in going back to basics: give ‘em the real thing.

A true fan doesn’t want a T-shirt or a poster or a book about the theatre. They want to go see a play.

And although Toronto isn’t as bad as New York or London when it comes to pricing, it still can be a costly enough experience that taking advantage of some discounts available at this time year can be a good idea.

Here are a few suggestions:

A Yuletide Sampler Go off on your own and purchase tickets for holiday shows like White Christmas at the Sony Centre (until Jan. 5, 416-872-2262); Peter Pan at the Elgin (until Jan. 5, 416-314-2901); Christmas With the Rat Pack at the Princess of Wales (Dec. 20 to 31, 416-872-1212); High School Musical: The Ice Tour, Dec. 21 to 30 at the Rogers Centre (416-870-8000 or ticketmaster.ca); and The Wizard of Oz at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (until Dec. 30, 416-862-2222).

Canadian Stage Company Want to see Fiona Reid in The Clean House or Arsinée Khanjian in Judith Thomson’s latest? You can take the family or some friends from work and save 50 per cent on tickets.

Here’s how it works: Between now and Dec. 21, call CanStage’s box office at 416-368-3110 and request either FamilyFlex or CorpFlex.

In either case, you’ll get four tickets for any available performance for any show remaining in the season for the price of $112, all taxes and handling charges included. That’s half of the regular price.

For a complete look at the shows available, go to canstage.com.

Dancap Productions Aubrey Dan’s new production company believes in making things easy for the customer – and that extends to the holiday season. If you’re stuck for an idea, give your musical-loving buddies a $25, $50, or $100 Dancap gift certificate, which they’ll be able to use for shows like Avenue Q or Jersey Boys.

For a full schedule and information on ordering, go to dancaptickets.com.

Mirvish Productions It’s only logical our biggest producer should have the most options. In addition to Christmas With the Rat Pack, they also have We Will Rock You, still blasting out eight shows a week at the Canon Theatre, and there are special holiday packages available at $50 a ticket.

You can also purchase seats for Dirty Dancing and four shows premiering early in the new year, Whistle Down the Wind, Twelve Angry Men and The Life and Times of Nicholas Nickleby. Or give friends and loved ones gift certificates they can use for these shows, or for two not on sale yet: The Ha’penny Bridge and The Sound of Music.

Stage West The popular dinner theatre in Mississauga has a variety of special holiday deals available that can be used all year round. For example, $149 will get you dinner and a show for two – as well as a bottle of wine! Check them out at: www.stagewest.com/festive_season.asp.

Stratford and Shaw Our two major festivals’ box offices open just in time for seasonal purchases. As of today, you can call the Stratford box office at 1-800-567-1600 or go online at stratfordfestival.ca to buy tickets to see Brian Dennehy in All’s Well That Ends Well, Christopher Plummer in Caesar and Cleopatra or 15 other potentially stunning productions next summer.

Shaw becomes available to the general public as of Dec. 14 and they can be reached at 1-800-511-SHAW or shawfest.com for tickets to Wonderful Town, An Inspector Calls, or nine other stylishly staged shows for the new season that starts in April.

Tarragon Theatre The home of Canadian theatre is offering a special “Greatest Hits” package, presenting a trio of wildly successful shows from Canadian authors who are being revived by popular demand between September 2008 and May 2009: Wadji Mouawad’s Scorched, Hannah Moscovitch’s East of Berlin and Daniel MacIvor’s A Beautiful View. All three of these plays got four-star reviews from me in The Star and, at $100 for the package, I can’t think of a better buy. Call the theatre at 416-531-1827 for more details.

For the theatre fan who has everything

What if you have a partner, relative or friend who already buys tickets to everything in sight? Then you’ll be thankful for this: The Noël Coward Collection on DVD from BBC Video. It’s an unbelievable treasure trove consisting of 21 of his plays, along with numerous other documentaries, interviews and special features. The casts include Judi Dench, Paul Scofield, Joan Collins and Deborah Kerr. An absolute must for fans of “The Master.”- Richard Ouzounian

FOR THE CONCERT LOVER

When it comes to a gift for the music lover in your life, nothing beats tickets to see their favourite artist. Some of the most anticipated shows – k.d. Lang, Spice Girls – are already sold out, but here are a few worthy stocking stuffers.

For the hip-hop oriented high-schooler Winterfest with Omarion, Trey Songz and Mario, Dec. 26, Massey Hall, 7 p.m., $66.50 - $98.

For the jazz curious Jason Marsalis, Jan. 11, Trane Studio, 8 p.m., $20 @ 416-913-8197.

For the metalhead Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie, Jan. 21, Air Canada Centre, 7:30 p.m., $58-$108.50.

For the rockabilly John Mellencamp with Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, Feb. 6, Air Canada Centre, 7:30 p.m., $39.50-$150.

For the hot chick Chris Botti, Feb. 20, Massey Hall, 7:30 p.m., $45-$65.

For the suburbanite Matchbox Twenty, Feb. 22, Air Canada Centre, 8 p.m., $49.50-$85.50.

For the church-goer Harlem Gospel Choir, Feb.23, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m., $22.50-$52.50.

For the sophisticate Pink Martini, March 15, Massey Hall, 8 p.m. $29.50-$49.50 @ roythomson.com or 416-872-4255.

For those who remember the good ol’ days Glenn Miller Orchestra, July 9, Roy Thomson Hall, 8 p.m., $64-$78 @ roythomson.com or 416-872-4255.

For the unflagging Céline Dion, Aug. 27-28, Air Canada Centre, 8 p.m., $63.25-$195. 

Unless otherwise noted, all tickets available at ticketmaster.ca or 416-870-8000. At press time, these shows still had tickets available. 

For the jazz fan who has everythingFor the diehard jazz lover on your list, consider signing them up for the 35th annual International Association of Jazz Educators conference being staged Jan. 9 to 12 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Aimed at education, teacher training and professional development, the event features an intriguing array of live interviews, panels, workshops and more than 100 concerts. The 2008 lineup includes a U.K. showcase helmed by British saxist Courtney Pine, performances by singer Kurt Elling (below), guitarist Lionel Loueke, The Tierney Sutton Band and trumpeter Christian Scott. Advance registration and membership costs about $540; lower for students. Visit iaje.org.

- Ashante Infantry

FOR THE FILM BUFFCool gifts for movie fans this season come in both small and big packages.

Let’s work our way up:

iPod Touch: The latest extension of the category-killing Apple gizmo looks like the skinny brother to the iPhone, the super cell that still hasn’t come to Canada. But anyone looking for a great handheld movie experience won’t feel shortchanged.

The 3.5-inch screen seems positively huge compared to previous iPod iterations, allowing you to comfortably watch a downloaded or ripped movie in a coffee shop, say – and if that coffee shop has Wi-Fi access, you can also use the iPod Touch to surf the Internet. Just don’t try to make any calls with it.

Bob’s right here: There’s been much ado this fall about Todd Haynes’s I’m Not There, the movie that uses six wildly different incarnations of Bob Dylan to present a tangled-up portrait of the artist.

But why not have Dylan himself show you his various sides? Delight rock and film fans with the new DVD The Other Side of the Mirror, Murray Lerner’s documentary of Dylan’s shape-shifting appearances at the Newport Folk festival from 1963-65.

We watch Dylan evolve from a nervous folkie in the Woody Guthrie tradition into a shade-wearing and ear-blasting rocker. It might settle the argument once and for all about whether the crowd was really booing Dylan during his electric debut in 1965.

While you’re at it, you might also want to pick up the DVD of another rock movie that Lerner co-directed, Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who, which similarly benefits from great vintage footage.

Fantasy corporate T-shirts: Any fool can sell out to The Man and wear a T-shirt proclaiming employment by or allegiance to a real capitalist enterprise like Ford or Coca-Cola. But how cool is it to wear a T-shirt for a fake corporation, like the kind you see in movies?

That’s the idea behind Mike Ford’s Last Exit To Nowhere (www.lastexittonowhere.com), a British firm that makes realistic corporate Ts for fantasy firms. Rock it like a Blade Runner replicant with a Tyrell Corp. shirt or dodge stomach-busting critters aboard Alien’s Nostromo space ship with your Weyland-Yutani Corp. threads. And if you’re getting hot under the collar like the righteous cop in The Wicker Man, grabbing thyself a Summerisle tourist T. Faux is the way to go.

Blade Runner-a-go-go: Guilty pleasure or wretched excess? You be the judge, but watch geek eyes bulge as you present a briefcase packed with all five official versions of Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult film about a Los Angeles of constant rain and killer replicants. Keyed to the current release of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, this kit includes the original U.S. and European releases, an early work print, the 1992 director’s cut and the new final cut, each with a slightly different version of the story.

The cool extras include a different version of the controversial Harrison Ford voiceover, a “collectible’ model spinner space toy and an origami unicorn. True Blade Runner geeks will understand, and want.

Ford in a box: John Ford received four Best Director Oscars (a feat still unmatched) during his storied career and many consider him the greatest filmmaker ever. His prolific time at 20th Century Fox, where he made more than 50 films from 1920-’52, is saluted with Ford at Fox, a 21-disc set that presents many of the films he’s known for (including The Grapes of Wrath, Drums Along the Mohawk and How Green Was My Valley) as well as many that have never been released to DVD. The latter includes the rarity The Iron Horse, his silent epic about the building of the transcontinental railway.

For the cineaste who has everything

And for the film fan who has everything, and who is brave enough to risk getting a black eye, how about the Movie Spoilers T-shirt from Threadless (www.threadless.com), the T-shirt company that dares to be different? The shirt bellows out the endings to some two dozen classic movies, although a couple made in the last few years. It’s clever and eye-catching, but wearers had better hope that the big guy sitting next to them at the bar isn’t a movie buff, or that he has already seen all these flicks. Mercifully, the shirt leaves out the titles of the films. 

- Peter Howell

FOR THE COUCH POTATO

As if Christmas wasn’t scary enough in and of itself, there’s some spooky stuff out now for the TV enthusiast on your gifting list. Quite a few groundbreaking, and oddly unnerving shows, have recently received the complete-season, fancy-box treatment.

X-Files: The Complete Collector’s Edition The show was eerie, sexy and perfect for approximately the first half of its nine years and this release is packaged in an appropriately pretty fashion, featuring an eye staring you down as you unwrap it. Included on the 61-disc set is the feature film, Fight the Future, and more extras than you can shake a can of black oil at. Featuring character profiles, commentaries, “threads of mythology,” deleted scenes and games.

Also, a comic book, poster and many more happy-making features. ($293.99)

Angel Collectors Set Scary good. Scary poignant. Scary bad in places. (Places like the last episodes of Season 4). Before David Boreanaz became the cheerful Bones guy, he was the brooding vampire with a soul who helped the helpless and looked sexy and Byronian doing it. There is nothing new in this set in terms of extras, but the handy little box makes it easier to cuddle. ($125.99)

Twin Peaks Definitive Gold Box Edition The first season broke all the rules of television and opened the door for many of the arch-having, non-stupid, imaginative shows to come after. The second season was scary in its mega-slide to idiocy once David Lynch lost interest. This edition has all kinds of goodies, including a beautiful little slice of Lynch hanging out in a diner discussing the show. $69.99.

Masters of Horror, Season One All of the masters of horror from the excellent first season live in a cute little house/DVD box. But there is nothing cute about these hour-long efforts from the likes of John Carpenter, John Landis, (shudder) Dario Argento and (double-shudder) Takashi Miike. The episodes have director commentaries and some long and very interesting making-of featurettes. ($69.99)

The Addams Family: The Complete Series The scariest thing about the Addamses is how much more of a functional family they are than most non-monstery families you’ve ever come across. The set has commentaries, a guest star featurette, theme song karaoke and a bit on the whole snap-snap thing and how it came about. ($69.99)

Also scary: Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series Collection (scary mostly because of how heavy it is. And the many, many hours of your life you will spend on the massive amount of special features, old and new). $311.11. Miami Vice: The Complete Series (scary mostly because of the fashion). $149.96; Seinfeld: The Complete Series (scary mostly because of Elaine’s hair in the early years). $244.27; Northern Exposure: The Complete Series (scary mostly because you realize John Corbett used to be all kinds of hot). $149.96; The O.C.: The Complete Series Collection (scary mostly because the first season already seems oddly aged) $148.18; Gilmore Girls: The Complete Series (scary mostly because of the super-cutesy and pastelly packaging) $213.15; Chappelle’s Show: The Series Collection (scary mostly on account of how it makes you pee your pants) $40.43.

Not scary at all, but really, really season-appropriate: Christmas Time in South Park with seven episodes of sacrilegious fun. $16.99.

The prices listed are from chapters.indigo.ca and amazon.ca and are subject to change(s). They’ve probably already changed 11 times since yesterday.

For the channel surfer who has everythingIt’s not just a collection of some 90 episodes of dirty, funny Family Guy. No, no. With the Freakin’ Party Pack, you’ll get ping-pong balls, net and paddles as well at poker chips and cards and dice. It all comes in a handy-dandy see-through container, which can easily be used as a lunch box at a later date. Stewie says: “Beautiful. And while we’re at it we can light up a doobie and watch porn?” $143.98

 - Malene Arpe

FOR THE STUDIOUS TYPE

There are books we buy for ourselves, books we buy for others and books we wish others would buy for us.

These latter two categories are at the heart of holiday gift-giving. Think of a book you might hope to receive and then turn that thinking around when looking at the readers and book lovers on your list. The book should also qualify as an extravagance, either because it’s a tad too expensive or possibly a title you already own in another form.

Most of the recommended books on this list fit that principle:

Roald Nasgaard, Abstract Painting in Canada (Douglas & McIntyre) $85 There is more to abstract painting in Canada than the iconic works of Paul-Émile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Guido Molinari, as is illustrated in this thorough and thoroughly gorgeous survey.

Anne Newlands, Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings (Firefly) $69.95 This handsome survey of 164 familiar Canadian works of art, ranging from the 17th century until now, touches all the bases, from Tom Thomson’s The Jack Pine to Jack Chambers’ 401 Towards London No. 1 to General Idea’s AIDS.

Helen Humphreys, The Frozen Thames (McClelland & Stewart) $24.99 Proof that not all attractive parcels come in big packages: This small but fetching title packages 40 short, colourful narratives set on occasions between 1142 and 1927 that London’s Thames River froze, an original and imaginative approach to historical fiction.

Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner: Illustrated Edition (Doubleday Canada) $37 Hosseini’s hugely popular novel about life in Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban has been refurbished to include colour and black and white photographs taken in that war-torn country.

Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace (Knopf) $47 Too busy, lazy or Cyrillic-challenged to learn Russian but have always wanted to read Tolstoy’s mammoth epic, set during the Napoleonic Wars? No worries. Here’s a new translation by the acclaimed husband and wife team of Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Yann Martel, Life of Pi: Illustrated (Knopf Canada) $45 Given the continuing popularity among younger readers of Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, its transformation into an illustrated text by Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac makes perfect sense.

Lana Slezic, Forsaken (Anansi) $45 Photographer Lana Slezic’s eye-opening photographs of Afghan women are insightful, often disturbing and, yet, somehow affirming.

Melanie Dunea, My Last Supper (Bloomsbury) $49.95 No, not an investigation of Leonardo’s famous painting or even a collection of menu preferences by death row inmates. Instead, this book tells you how and what 50 famous chefs, including Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, would eat for their culinary exit.

Jane Urquhart (editor), Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories (Penguin Canada) $35 Canadians write short stories as well as anyone in the English-speaking world, what with internationally recognized masters Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant and Alistair MacLeod leading the charge.

- Vit Wagner

FOR THE GEEK AT HEART

Considering the plethora of licensed goods out there, two thoughts hit me while constructing this gift guide of gloriously geeky products. First, we truly are living in the golden age of geek chic as there are action figures, toys, clothing and collectibles for all stripes and inclination of fandom. And how insanely difficult would it actually be for completists to collect all of these things? While one might be spoiled for choice, here’s a list of a few things we saw that should please the nerdy out there.

Superhero sort of Lit With graphic novels enjoying a wonderful resurgence right now, there are plenty of new cool books on the shelves. For the old school fan, the Marvel True Believers retro pop-Up books are big, colourful representations of Marvel’s finest. So far, Spider-Man and the X-Men have their own versions of these books where our favourite heroes literally burst from the page. $27.95 from the Silver Snail (367 Queen St. W., 416-593-0889)

In terms of actual prose, the two hot books out there are Austin Grossman’s Soon I Will Be Invincible, a thinly veiled take on a Justice League-like group of heroes. It’s told from the perspectives of a new heroine, Fatale, and Dr. Impossible, the brilliantly flawed Lex Luthor-type villain of this world. The other one is Hero, a gay coming-out story by Perry Moore.

Doctor Who doesn’t love remote control stuff The Mini R.C. Dalek Battle Pack is all kinds of cool. Coming with two Daleks so they can fight each other, any scarf-wearing Who fan will love this. $54.95 from Suspect Video (619 Queen St. W., 416-504-9116).

Robotic games More than meets the eye might be the perfect way to describe chess, and the Transformers Chess Set is the perfect gift for old school and new fans of Autobots and Decepticons. One problem? They don’t transform. But hey, Mindgames (various locations) has marked the set down from $49.99 to $29.99.

New movies or bust While last year’s big hits still have interesting product all over the place – anyone for a 300 Spartan cape ($274.99) and sword with belt and scabbard ($191.99)? – geeks like to be ahead of the game. Two big flicks coming next year include Iron Man and G.I. Joe and The Silver Snail has two awesome busts, one of Iron Man’s helmet for $459.99 and a great limited edition bust of the original American Ninja, Snake Eyes, for $389.99.

Skull-picking: For the history buff, why not turn them on to the bunk science of phrenology, the ancient art of reading bumps on a skull to diagnose illness and personality? Cool design shop Morba (665 Queen St. W., 416-364-5144) has phrenology heads that point out just where to feel to see what ails you. A 12-inch head goes for $118.00.

For the geek who has everything

Any big-time music nerd is probably still hanging onto their vinyl or cassette tapes, even though most likely the bulk of their music-listening is done through the computer these days. Ion’s Tape2PC USB Cassette Archiver (below) and USB Turntable ($200 and $150 at Urban Outfitters, respectively) are the perfect devices to help bring their music into this century by converting it to MP3s.

- Raju Maduhar

FOR THE GAMER IN YOUR LIFE

Video games, and related accessories, make for ideal stocking stuffers for the young and young at heart – but with so many products to choose from, shopping for a gamer can be an overwhelming experience.

In other words, how do you know which games are worth getting blisters over and which ones will likely become beer coasters? Here are some games and accessories worth putting under the tree:

Band in a box Easily one of the best games of the year is MTV Games’ Rock Band, a music rhythm game that includes a guitar peripheral (which can also be used as a bass), collapsible drum kit and real sticks, and a microphone so the whole family can rock out in front of the same TV to hit songs from yesterday and today (or even over the Internet with friends in another city). The game and instrument bundle sell for $169.99 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; the stand-alone game sells for $59.99.

Taking charge While the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing controller is one of the most exciting things to happen to the gaming industry in a long while, it’s no secret the AA batteries in the Wii remote can drain faster than the pipes in a Mario Bros. game. Good news: the “Nyko Wii Charge Station” ($38.99) includes rechargeable batteries for two Wii remotes, a docking station to recharge them and rubber-lined controller backs for greater grip.

It’s alien to me From Edmonton-based BioWare comes one of the most ambitious fantasy epics in recent memory: Mass Effect ($59.99). In this Xbox 360 exclusive, you assume the role of commander of the S.S. Normandy, who travels throughout the galaxy to face a vicious enemy before it destroys everything in its path. Handpick your squad-mates and vehicles and engage in strategic combat on various planets, asteroids and spaceships – but each decision you make has its own consequence.

It’s-a-me, Mario! In Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy ($49.99), everyone’s favourite plumber is back, and this time he’s out of this world. In fact, this space-age single-player game is one of the best Mario games in recently memory.

Players can use the Wii’s motion-sensing controllers to zap to various planets, collect items, solve puzzles and fight baddies. Colourful graphics and a terrific soundtrack add to the fun.

For the gamer who has everything

You haven’t played Halo 3 unless your tush has rumbled while firing at aliens. The Renegade Game Chair ($299.99) features 12 vibrating motors so you can feel every bump or zap in your favourite games. This comfortable recliner also includes headrest-mounted 3D-stereo speakers and coordinated lighting effects and is compatible with Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Windows PCs, Macs and portable music players. 

- Marc Saltzman 

FOR THE AUDIOPHILE

Megadeth, Warchest (Capitol/EMI) Yeah, Rhino Records’s new Heavy Metal Box is a handsome package, but don’t insult your favourite metalhead by treating him (or a way-cool her) like a generalist – go deep and go specific with this bad-ass, four-CD, one-DVD monument to the on-again/off-again genius of Dave Mustaine. There’s a steep tail-off from the glory days of “Peace Sells” and “Hangar 18″ to the present, admittedly, but the 1990 live show from Wembley Stadium captured on Disc 4 will still singe your eyebrows. Some of the studio versions actually seem slow and restrained by comparison. And, dear lord, you’ve gotta see Warchest’s 3-D packaging to believe it. Nicely done.

Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures (1979), Closer (1980) and Still (1981) Separate the poseurs lining up to cop some of the Best Band Ever’s cool after perusing Control at the multiplex by sitting ‘em down with two-and-a-half of the most brilliant and soul-scrapingly ugly post-punk albums of all time. Rock doesn’t get any better – or more unsettling – than it does on Rhino Records’s pristine reissues of Joy Division’s original, suicide-truncated three-album Factory catalogue, but the bonus live discs included in each package will inspire renewed awe in serious fans, who will be further awed if presented with the vinyl box set that Rhino is offering of all three double LPs. Buy one of them, at least, for your idiot nephew who thinks My Chemical Romance is “tortured.”

Pink Floyd, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (EMI) Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall are cool and everything, but it’s about time Floyd’s epochal, acid-gobbling 1967 debut and its sadly departed architect, Syd Barrett, got some proper love, too. This “deluxe,” triple-CD reissue – mono and stereo versions of Piper, plus another CD of early Floyd singles like “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play” – has next to nil to offer in terms of undiscovered material. But it comes in a nifty, cloth-bound package reminiscent of a children’s book like The Wind in the Willows, from whence the album drew its name, and contains a booklet reproducing most of Barrett’s original artwork for the record. Plus, it’ll be awesome to bust out “Lucifer Sam” on Christmas morning. Buy it for your favourite burnout.

Radiohead, In Rainbows “Discbox” (Independent) vs. Radiohead, Album Box Set: 1993-2003 (Parlophone/EMI) Anyone within reach of a computer and who has a casual interest in Radiohead already has In Rainbows, obviously. But true acolytes who can’t spare the $80 or so required to nab the forthcoming “discbox” version – two CDs, two vinyl LPs, the downloadable file, extra tunes and a whole mess of new artwork by longtime pal Stanley Donwood –will be blown away by your thoughtfulness and Internet prowess if this prize package (see www.inrainbows.com) turns up in their hands. Anyone who has never heard of Radiohead before the In Rainbows hype is ripe for education by the seven-disc box of the band’s previous catalogue that spurned EMI subsidiary Parlophone Records is offering in retaliation. It’s also in a USB “stick” shaped like that bear logo from Amnesiac, naturally, to suck collectors and completists in.

U2, The Joshua Tree (Island/Universal) Twenty years on, the thought of any more Bono than absolutely necessary horrifies, but “Bullet the Blue Sky” alone ranks this breakthrough album as one of U2’s finest. The two-CD “anniversary” edition adds some unreleased tunes, a concert DVD and … uh … an essay by the Edge.

For the rock fan who has everything

Led Zeppelin, Mothership (Atlantic/Warner) As much as it hurts to pimp another re-re-remastered greatest-hits cash grab by a bunch of disgustingly wealthy dino-rockers, if there’s a single music fan on your list who’s never felt the full might of “When the Levee Breaks,” this mixed-for-maximum- loudness compilation is the rock version of the Children’s Bible. Two discs and 24 tracks plus a live DVD if you’re into Robert Plant’s “package.” For the Zep aficionado, there’s also a wicked new double-disc reissue of The Song Remains the Same soundtrack with smokin’ tunage previously heard only onscreen and, of course, as much spiffed-up “Dazed and Confused” wankery as anyone can handle.

- Ben Rayner

FOR THE CLASSICAL AFICIONADO

Since Sam’s closed and HMV downsized, the place to go for classical discs in Toronto is Atelier Grigorian (you can visit them at grigorian.com for info). All the chosen items cost less than $50:

Noël noël There’s a rich tradition of Christmas carols from France that are a refreshing break from ’round-the-clock “White Christmas” in every public place. Montreal-based Baroque specialists Les Boréades have just released Noëls (ATMA), 12 carols gorgeously arranged for recorder player Francis Colpron, violinist Hélène Plouffe, gambist Susie Napper, keyboard player Marie Bouchard and others.

Rare opera French record label Naïve is part of a massive Italian effort to record all of the music of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) preserved in the Turin branch of the Italian National Library – about 400 works in all. The project started in 2000 and is set to run for another eight years and a total of about 100 CDs.

So far, the period-performance interpreters have produced consistently rich, vibrant readings. This world-premiere recording of the opera Atenaide, which had its premiere in Florence in 1728, raises goosebumps with the Technicolor sounds of ensemble Modo Antiquo. The fabulous singing cast on this three-CD set is led by French soprano superstar Sandrine Piau, in the title role, and tenor Paul Agnew.

Chamber greatness The Alban Berg Quartet, born in Vienna in the mid-1970s, will dissolve into history at the end of this season, leaving a rich, glorious legacy of sensitive, expressive playing.

To mark the milestone, EMI has released a value-priced five-CD box set of recordings made between 1979 and 1997. The box contains a wide range of pieces to please the chamber-music fanatic as well as a newbie listener – from Josef Haydn and Beethoven to Johann Strauss Sr. and Leos Janacek.

Glenn Gould to go Besides a steady stream of reissues from Sony, CBC Records has released two particularly interesting box sets. The first, Glenn Gould: The Young Maverick, contains six CDs providing a cross-section of music he recorded before he signed up with Columbia Records.

This is young Gould at his most energetic, including a 1954 recording of the Goldberg Variations that is substantially more charged than his famous Columbia debut version.

There are also great Beethoven concertos with the TSO and conductor Ernest MacMillan as well as 20th-century Viennese fare, such as Anton Webern’s Variations for Piano. For people who want words with their music, there is a five-disc set called Glenn Gould: The Radio Artist. This box includes the famous radio docs The Idea of North, The Latecomers and The Quiet in the Land, as well as portraits of cellist Pablo Casals and conductor/arranger Leopold Stokowski. This is a treasure.

Sony’s Christmas special is offering an 80-disc boxed set of Gouldiana where each CD sits in a miniature reproduction of the original LP dust jacket. Grigorian’s has it at a special price of $249.98.