St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 132

4S ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1992 The Year That Mom Put Paper Under Knife Don't Panic In Planning Holiday Party By Marilou Berry Scripps Howard News Service FOR SOME, the thought of giving a holiday parry for family, friends or business associates is mind-boggling. It needn't be. "Keep it simple and stick with things you know," advises Christopher Idone, co-founder of New York's prestigious catering service, Glorious Food, and author of five cookbooks. "When I'm doing it all myself, I become very traditional," Idone says.

"Holiday time is not the time to re- invent the wheel." He notes that if you concentrate on creams was the same; the tree was the same, having been assembled from the box two weeks before. But on the table, something new, glinting in the firelight: a second-string steak knife, worn and dull, past its prime. "Cut the tape," she suggested. "The paper's just so pretty." And so we became surgeons instead of barbarians. No more frenzied thrashing, fingernails digging into the booty; we opened our gifts with the skill of circumcisionists.

At first we balked. Aw, Mom! Lemme rip! But after a few gifts, I noted a strange consequence: the care seemed to heighten the fun, not spoil it The surprise unfolded instead of exploding. You could cut the ends first, glimpse the name of a store; you could cut the dorsal fold of the paper, catch sight of the bright words on the back of the box. Your delight was doubled by the time you got the thing unwrapped. Mom had a moment to enjoy your smile and another to note with satisfaction the perfect piece of paper at your feet.

Which she then took downstairs and starched and ironed flat Well, not really. The paper was loosely stacked as the evening went on, sheaves from the harvest, culled and stored for the next year. Every year the knife slipped; some paper was mortally wounded, discarded and replaced with new paper. I can't tell you what any of them looked like. Like any good tradition, the length of the chain matters more than the shape of the links.

As I wrap this year's gifts for my wife, I note I have saved some of the paper from the previous Christmas. I look at the colors and patterns and I'm pitched back a year; I remember what the box held and how my wife looked when she opened it. I think of my mother putting away the paper for next year, and it strikes me as immeasurably sad. I think of her pulling out the paper to wrap the booty for the coming Christmas, thinking of the gifts they held before, and I see the lesson: It's beautiful. Take care.

Don't tear it. Why would you want to toss it in the fireplace, anyway? Fires die out. Memories have as many colors as the heart can imagine. By James Lileks 1 992, Newhouse News Service ONE YEAR CAPTAIN Kangaroo told me not to burn the wrapping paper in the fireplace, and I was sorely disappointed. I was under the impression that colored paper yielded colored flames.

Toss in something with candy canes, and the flames rose red and white in spiral patterns. Throw in something printed with sprigs of holly, and bright green fire leaped from the logs. It was a provocative theory, but I never got the chance to test it out. According to my mother, wrapping paper was not to be burned. It was not even to be ripped.

It was to be preserved. In our household, wrapping paper attained near-heirloom status, handed down from year to year. No mad frenzied savaging of the packages, not even a brisk rip. Packages were not so much opened as defused. Why was paper so precious? Because It Cost Money.

This was my mother's unstated guide to life. My mother, also known as the author of the principle of physics known as the Conservation of Matter, believed that it was senseless to abuse reusable substances. Coffee filters could be reused until they had the consistence of gossamer; aluminum foil could be wiped off, folded, and accumulated under the sink until there was enough to make a covered dish of the Astrodome. Something that began life as a floor rug ended its term on earth as dental floss. My mother wasn't cheap, and we were not poor; she was simply sensible.

She deduced that the lifespan of Perfectly Good Wrapping Paper could be extended over several years if we opened the packages with care. There were no stern admonitions against ripping only that slight look of pain that mothers get when you do something she can't blame you for doing but wished you hadn't Still we ripped, heedless. Then she brought out the knife. One Christmas as we sat down to open gifts, there was a new addition to the ritual tableau. The holiday records were the same, if scratchier; the box of Russell Stover chocolates with its loathsome psuedo-strawberry After 33 By Lori Moody 1992, Los Angeles Daily News LOS ANGELES SHE'S HAD MORE makeovers than Cher.

More cars, clothes, shoes, accessories, houses, condos and friends than Diana, Princess of Wales. And a few controversies, as well. The question is not how Barbie has managed to maintain that tediously perky smile for 33 years. Anyone who is expected to rack up an estimated $1 billion in sales this year can afford to smirk all the way to the toy counter. The question is how parents survive the merchandising onslaught.

Barbie gets a condo, parents get a second mortgage. Every year, Mattel comes out with 90 different Barbie dolls, friends, family members and customized products for retailers. In 1992, some of the new items in the line included Happy Holidays Barbie, Teen Talk Barbie, Totally Hair Barbie, Sun Sensation Barbie, Barbie Splash 'N Fun Raft, a Porsche Cabriolet and Rosebud, a horse. All have suggested retail prices of less than $50. But that's not all.

memories of Christmas Past. Post-Dispatch Years, The Princess Of Pink Still Reigns Over Doll World Old wrapping paper can evoke World, the industry trade magazine. Barbie, first introduced in 1959, continually makes the best-seller lists of toys. In 1959, a Barbie could be purchased for $3. A Barbie today can be found for about $5.

"There's nothing in the toy world to compare to her; certainly no othef doll," Shapiro said. When Gigi Gomez's daughters were growing up, Barbie was not an item in "the family budget. Not that Gomez held anything personal against the 11 -inch-tall plastic princess of pink. She just wasn't going to get caught up in all that is Barbie, including her many fashions, friends, pets, cars, homes, etc. "I think all Barbies, they're too expensive," said Gomez, 49, of California City.

"I don't like to buy them. Especially the accessories. Even little things are expensive." Still, her children Jessica, 12, and Yvonne, 23 were not deprived of the Barbie experience. That's where relatives came in. Likewise with 5-year-old Star Ling Eisenberg, whose Barbie collection began before she was born.

She now At the other end of the scale, there is the 3-foot-tall My Size Barbie for $100. Or porcelain Crystal Rhapsody Barbie, the first Barbie sold by mail order, priced at $175 and aimed at collectors. Other new collector's dolls include the porcelain Plantation Belle Barbie for $200 and the Bob Mackie designs, Neptune Fantasy Barbie for $110 and Empress Bride for $250. Throw in new outfits, washing machine and other appliances, and suddenly you're talking real money a total of about $2,360 (based on Mattel's approximate prices) this year alone if you've gotten one of everything. According to Mattel, the "typical American girl" owns an average of seven Barbies.

Barbie is aimed at girls ages 3 to 13, although the core audience is 3 to 8 years old. The doll is sold in more than 100 countries. Two Barbies are sold every second somewhere in the world. While many parents might not buy every item introduced in the Barbie line each year, "Don't kid yourself parents spend a lot of money on Barbie," according to Carolyn Shapiro, senior editor of Toy Hobby has about 10 of the dolls, including a collector's edition given to her by an aunt, said Star Ling's mother, Shi Ran Eisenberg of North Hills, Calif. Eisenberg said she does not buy the dolls but will pick up clothes if she sees something inexpensive at a swap meet.

Generally, though, her daughter just has the outfits that come with the dolls, Eisenberg said. The girl's grandmother has given her many of the dolls, a Barbie Corvette, beauty salon and barbecue set. "Now I have to see if they have the pool," said Star Ling's grandmother Joan Burke of West Hills, Calif. Burke, a widow, does not find it difficult to indulge her only grandchild. "I have just myself to worry about," she said.

"For a family, some of the stuff is too expensive." Debbie Parker's oldest daughter, Andrea, 5l2, got her first Barbie two years ago. She also has Barbie's dog, cat, recreation vehicle, carrying case and a used house. Her younger sisters, Lissa, 3y2, and Kara, 2'2. also play with Barbies. "We haven't really put a whole lot into it," said Parker, 39, of West Hills.

"I don't think Andrea is old enough to realize all the different kinds of Barbies. I have seen some people who are addicts about it in the toy store. It's amazing." If you can't get enough of Babs, a Barbie boutique opened recently at F.A.O. Schwarz in New York. And yes, there is a doll for the occasion, Madison Avenue Barbie for $65.

A Barbie convention is held every year by collectors. There's a Barbie Hall of Fame museum in Palo Alto, Calif. Top designers have dressed and coiffed Barbie. There's a book about Barbie. She even has her own dance video.

This miniature material girl has not been without her own share of controversy over the years and not just about her figure. In the 1970s, there were complaints when Skipper, Barbie's little sister, had breasts that grew by moving her arm, according to one collector. More recently, Mattel changed Teen Talk Barbie following complaints from the American Association of University Women that one of the doll's phrases, "Math class is tough," sent the wrong message to roods tnat can be prepared in advance, you have a better chance of enjoying your own party. "I love to serve pureed vegetables at holiday time, which you can do ahead," Idone says. "You can do all root vegetables ahead." And don't over-decorate.

"Food ensconced in beautiful containers can be very handsome," Idone says. "Pears poached in wine and shimmering in a beautiful crystal bowl is as lovely as any contrived decoration. I also like to serve whole, poached pineapples at holiday time. "Fruit cake, which most everybody has on hand during the holidays, can work as a pudding when it is soused with booze and steamed." He emphasizes the need to plan: "Don't decide on Christmas Eve it would be nice to have people in the next day," he says. Planning ahead is also essential if a caterer is to be engaged, says caterer Jan Howell.

"It's important to call the caterer as soon as you set the date." If you call a caterer, be prepared to answer the following questions: How many people are invited and for what time of day? How much do you want to spend? What type of presentation do you wish to make? Is it a theme party? An elegant party? A tree-trimming party? What is the traffic flow at the party locale? What type of centerpiece will be used? (This tells the caterer how the table can be arranged.) One of Howell's clients recently expressed her appreciation for the fact that the caterer does not maintain standard menus. "I like to work with the host to plan the menu," she says. "After all, it's their party. girls. While Mattel stopped using the phrase, there may be some Barbies still on the market complaining about math class.

The rnntrnversv mav have LUl IlU Ultf 11 HllU WUUlUl 9 llHU. ine leggy, buxom don witn tne dizzying array of lifestyles and careers in her 33 years of existence Barbie has had more than 500 "professional" makeovers, according to Mattel Inc. in El Segundo, Calif. A kpu tn the drill's unusual Innopvitv nuv mui xjui uiv -j vuujvuvi) uui that she follows trends, said Marilyn Ferris Motz, associate professor of popular culture at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Barbie began life as a high school student but has evolved into a post-college career woman to reflect the changing cultural views of women, Motz said.

Barbie does send a message. "I think it's certainly reflecting a -consumption-oriented society," Motz said. "I think the doll makes a very clear statement that the way to be happy is have lots of things and lots of trendy things and lots of things related, to leisure activities." Glass flower vials about the size of a Christmas ornament will add a touch of elegance to any tree when filled with small flowers, such as poinsettias or azaleas. Another way to use these charming 3 -inch-tall mini-vases is to adhere them to a window with a small suction cup and pop in a piece of ivy for rooting or a colorful spring flower, $18.50 for a set of six. Suction cups, $4 for 24.

From Gardeners' Eden. For the kids, a new board game -called Harvest Time. They'll get a chance to practice what to do when spring draws them outside. The goal of the game, designed for children from 3 to 7 years old, is to get all the crops harvested before winter comes, $15. From Gardener's Supply Co.

For the gourmet, herb gardeners are constantly in need of vessels for the many herbal items they produce. Gardeners' Eden offers simple, handsome vinegar or oil bottles, 12-ounce capacity, sealed with corks, $14 for three. It also offers plain glass herb jars, each holding a generous 1 ounces of dried herbs, topped with fat corks, $14.50 for six. No gourmet gardener wants to be without fresh herbs in the winter, but often they are difficult to find in the stores or even potted in garden centers. Two mail-order catalogs offer a selection of plants.

Gardeners' Eden features six herb plants for $19.50, or a dozen for $34. Choose from 14 varieties: chives, cilantro, thyme, garlic chives, parsley, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage, marjoram, winter savory, English and French lavender and lemon thyme. Smith Hawken offers a windowsill herb collection in 3-inch nursery pots for $16. Gift Suggestions For People With A Passion For Gardening aid 1 i 1 By Adrienne Cook Special to The Washington Post IT'S OFTEN EASIER for a gardener to come up with a gift idea for another gardener, though those with brown thumbs may also be casting about for things to give a gardening friend. In either case, here is a list of items any passionate gardener would enjoy.

For the well-dressed gentleman, a red tie patterned with petits pois in their pods in shades of gray, made of Italian silk, $52. And how about wearing your harvest at night? A robe, nightshirt and boxers all in cotton flannel with a turquoise or blue background and bright with summer's best: eggplant, tomatoes, corn, peas, carrots, asparagus, garlic, even a watering can. Robe, $79; nightshirt, $54; boxers, $19. All of these items are from Smith Hawken, 25 Corte Madera, Mill Valley, Ca. 94941; (415) 383-2000.

For the fashionable lady, jewelry with a great deal of charm. Consider a brooch from Smith Hawken, a perfect little 4-inch-tall replica of a standard, round-point garden shovel with a real hardwood shaft, reinforced metal handle and metal head, $24. From Gardeners' Eden, P.O. Box 7307, San Francisco, Ca. 94120; (800) 822-9600.

For the Christmas tree, glass vegetable ornaments: a bright red tomato, red pepper, green cucumber and yellow potato, $24.95 for the set of four. Light up the tree (or the kitchen) with a veggie set of lights with corn, carrots and turnips, $24.95 for a string of 10 molded plastic lights. All from Gardener's Supply 128 Intervale Road, Burlington, Vt 05401; (800) Kimberly Dawn Selfridge, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. George D.

Selfridge of Chesterfield, Missouri became the bride of Mason Lee Schaffer of Dallas, Texas, on November 14, 1992 at the Manchester United Methodist Church. A dinner reception was held at the University Club following the ceremony. The bride chose as her Matron of Honor her sister Pamela Ruane. Bridemaids were sister of the bride, Cheryl Townsley, Stacee Reed-er and Care Hughes. The Bridegroom chose Rodney Bellanger as his best man.

Groomsmen were William Ruane and John Townsley. After a honeymoon in Carmel, California, the couple will reside in St Louis. Julie Ann Blumenkemper and Daniel Richard Parker were married on September 5, 1992 at the Old Cathedral, Basilica of St. Louis, The King. The 1 2 Noon ceremony was officiated by Reverend Joseph Janicki.

An evening reception was held at Orlando Gardens. The bride is the daughter of Mr. Mrs. Robert Blumenkemper of St. Louis, Missouri.

The groom is the son of Mr. Mrs. Richard Parker of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Anne Blumenkemper, sister of the bride served as maid of honor. Bridesmaids were Mary Blumenkemper, Theresa Blumenkemper, Jennifer Ahrens, Kathy Davis and Patti Parker.

William Parker brother of the groom served as best man with Michael Parker, Jon Parker, Paul Parker, Barry Blumenkemper and Charles Cafazza as groomsmen. The bride received a degree in Physical Therapy from St. Louis University. The groom is currendy a third year student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Following a honeymoon in Cancun the couple is residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Wedding and engagement announcements appear in the Sunday Circulation of the St. Louis Post-Dispatcn. For information and rates regarding your announcement call Terry Bohn at 340-8501..