Tickets to this Nutcracker may be the best gift of the season

Published 1:30 am Sunday, December 10, 2017

1. Gifts

According to a survey from Ebates, the majority of American adults, 47 percent, agree that their partner will give them the best gift this year.

Next is their parents, 27 percent; their children, 24 percent; and their siblings at 20 percent.

Who takes the cake for worst gift giver? Their colleagues, 4 percent.

For teens, the best gifts come from grandparents, their best friends and siblings.

More at www.Ebates.com.

2. Pests

When you bring a Christmas tree into your home, you also are bringing in what others call home. Spiders, mites, moths and mice have been known to nest in live greenery like trees, wreathes and garland.

Keep the pests outside by giving fresh-cut trees a quick shake before setting up inside. But wait — there are even more pests wanting to get cozy with your decorations.

Here are tips from The National Pest Management Association: Use plastic bins with tightly sealed lids to store decor at the end of the season, because pests can chew through cardboard. Inspect boxes of ornaments and other decorations for signs of an infestation, like gnaw marks and rodent droppings. Stow firewood on a raised structure at least 20 feet from the home; inspect wood before bringing it indoors. Examine string lights to ensure the wiring is fully intact, as rodents are known to gnaw through it.

More at www.pestworld.org.

3. Nutcrackers

There’s the Nutcracker and then there’s this Nutcracker.

“Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker” is a wintertime spectacle that gives the traditional ballet a bawdy makeover. It will be performed through Dec. 28 with a nine-piece jazz orchestra at The Triple Door in Seattle.

More at www.thetripledoor.net.

— Andrea Brown, Herald writer