Time is growing short for Christmas projects and gifts. Brambleberry has several really cool soap and stocking stuffer kits that they are featuring...including Glitter Soap, and a Sweet and a Spice version of a Stocking Stuffer kit. Really fun stuff!

Many of us have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen the past few weeks. I've made a few of batches of soap - pretty standard stuff - one with a blend of spearmint, clove and neroli essential oils, my Tea with Vita blend; one with a spicy, pepperminty, sugary holiday fragrance oil that I've had for a few years and used the last little bit of; and some melt and pour single-use Poinsettia Leaves soaps. What have you been making? What do you still have left to make? Click on the "comments" section below and tell us!

Photo: Don Farrall / Getty Images

"The Cat in the Candle Factory" ends, "So the factory was fine until Christmas...but that's another story!" Well this is the other story...and it's become a family favorite and tradition at our house. Now that my son is old enough to understand that his Dad makes candles, he really relates the characters in the book, including the cats, to his own house. It's a really fun and heartwarming book, about a real cat in a real candle factory, delightfully illustrated, with a wonderful subtle lesson for kids who might have to struggle to get along with their younger siblings. And anyone who has ever busily made candles for craft fairs or as gifts will certainly relate to the story as well, and also relate (like I certainly can) to the trouble that little ones (feline or human) can cause in the candle shop!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...at least in the U.S. A. Whether you like it or not, you can't go far without seeing some manifestation of Christmas. But Christmas is just one of the many world-wide Festivals of Lights being embraced and celebrated this month that are part of mankind's annual ritual passage through the dark days of Winter. And where there is a festival of light, there are most likely candles.
From the earliest Roman festivals and pagan rituals, through Europe and Africa to the Americas, candles and their enigmatic light have been one of the key factors in the celebration of the winter holidays. They are both decorative and utilitarian, and as I've spoken of many times on this site, have a certain beauty and power that just can't be summed up in words.
So while there isn't an About.com site about Christmas specifically, there are dozens and dozens of craft and holiday related pages. I have compiled a list of my favorite Christmas and Winter-related links. And I'll continue to feature the "Make It Merry" compilation of craft projects from the About Guides. Go make some candles and enjoy your particular special festival of light.
Photo Credit: Chris Sattlberger / Getty Images