Quote of the Week

The best way out is always through. – Robert Frost

Quote of the Week

Men’s best successes come after their disappointments. – Henry Ward Beecher

Quote of the Week

Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant. - Johann Gottfried Von Herder

Household Hint

To open tight jar lids wrap an elastic band several times around the edge of the lid and it will be much easier to grip and open.

Christmas Opening Times 2011

Happy Christmas!
StairSteady Christmas office opening times:
21st December-open as normal (9am-5pm)
22nd December-Closed

23rd December-closed
24th December-closed
25th December-closed
26th December-closed
27th December-closed
28th December-emergencies only (answer machine)
29th December-emergencies only (answer machine)
30th December-emergencies only (answer machine)
31st December-closed

1st January-closed
2nd January-closed
3rd January-open as normal (9am-5pm)

We are not open much over Christmas as our manufacturers and fitters have a well deserved break, however we will have the phone on and answer machine (which we will be checking from the 28th-31st). we will also be checking our emails so you can email on either info@stairsteady.net

We hope you have a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

From Ruth and the StairSteady Team

Reducing Stress at Christmas

Christmas is supposed to be a happy time but with so much pressure to have a ‘perfect family’ or a ‘perfect day’ it can be a stressful time for many people. BA AM has a website with some really good tips on how to reduce your stress this Christmas. http://www.beatinganger.com/12-tips-for-a-stress-and-anger-free-christmas
Here are some ideas on how to reduce your stress levels.

Manage expectations - The build up to Christmas is exciting, especially for young children. However, this is also a time when financial stress can build and if the items on Father Christmas’ list aren’t feasible, it’s important that the surprise isn’t saved until Christmas morning. Be open with your children about the cost of presents and give them an idea of what is affordable. Also manage your own expectations. If you make a list of three things that are really important for you to happen on Christmas day eg. Nice food, family, games etc then make sure you include those in the day and let some of the other aspects slide.

Queue jump - Avoid the last minute chaos of the high street and shopping by thinking ahead. Make a list of the items you need to get and delegate if necessary! Make use of home delivery and internet shopping. Stock up on the basics and only shop in person for the important ‘extras’.

Cutback commitments - If the thought of a drinks party with the neighbours or mince pie with old friends adds to the festive headache, politely decline. Be sensible about the amount of time you can commit to entertaining and being entertained! If the Christmas break provides a welcome opportunity to relax then take it. Be aware of these additional costs to your budget too as hidden extras can cause stress later on.

Share - If the Christmas build up leaves you feeling overwhelmed, share your concerns with someone close. Confiding in someone else will help you to rationalise your worries. Plan to also share the responsibility for the day itself, so that its success does not rest on your shoulders and in your mind. People will be happy to contribute.

Healthy mind - Exercise will help clear the mind and often, remove you from the immediate and often chaotic environment of home. Children often welcome the chance to run around and release all the pent up excitement too.

Be better, not bitter - It’s inevitable at some point over Christmas – we’ll be stuck in a corner with or sat next to the person we spend the rest of the year trying to avoid. Resorting to rudeness will only add to the build up of stress and anger. Avoid lowering your tone to their level and instead, diffuse the situation with polite, respectable behaviour. Try to remember it is only for a short amount of time. If it is too much then offer to help with something in a different room or go get some air etc. removing yourself from the situation can help.

Keep perspective - Remember who and what is important at times of intense stress. The moment will pass and you’ll find comfort in letting it do so without the build up of emotion. Taking some deep breaths and imagining a calm place can help too. Saying something positive to yourself either silently or out loud may help too.

Avoid excess - Alcohol is responsible for many an argument as drinking lowers your defences and can change your mood. It can be more difficult to keep a perspective while under its influence. Consuming too much food, particularly of the rich and sugary nature can also lead to mood swings and dips in general wellbeing. Watching what the children eat is also important, eating a whole selection box isn’t going to lead to a quiet and well behaved afternoon!!

Think ahead - What normally sets you off at Christmas? Are there recurring conversations or arguments that you could avoid or change in the way you handle them. Identifying the sources of our anger and what triggers it is key to responding to a situation. Can you change the situation to something that would be easier to handle? Small changes may make a big difference to your stress levels.


Find some calm - If you find yourself getting angry, remove yourself from the situation. Walk away and find a quiet place if you can – this will give you important time to calm your mood and think about the bigger picture. If you need an excuse, tell others you are getting some fresh air or going for a walk as you’ve eaten too much.

Learn to listen - Listening is a skill, but one that is easy to master and useful for avoiding arguments. Listen carefully to the other person is saying and show you understand their point of view – even if you don’t agree with it. Choose your words carefully to avoid the build up of emotion e.g. avoid “you always…” and instead use “you sometimes…”. Speak at a normal volume, don’t shout; don’t argue, instead discuss.

Relax - Don’t give yourself a hard time about making Christmas perfect. The responsibility doesn’t rest with one person and it’s worth always remembering that for most, it’s just one day of the year. Try some of the relaxation tips from the BBC on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/mental_health/coping_relaxation.shtml


We hope that these hints and tips help you to have a happy and stress free Christmas!

Quote of the Week

Storms make Oaks take roots – Proverbs

Christmas Traditions.

Christmas traditions vary greatly from country to country even within Europe. Even the way we say Merry Christmas is widely different. Here are a few examples:
Dutch: Zalig Kerstfeast, English: Merry Christmas, French: Joyeux Noel, German: Fröhliche Weihnachten Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie, Polish: Boze Narodzenie and Spanish: Feliz Navidad.

Denmark
An old Danish tradition is the Christmas plate. This was a tradition in the early days where rich Danes gave plates biscuits and fruit as presents to their servants. These plates were the nicest and best kind and were not used for everyday use, this is the reason why they became so collectable.
These days the Danish take great pride making their own decorations with bright paper, bits of wood and straw. The parents secretly decorate the tree, and children are not permitted to see the tree until dinner on Christmas Eve. The tree is then lit up and families gather around to sing carols and hymns.
In Denmark Christmas Eve is called Juleaften and is the biggest occasion of the year. Parties go on all night, with traditional prune-stuffed roast goose, red cabbage, fried pastries, and cinnamon-laced rice pudding called Grod.
The Christmas elves called Julenisse are appeased with rice pudding, and dishes of seeds are placed outdoors for wild birds.

France
Christmas in France again has many different traditions. On Christmas Eve, children leave their shoes by the fireplace to be filled with gifts from Pere Noel. In the morning they also find that sweets, fruit, nuts and small toys have been hung on the tree. In cathedral squares, the story of Christ's birth is re-enacted by both players and puppets.
Nearly every French home at Christmastime displays a Nativity scene or crèche, which serves as the focus for the Christmas celebration. The crèche is often peopled with little clay figures called santons or "little saints."
Food is served in great abundance at the grand feast of the season, which is called le reveillon. Le reveillon is a very late supper held after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The menu for the meal varies according to regional culinary tradition, but can include goose, turkey with chestnuts, oysters, pat de foie gras, poultry, ham, salads, cake, fruit and wine.
In France it is a time for the whole family to come together at Christmas time to holiday and worship. On the eve of Christmas beautifully lit churches and cathedrals, ring out Christmas carols with the church bells. Once dinner is over and the family has retired to bed, they leave a fire burning and food and drink on the table in case the Virgin Mary calls in. Children leave their shoes or wooden clogs called sabots in the hearth for the Christ Child or Pere Noel to fill.

Germany
In Germany the Christmas preparations often begin on the eve of December 6th. People often set aside special evenings for baking spiced cakes and cookies, and making gifts and decorations. Little dolls of fruit are traditional Christmas toys. Germans also make beautiful gingerbread houses and cookies. The German Christmas tree pastry, Christbaumgeback, is a white dough that can be molded into shapes and baked for tree decorations.
In parts of Germany, people believe that the Christ Child sends a messenger in Christmas Eve. He appears as an angel in a white robe and crown, bearing gifts. The angel is called Christkind. There is also a Christmas Eve figure called Weihnachtsmann or Christmas Man, he looks like Santa Claus and also brings gifts.
Some homes in Germany have several Christmas trees, and in all towns across Germany, they can be seen glittering and glowing. T hey may also have advent wreaths of Holly with four red candles in the center. They light one candle each Sunday and last on Christmas Eve.

Italy
The Christmas season in Italy goes for three weeks, starting 8 days before Christmas known as the Novena. During this period, children go from house to house reciting Christmas poems and singing. They are given money to buy presents.
Children wait until Epiphany, January 6, for their presents. According to tradition, the presents are delivered by a kind ugly witch called Befana on a broomstick. It was said that she was told by the three kings that the baby Jesus was born, she was busy and delayed visiting the baby. She missed the Star lost her way and has been flying around ever since, leaving presents at every house with children in case he is there. She slides down chimneys, and fills stockings and shoes with good things for good children and it is said leaves coal for children who are not so good

Poland
Traditionally, Advent is an important season in the Polish year, with special church services, known as Roraty, being held every morning at 6am. The four Sundays of Advent are said to represent the 4,000 years of waiting for Christ.
Special tasks carried out during Advent are the baking of the Christmas piernik or honey cake, and the making of Christmas decorations. Pierniki are made in a great variety of shapes, including hearts, animals and St Nicholas figures. Traditional decorations include the pajaki, which are handmade mobiles, stars and decorated egg shells. Pajaki are traditional decorations, colorful paper chains and lots of electric lights.
Beautifully lit Christmas trees are placed in all public arenas, outside churches and in homes. Traditionally the trees are decorated with shiny apples, gift walnuts, beautifully wrapped chocolate shapes and many homemade decorations and candles. On the top of the tree is a star or a glittering top piece. In many homes, sparklers are hung on the branches of the trees giving it a magical air.
Christmas Eve, Wigilia, is an important part of the Polish Christmas. Oplatek is served on this day it is a piece of bread pressed with a holy picture on the surface. Oplatek is more symbolic than real food. People once carried these oplatek from house to house and wish their neighbors a Merry Christmas. Nowadays, the bread is mostly shared with members of the family and immediate neighbors. As each person shares the bread, they would have to do two things: forgive any hurts that have occurred over the past year and to wish the person all the happiness in the coming year.
Christmas is celebrated with at least 12 different vegetarian dishes like: mushroom soup, carp, cabbage with pea, stuffed dumplings, and shells macaroni with poppy "makielki". In some homes some hay is put under the tablecloth to symbolise Christ's manger.

Spain
Christmas is a deeply religious holiday in Spain. In Spain it is a very festive time at Christmas. On Christmas Eve, as the stars come out, tiny oil lamps are lit in every house, and after Midnight Mass and Christmas Dinner, streets fill with dancers and onlookers. There is a special Christmas dance called the Jota and the words and music have been handed down for hundreds of years. They dance to the sound of guitars and castanets.Most homes have a manger; these are complete with carved figures. Children think of the Three Wise Man as the gift bearers. Tradition has it that they arrive on January 6th, the date the Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus. The Spanish especially honour the cow at Christmas because it is thought that when Mary gave birth to Jesus the cow in the stable breathed on the Baby Jesus to keep him warm.Christmas Eve is known as Nochebuena or "the Good Night." It is a time for family members to gather together to rejoice and feast around the Nativity scenes that are present in nearly every home. A traditional Christmas treat is turron, a kind of almond candy. Christmas Eve is the most important part of Christmas in Spain and dinner that day is the biggest meal of the year, people eat 'well' lobster is very common, and a roast of some sort is essential (usually lamb or suckling pig). In addition to all this, most families will also have soup (usually fish), and an abundance of other seafood, cheeses, hams and pates. Dinner starts late, at about 10pm and will go on for a couple of hours. Shoes are filled with straw or barley for the tired camels that must carry their riders through the busy night. By morning the camel food is gone and in place of the straw or barley are presents. Shoes also may be placed on balconies on the night of the 6th January in the hope that the Wise Men will fill them with gifts.

World AIDS Day 2011

World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year. It is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.
More than 90,000 people are currently living with HIV in the UK and globally an estimated 33.3 million people have HIV. More than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 have died from the virus.
This year’s theme is Act Aware. But before people can act aware they need to be aware of the facts. There are two really excellent websites that give you a lot of facts, information on how to stay safe and ways in which you can help raise awareness and funds. They are:

http://www.hivaware.org.uk/
http://www.worldaidsday.org/about-hiv.php

HIV Facts:
HIV stands for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It is a virus which attacks the body's immune system — the body's defence against diseases.
HIV can be passed on through infected bodily fluids, most commonly via sex without a condom or by sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment.
There are now more people than ever living with HIV in the UK — more than 90,000 — with around a quarter of those unaware they have the virus.
Here are a few more facts about HIV in the UK:
· Over 90% of people with HIV were infected through sexual contact
· You can now get tested for HIV using a saliva sample
· HIV is not passed on through spitting, biting or sharing utensils
· Only 1% of babies born to HIV positive mothers have HIV
· You can get the results of an HIV test in just 15-20 minutes
· There is no vaccine and no cure for HIV

There are many myths about HIV too just because people aren’t properly educated. HIV isn’t a disease that only gay men have, it is true that they are particularly affected by it BUT it is found in heterosexual men and women too. In 2010 the majority of new cases of HIV were acquired heterosexually. Once you find out the facts it will enable you to act aware.

So this year why not Act Aware? It is about taking action and making commitments to help improve understanding about HIV in the UK, prevent HIV transmission and stop prejudice. You can do this by:

·Find out the facts about HIV and bust the myths

Take the quiz on http://www.hivaware.org.uk/act-aware/how-act-aware.php
to find out if you've put yourself at risk of HIV and have an HIV test if recommended

·Talk to your partner, friends or children about HIV and point them in the direction of this website: http://www.hivaware.org.uk/act-aware/how-act-aware.php so they can learn the facts

Find out if your local school has a comprehensive sex and relationships education (SRE) programme, and teaches young people about HIV and explain why it’s important.

If you learn something new about HIV, share it with others who might be less informed

Check whether your employer has robust policies to ensure people living with HIV are treated fairly at work

Always use a condom when having sex with a new partner

Challenge people who hold misconceptions about HIV by telling them the facts and encouraging respect and understanding

Organise a fundraising event to raise awareness of HIV in the UK

By finding out the facts and acting aware we can reduce the number of new cases of HIV and improve the lives of people already living with it. There is a current campaign to ensure that future generations do not grow up ignorant of the facts of HIV and how to prevent its transmission. This is so important as New HIV diagnoses among young people are on the increase. Since 2000, they have risen by nearly 70% among the 15-24 year olds and among young gay men they have more than doubled. Reliable HIV information for young people has never been more important. Education in schools has a crucial role to play in this but the current standard of HIV education is simply not up to scratch. To support this campaign to get this issue brought into the classroom please go to: http://www.hivaware.org.uk/act-aware/support-campaign.php and follow their instructions!

This World AIDS Day do something that will make a difference!

Household Hints and Tips

- To get burned on food off of baking dishes soak over night with warm water and a little fabric softner, rinse the following morning and it will just wash away.

- To improve the look of a scratch on wooden surfaces rub it with a brazil nut.

- To help keep drains flowing properly try 2 tbsp of Bicarbonate Soda and half a cup of vinegar it bubbles up but removes minor blockages, always make sure the pipes are toghtly screwed together first!