HELOISE Scrapbooks made great yule gifts

Dear Heloise: Last Christmas, I decided to make a photo album-scrapbook combination for each of my five children. I started the first page with the heading "A Pictorial Directory of My Life, presented to me Christmas 2002 by Mom and Dad." The second page had a picture of my husband and me, along with the ID card from the child's bassinet and the arm bracelet given to the child when born. The third page was a picture taken just hours after birth, with an explanation of the child's name. My husband is Greek, and all the children are traditionally named -- this custom was explained on this page.
From here on in, I put pictures from birth up to each child's current age -- my baby is 21, and the oldest is 34. I also wrote stories to accompany some of the pictures, and stories to relate different things that happened along the way to adulthood.
I handed out the boxes with the albums and had them all open them together. There were tears of joy, cries of laughter and memories shared. This is a great way to give the pictures and memories to them while they can enjoy them. Tanya Krozos, Luray, Va.
How thoughtful, and a treasure for sure. This would also be the place to include a small version of the family tree. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Here's an easy way to open anything (including stuck fingernail-polish lids) with minimal effort. Simply use a household rubber glove. The friction makes almost anything a cinch to open. This is great for people with arthritis. C. Watson, Via E-mail
Dear Heloise: I find that my shoes stay looking better longer if I alternate wearing them and spray the insides with germ-killing, scented air freshener after wearing. I also use shoe trees for all of my shoes. A Reader in Little Rock, Ark.
Sounds good, but one thought -- you might not want to use the spray on real leather shoes. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I live in a two-story home, and we have many small trash cans upstairs. I use dry-cleaner bags to organize all of the trash. I tie up one end of the bag and dump all of the baskets into it. I tie up the other end and take it outside to the curb. It's very handy, and the bags are free. Betsy from Baltimore
Dear Heloise: I read your column daily in the Houston Chronicle. I have a timesaving hint for ladies who wear chain necklaces that always get tangled. Buy one of those week-at-a-time plastic medicine carriers with three sections for each day (morning, afternoon, night), and put one necklace in each compartment. No more tangled chains. Merrianne Fisher, Pasadena, Texas
Dear Heloise: If you like to buy big jars of cold cream, etc., but your fingers are too short or too arthritic to reach the bottom third of the jar, use a small spoon to scoop it out. I use the back of the spoon to dab it on my face! Glenna, Middletown
King Features Syndicate