It was only when he had flown into Cardiff from Toronto, Canada, and rang the bridegroom seeking details of the venue that he discovered the wedding was in 2008.

“I am a year early — yeah, my mates are loving it, aren’t they,” he told BBC Radio Wales.

The groom, Dave Best, had emailed his friend at the start of the year.

“He just said July the 6th and I assumed it was this year because if you tell the guy July 6th, they’re going to think it’s this year,” Barclay said.

Barclay, who has been teaching in Toronto for three years spent £500 ($1,015) on his premature flight.

“At least it’s assured me a mention in the speech next year,” he added.

[via Reuters]

Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks — and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons.

Destination: Idaho.

With instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a global positioning system device in his pocket, and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as ballast — he could turn a spigot, release water and rise — Couch headed into the Oregon sky.

Nearly nine hours later, the 47-year-old gas station owner came back to earth in a farmer’s field near Union, short of Idaho but about 193 miles from home.

“When you’re a little kid and you’re holding a helium balloon, it has to cross your mind,” Couch told the Bend Bulletin.

“When you’re laying in the grass on a summer day, and you see the clouds, you wish you could jump on them,” he said. “This is as close as you can come to jumping on them. It’s just like that.”

Couch is the latest American to emulate Larry Walters — who in 1982 rose three miles above Los Angeles in a lawn chair lifted by balloons. Walters had surprised an airline pilot, who radioed the control tower that he had just passed a guy in a lawn chair. Walters paid a $1,500 penalty for violating air traffic rules.

It was Couch’s second flight.

In September, he got off the ground for six hours. Like Walters, he used a BB gun to pop the balloons, but he went into a rapid descent and eventually parachuted to safety.

This time, he was better prepared. The balloons had a new configuration, so it was easier to reach up and release a bit of helium instead of simply cutting off a balloon.

He took off at 6:06 a.m. Saturday after kissing his wife, Susan, goodbye and petting his Chihuahua, Isabella. As he made about 25 miles an hour, a three-car caravan filled with friends, family and the dog followed him from below.

Couch said he could hear cattle and children and even passed through clouds.

“It was beautiful — beautiful,” he told KTVZ-TV. He described the flight as mostly peaceful and serene, with occasional turbulence, like a hot-air balloon ride sitting down.

Couch decided to stop when he was down to a gallon of water and just eight pounds of ballast. Concerned about the rugged terrain outside La Grande, including Hells Canyon, he decided it was time to land.

He popped enough balloons to set the craft down, although he suffered rope burns. But after he jumped out, the wind grabbed his chair, with his video recorder, and the remaining balloons and swept them away. He’s hoping to get them back some day.

Brandon Wilcox, owner of Professional Air, which charters and maintains planes at the Bend airport, said Thursday that Couch definitely did it. Wilcox said he flew a plane nearby while Couch traveled and took photos of the flying lawn chair.

Whether Couch will take a third trip is up to his wife, and Susan Couch said she’s thinking about saying no. But she said she was willing to go along with last weekend’s trip.

“I know he’d be thinking about it more and more, it would always be on his mind,” she said. “This way, at least he’s fulfilled his dream.”

[via AP]

Of course, there are some drawbacks to a Prelit Christmas Tree. In the first place, they can cost a pretty penny – 2 or even 3 times as much as a real tree. But think about how fast that difference gets paid for. In two or three years, you will be ahead and not behind, since you will not have to drive out to get a tree, will not have to buy one or haul it inside. Not only will you save money with a  Prelit Christmas Tree, but you will save time too, which is even more important around that time of year. If you get a nice Prelit Christmas Tree, you only have to find a place to store it and the rest takes care of itself. The tree even has built in Christmas lights, for Gods sake!

Of course, when you switch to a Prelit Christmas Tree, there are some things that you will probably miss. The Prelit Christmas Tree does no have that wonderful smell of a fresh cut pine, and that is a smell that we have all grown to associate with the Christmas season. And another thing that is nice about the real trees is that you get a different one each year. And, lets face it, although they look better than every before, a Prelit Christmas Tree does simply not look quite as good as a real one. But with all that aside, I still think that the Prelit Christmas Tree is the smarter buy. Unless you are a purist, go for it.

Although I love Christmas I am very particular about outdoor Christmas decorations. My favorite decorations are the use of lights in trees and bushes in the yards. I am not a fan of the huge blow up snowmen and Santa’s or the cartoon characters that are dressed to look like Santa Claus. When I was growing up the neighbor across the road from us had a huge pine tree. Each year he would use extension ladders to place the strands of large colored bulbs in the tree. The project would take him and his sons several hours to complete and the end result was a lit tree that could be seen a half mile away. He did not believe in leaving the outdoor Christmas decorations on the tree over the summer. He would put them on the day after Thanksgiving and remove them a few days after the beginning of the New Year. This was a great deal of work, compared to plugging in a ten foot snowman, but the lit tree was awesome for others to enjoy. It was very touching to everyone the year that the neighbor’s wife died. He placed all blue lights on the tree that year to let us know he would be having a blue Christmas. He told my mother that it was helpful to him and a remembrance to his wife.

One of my neighbors knows that I dislike the gaudy outdoor Christmas decorations. He is always looking for practical jokes to play. Last year when he knew that my husband and I were going to be gone for the day he decorated our yard with several lit Christmas lawn ornaments. He had purchased several old outdoor Christmas decorations throughout the summer at garage sales. He had extension cords running from one end of our yard to the other to get all the decorations lit. There was a full scene of the peanut characters, several Disney characters and a huge lit palm tree with lit pink flamingoes with Christmas lei’s around their necks. We could see the display a block before we arrived at our yard. Several neighbors were gathering in front of our house to look at the elaborate display. My neighbor sat at his living room window watching the scene. My husband and I are now plotting how we are going to out do his practical joke. The neighbor has a second home in Florida so we are trying to coordinate getting the outdoor Christmas decorations sent there. His brother-in-law has agreed to set them up in the yard.

They will transform your home into a magical winter wonderland as they come to life with their kaleidoscope of ever changing colors. The colors will constantly rotate. This makes every bristle glisten with all the colors in the rainbow. They come in various sizes from a small twenty-four inch to a full-sized seven foot tree. A smaller fiber optic Christmas tree may even run on battery power. This will save you a lot on your electricity bill since it does not use electricity. They are safe to use around the whole family.

They generally come in two basic varieties. Either the entire tree will be made up of fiber optic lights and it looks like a tree that is shaped with wispy strands of light or it will be a standard artificial tree that looks like a natural variety, except the limbs are dotted with fiber optic lights.  This will save you a lot of time since you will not have to try and untangle a lot of Christmas lights. You can even find a fiber optic Christmas tree that comes with an mp3 player and speakers so that you can fill your home with the sounds of Christmas.

One important thing to remember is not to put this type of tree outside. They are only intended for indoor use. You can buy a fiber optic Christmas tree online or you can purchase one anywhere that sells Christmas decorations. Children love having a small fiber optic Christmas tree in their bedroom. It brings the holiday season into their room and also provides a night light for them. Purchasing one that uses battery power for your child ensures that they won’t be hurt while using electricity.

Consider purchasing one of these unique trees for your home. The whole family will enjoy it and everyone that sees it will want one of their own, too. It will be the centerpiece of your holiday decorations. Everyone will want you to turn it on so that they can watch your fiber optic Christmas tree change colors.

Although to most people choosing the gift is the most difficult part of the process, once you realize how many different designs of Christmas wrapping paper there are you’re again faced with an important decision. You obviously want to choose a Christmas wrapping paper that is well suited to the receiver.

Usually the gift wrap for kids is more like cartoons, with all the familiar Christmas faces such as Santa Claus and the reindeers or you can even choose some of your child’s favorite characters such as Sponge Bob Square pants on Christmas background colors and décor.

The formal design is typically plain Christmas colors along with some elegant festive symbols such as snowflakes or red ribbons, depending on the occasion and on the gift that the wrapping paper hides. Elegant Christmas wrapping paper can be used for all occasions as well.

Wrapping something up for your significant other? Well, here you have a wide range of choices from Christmas wrapping paper that has ‘I love you’ written on it, to hearts and other such symbols, which you can only give to one person so, if you see a gift under the Christmas tree which that wrapping paper you will know it is for you from your husband of the other way around.

Other designs may also be made with specific scope such as for mothers, daughters and so on; of course here you have inscribed ‘Merry Christmas Mother’ or whatever the case may be. I enjoy personalized paper; it shows that you went out of your way not only for the gift but also for the Christmas wrapping paper.

Christmas is a great time of the year to show those who mean the world to you that you love them by showering them with gifts. It is a great feeling to gather all the presents you purchased for family and friends, days before Christmas, sit in a cozy warm room by the fire while outside is snowing and along with different types of Christmas wrapping paper, start wrapping gifts and marking them with person’s name.

I know many don’t care much about the wrapping paper when they open the gifts but, it sure make a great picture under the tree and an even greater impact when you picked the right Christmas wrapping paper for the right person and gift.

When Christmas comes each year, many people like to sneak in some vacation time. This might be the easiest time of the year to get off, though that will depend on where you work and how long you have been at your job. Christmas vacation is usually spent with family, though some people like to skip the family on occasion and take a break from everything and everyone for some time to de-stress. No matter what you plan to do for your Christmas vacation, make sure you plan early so you can save some money, and to make sure you get a flight.

If you want to go home to see your family for Christmas vacation, talk to your boss as early as you can. Some places are very busy in the early weeks of December, but then have a slow down the week after Christmas. If this is the case with your job you my have no problems getting off. However, there are some places that don’t slow down, and if you want to take a Christmas vacation, you had better start planning and asking for time off as early as possible.

Remember that flights around Christmas are always full, and they are always booked early. If you try to book a flight on Dec fifth for your Christmas vacation, you will either find that you cannot get a flight, or if you do get one, you are going to pay full price and then some. Airlines know many people like to take flights for Christmas vacation, and they know they can charge full price and still fill up the planes. Book as early as possible to ensure you get a seat at a decent price.

When it comes to planning a Christmas vacation away from home, make sure you also book early, and also make your reservations early. Some places fill up fast, though you may not realize it. If you are thinking of getting away for some skiing or snowboarding for your Christmas vacation, remember that many others have the same idea. If you don’t act early, you may not be able to get a reservation at your favorite resort. Just remember to make sure your reservations are confirmed, and arrive and leave on odd days of the week if you can. This might ensure you get a room when they may not otherwise have anything available.

It’s not always easy to decide which Christmas present for a man you should choose for the special guy in your life, but you have to get something right? Each year I think I struggle as much as my husband when it comes time to choose a special gift. Many stores like to tell you that they have gifts just for men, but when it comes time for me to choose a Christmas present for a man, any man, I never find what I want in any of the displays they have. I am always on my own, and I always end up stressed out over the entire affair.

I think my problem might be that I think too hard about a Christmas present for a man. This isn’t just about my husband either; it extends to my dad and my brothers. When it comes to my father in law, you may as well forget it, as I am completely lost. I know what all of these people like, and I know about their hobbies, but for some reason, this does not make shopping for a Christmas present for a man any easier. In fact, it seems to make it harder.

Most of the men in my life love to play golf. Knowing this does not make shopping for a Christmas present for a man any easier for me. I can’t afford to get them new clubs, and most of them don’t need them. They don’t need bags, and getting new balls for them seems like such a lame gift. So golf is out, unless I want to go the easy route and get them gift certificates for their favorite course or golf store. It’s not always easy to choose according to hobby.

When it comes time to buy a Christmas present for a man, or for any other occasion for that matter, you may just have to wing it, or even ask them what they might like. Most men will not tell you anything, and will say not to get them anything. This is out of the question, for me anyway, and they are getting something whether they like it or not. If you are really stumped about a Christmas gift for a man, you may have to ask their wife or their sister what they may like. This can backfire, however, because they may be just as stumped as you are.

The Christmas gift for grandparents seems to be the most difficult item to get. My grandparents are in their late eighties and live in assisted living situations. I have three grandparents that are still alive. They are so pleased when they get visitors and they seem to love getting presents. I have tried to be practical with some of the Christmas gift for grandparents that I have come up with, but each year it becomes more difficult. My one grandmother loves to send greeting cards. She still sends each of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren a card for their birthday and wedding anniversaries. This is over forty cards to send out annually. Last year I bought her boxes of all occasion cards as well as books of stamps. She was very pleased with this gift because it saved her a trip to the store to buy them. This year I was going to go with the same concept. I had seen a card organizer several months before the holidays that I thought would be my Christmas gift for grandparents. The organizer had a calendar for each month. You could circle the days of the month that had a birthday or anniversary. Then there was a pocket to place the cards in for the month. For example in there was three birthdays and an anniversary in January you would circle the 4 days and place the cards in the pouch to remind you to send them out. When I was shopping the week before Christmas I could not find the organizers any where.

The mall had a list of gift ideas for different categories of people on your shopping list. Under the heading of Christmas gift for grandparents there were two items fruit baskets and gift certificates. None of my grandparents still drive, so I knew that a gift certificate would not be a good idea, so I headed over to the grocery store to buy fruit baskets.