HOLIDAY ODDITIES

LOOKING FOR JOSEPH AND MARY: Looking for a free night's stay in London for Christmas? A British hotel chain is offering couples, whose names are "Mary" and "Joseph" a free night's stay for the holiday. "We are trying to make up for the hotel industry not having any rooms left on Christmas Eve 2004 years ago," said Sandy Leckie, manager of the Travelodge hotel in London's Covent Garden. He added, "Our hotel is definitely more comfortable than a stable. I just hope they don't bring their donkey." And just in case you think you can pull a fast one -- couples will have to produce identification showing their names. (Source - Reuters)

SCARED TO GO THE MALL? You're not alone. Nearly six in ten consumers fear it to some degree, according to a new survey by Discover Financial Services. For many, the task of finding the perfect gift quickly becomes an absolute hassle. The survey revealed that "finding the right gift" ranks among the biggest challenges with holiday shopping. Furthermore, 56 percent of shoppers expect at least one of their gifts will be returned. The rising popularity of gift cards indicates that many shoppers believe nothing is more personal than giving someone a choice. The survey also found that crowds, lines and parking are a major holiday nuisance.

SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS

Today's studio guest was Keith Varnum, author of The Survival Guide For The Holidays. Keith discussed how to avoid conflicts during the holidays with difficult family members like the father-in-law that constantly grills you about your job, weight, etc. or the aunt that is consistently criticizing your children's behavior. Whatever the situation, Keith is able to help. For more information about Keith, visit http://www.thedream.com.

What NOT to feed your pets during the holiday season:
We all love our pets and want them to feel like part of the family at the holidays so we often will feed them from the table. Sure we want fido to eat what we are eating but it isnt always the best for them. Visit http://www.noscraps.com.

SPARE THE SALMONELLA

This is Indie. I am sure there are those like me that just bought their turkeys yesterday afternoon and thought it would be ready to go in the oven by tomorrow - well NOT if you purchased a frozen turkey. In an effort to spare the family a horrible case of salmonella, follow THESE instructions for thawing.

Thawing a Turkey

The safe way to thaw a turkey is in your refrigerator. It can also be thawed under cold water. To prevent harmful bacterial growth, keep the turkey cold while thawing and cook it promptly after thawing. Here are refrigerator thawing times for various size turkeys:

An 8 to 12 pound turkey takes 1 to 2 days to thaw in the refrigerator.
A 12 to 16 pound turkey takes 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.
A 16 to 20 pound turkey takes 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Pieces of a turkey, such as a half or quarter will take 1 to 2 days thawing time in the refrigerator.

To thaw a turkey in cold water, check the wrapping to make sure there are no tears. Then, place the bird in its unopened bag in the sink or in a large container and cover it with cold water. If the wrapping is torn, place the turkey in another plastic bag, close securely, and place in cold ice water. Change the water every 30 minutes to assure safe and effective thawing and be sure the water is ice-cold.

Smaller turkeys can be thawed in a microwave oven. Since microwave ovens vary, check the manufacturer's instructions for the size turkey that will fit in the oven, the minutes per pound, and the power level to use for thawing. The turkey should be cooked immediately after thawing.

Do not thaw the turkey on the kitchen counter. At room temperatures, a frozen turkey will thaw from the outside in. As the surface warms, bacteria will multiply. By the time the turkey is thawed, the surface bacteria could multiply to dangerously high levels. One cannot rely on cooking to destroy all bacteria because some produce toxins that can not be destroyed through cooking.

Frozen, prestuffed turkeys should not be thawed before cooking. Cook them from the frozen state. However, these turkeys are not recommended.

Frozen, unstuffed turkeys can be cooked without being thawed.
A whole frozen turkey can be stored in your home freezer at 0° F or below for up to one year without loss of quality. A fresh turkey must be cooked or frozen within 1 to 2 days.

These recommendations for thawing turkey will ensure your turkey is safely prepared.

What's new in entertainment. . .

It would seem everyone is releasing a new project around the holidays -

Jessica Simpson's album of Christmas songs, ReJoyce: A Christmas Album, and her concert DVD, Jessica Simpson Reality Tour Live, both hit stores today (November 23rd). The album includes duets with husband Nick Lachey and sister Ashlee Simpson, and the DVD features live footage from her Universal Amphitheater concert in July of this year.

Gwen Stefani is releasing her solo debut Love, Angel, Music, Baby today. The disc includes her current single "What You Waiting For?", which is Number 18 on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream singles chart.

Other new releases today:
Evanescence - Anywhere But Home
Fantasia - Free Yourself
Sarah McLachlan - Afterglow Live
Ruben Studdard - I Need an Angel
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

What does Beyonce's daddy think of Jay-Z? Not much!
Singer Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child has been dating rap mogul Jay-Z since August 2002, though neither will discuss their relationship publicly. However, the couple appear to be working their way towards marriage, but there may be one huge roadblock. Beyonce's father, Mathew Knowles, who also manages his daughter's career, isn't too fond of Jay-Z and reportedly doesn't enjoy spending time with him. He told London's Evening Standard, "I don't care for Jay-Z at all. I'm certainly not close to him."

Other odd tidbits. . .

NOT THAT TYPE OF IDOL - After 16-year-old singer Casey Donovan won the Australian Idol, the competition's main sponsor took out an ad in the Sydney newspapers directing fans to Casey Donovan tribute web page. Unfortunately, a typo in the ad directed fans to the web site of gay male porn star also with the name Casey Donovan. Those who went to the site were greeted with a full frontal naked shot of the wrong Casey. The company said rushing out the ad caused the blunder. (Source - AP)

GIFTS FROM THE NEVADA STATE PRISON - Christmas shoppers in Carson City, Nevada have a new place to buy stocking stuffers -- the Nevada State Prison. The prison has a store filled with items hand made by the inmates themselves, ranging from $2 key chains to $200 lawn ornaments. All of the proceeds from the prison crafts go to nearby schools. (Source - AP)

Don't forget about us on Thanksgiving day - the Boog and I will be hosting our first annual Thanksgiving Day morning show this year. Tune your radio dials to 95.3FM and let us entertain you while you prepare the family meal.

Good Morning Texoma!

This is the first of many posts by the Magic 95 morning show hosts, Boogie and Indie. We will be posting our own rants, raves, thoughts, visions, dreams, failures and even some embarrassing moments for all of our listeners to share. We invite you to add your own comments to the mix and share your thoughts on issues with us. This should be fun.