By Joanne Niswander

Read all of Joanne's columns by clicking here.

I know, there's nothing quite comparable to Bluffton's "Blaze of Lights," but I have to share what I experienced this year on the same weekend of our "Blaze."

It was Carlsbad, New Mexico's "Christmas on the Pecos." For starters, let's set the scene. Carlsbad is way down in the southeast corner of New Mexico, in the high desert.

Lily Schumacher framed by her dough hook

By Mary Pannabecker Steiner

Like most young children, Lily Schumacher enjoyed helping out in the kitchen.

But about the time she reached third grade, she took matters into her own hands and embarked on a baking spree. Six years later, she's still mid-spree. Her baking knowledge far outweighs that of many adults.

The Icon invites viewers to submit their favorite Christmas-New Year's holiday recipes. Here's the first installment.

Nelson Steiner's Party Mix
a.k.a "Nuts and Bolts"
The cr`eme de la cr`eme of holiday party mixes

1988 version

TEH. BEST. GAMES. EVAR.Andr'e Swartley
PSN ID: lordgodalming

Castlevania: Lords of ShadowDeveloper: Mercury Steam
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360Rating: M for Mature
Similar games: Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, God of War

(Note: I was unable to finish this game prior to review because I received the little-known "Unhandled Error" message in the middle of Chapter 12 [of 12 total] and lost all of my save-data. Konami has since patched this error.)

By Joanne Niswander

Greetings from Cairns and Cape Tribulation - located on the tropical northeastern coast of Australia. As we got off the plane that brought us north from Sydney to Cairns, we immediately felt the rise in humidity as well as temperature. We were happy to stay in the shade of the tall palms, eucalyptus and myriad other trees that cover this part of the country.

TEH. BEST. GAMES. EVAR.Andr'e Swartley
PSN ID: lordgodalming

Costume QuestDeveloper: Double Fine
Platform: Playstation Network, Xbox Live MarketplaceRating: E for Everyone
Similar games: Super Mario RPG

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