MATERIALS:  Paper, pen, homemade cupcakes, frosting, knife,

Have your children write special holiday wishes on small slips of paper.  Young children can tell you a wish, and you can write it for them.  Wishes may be fond ("May you stay as sweet as you are now") or facetious ("May you receive twice as many presents as you did last year!").

Make the cupcakes yourself or buy them at the store.  To stuff the wishes, first use a knife to make a hole in each cupcake.  Poke a wish slip in each hole, then spread on frosting to cover the holes.

Give the wish cakes to family and friends (being sure to tell them to look for their wishes before they gobble them down). Then, as they bite into their cupcakes, they'll remove the wish slip and read it aloud.