You have brushed, flossed, popped mints and gum all day, yet you still suffer from halitosis. "Mary" developed a stifling case of bad breath after kissing an ex. Her troubles lasted for ten years before she sought help. This might sound like a B-rated horror flick, but it has been proven that bad breath can be passed from person to person. Once the virus is in your system, it takes professional help to cure.

Be careful who you kiss.

There was a time when traveling meant that we were all, airlines included, acting like ladies and gentleman. As a connoisseur of 70s and 80s pop culture it is fascinating to go through the Assouline books which highlight advertisements depicting immaculately coiffed and fashionably uniformed stewardesses (sorry that’s what they were called back in the day) pushing carts, articulating on four-inch heels holding a silver tray with a martini or slicing some form of food with an inviting smile. Most of the ads have slogans beneath the smiling attendant which captured the fare paying public with the mystique of aviation. Who can’t remember, “Fly the Friendly Skies” or “Taking You Away From It All?" We were being enticed to part with the money for a ticket and buy into a “jet-set” lifestyle.

Yes, indulge your loved one with chocolate and you are bound to have him/her smiling. For you chocoholics the Chakra Spa offers the ultimate sweet experience. The Sensational Chocolate Romantic Getaway will allow you and your lover to lie side-by-side and be drenched, drizzled and rubbed down with heated Belgian Chocolate and Shea Butter. 

Oh boy, a Playboy party!

"Playboy... Fashion Unleashed!!!" was the name of the party.

Apparently fashion has been tied up somewhere and Playboy was there to liberate it. This was my first time at The Brant House. It's a big trendy nightclub with expensive drinks, hot chicks, their big boyfriends and a profusion of would-be players in suits looking to hook up with some Playboy playmates. There were also plenty of girls dolled up and ready to be 'discovered' by Playboy.

Among the holiday traditions which seem to bombard us senselessly at this time of year, there is one which Canadian retailers proudly encourage. This time-honoured right of passage involves the small boutique right up to major department stores. As consumers spend literally a month opening their wallets daily, becoming human shopping bag racks and validating outrageous purchases with “well it’s the holiday season” the tradition still stands tall. This, my friends, is the ritual of finding that hot holiday outfit to literally “razzle dazzle” in.