Santa's clever helper

FRONTLINES:It won't just be the kids who will be entertained in the queue to see Santa Claus in the Jervis St Shopping Centre today as one of Ireland's top mentalists will be on hand from 2pm doing tricks and wrecking heads. Shane Gillen (pictured) has been compared to Keith Barry, and he says he is more interested in playing mind games than pulling rabbits out of hats. And he is very, very good at playing with unsuspecting minds. He will run through an array of baffling card tricks and will use the power of suggestion to lead the mammies and daddies astray as he moves up and down the queue. Conor Pope

Makers and Brothers join forces

Makers and Brothers (makersandbrothers.com) is a new pop-up shed (yes, a shed not a shop) showcasing Irish and European design. Run by brothers Jonathan and Mark Legge, the project is polished and design-led, which makes sense when you learn that Jonathan spent the past four years working as a project designer with Ilse Crawford. You can buy online, but you'd miss much of the establishment's shopping experience. The shed is heated by a wood-burning stove where a pot of coffee sits brewing should you fancy a warming cuppa as you browse. Presents start from €8.50 for beautiful hand-made tweed mice, the kind you might see on screen in Babe, the original. Makers and Brothers is open Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 5pm, between now and Christmas. The address is The Shed, Fairholm, Abbey Road, Blackrock, and directions are available on the website, under contact details. Alanna Gallagher

'Happy Prince' at Roundwood House

Next weekend Bewley's Café Theatre is bringing its acclaimed adaptation of The Happy Princeto Roundwood House in Co Laois. Oscar Wilde's enchanting tale of a gilded statue and selfless swallow will be played out in the rooms, staircases and out-houses of the Georgian B&B run by Paddy and Hannah Flynn. Also performing is Susannah de Wrixon with her Away in A Majorshow, combining Christmas songs and stories. Truly magical stuff is in store if the recent run of The Poe Show, a dimly lit evening of bone-chilling Edgar Allan Poe-inspired theatre and music at the house, was anything to go by. It starts at 7pm on Sunday, December 18th with drinks around the Christmas tree. Tickets cost €50, and a buffet dinner is included. Book through roundwoodhouse.com or tel: 057-8732120. Róisín Ingle

WHAT’S HOT

The attack phase of the Dukan DietEveryone seems to be in it or on it

Thank God for sequinsCheap and cheerful, something shiny to throw over last year's glad rags

Early to bed, early to riseAuthor Haruki Murakami goes to bed at 9pm and gets up at 4am in the morning. It's worked out great for him

MeaslesOn the rise, unfortunately, particularly in France which had 14,000 cases up to the end of October this year

Hotels at ChristmasBig trees, deep carpets and ice tinkling merrily at the bar. Perfect

The cooking refuseniks have it sussedThey spend their Christmas reading posh cookery books (see page 34) and they cook nothing until February

Are we there yet?We still haven't tired of the witty Bothar advertisement, and isn't this its second year?

Mrs Crimble's gluten-free macaroonsTo die for

Paul Costello's Christmas decorations for DunnesGarlands, angels, reindeers, and, our favourite, the big tin stars at €3 each

Brussels SproutsMild autumn weather means bumper crops, so get shaving, roasting, steaming – anything but boiling

WHAT’S NOT

Standard & PoorWhere was it when we really needed it back in 2006?

Cherry blossomsThey've started appearing three months too early – we demand a come-back in spring

The TroikaRemember when we thought that a troika was a one-horse open sleigh dashing through the snow? Ah well

Three for two, two for oneThose offers make our heads spin and always include one item that's kind of weird

MistletoeIs it just us or is there a shortage of the kissing stuff this year?

The minimalist ChristmasNow is not the time for restraint. Irish people are not very good at it.

Easy trees

Take the pain out of choosing a Christmas tree and support a worthy cause at the same time by having your tree delivered to your home by the Irish Osteoporosis Society. The trees will be erected by the team on arrival and a simple post-yule phone call will see one of them take it away. HSE funding for the society was cut earlier this year, so these fundraising trees are vital to the survival of the organisation. They start from €60 and are available in Dublin only. Phone 01-6375050 or 1890-252751 or buy online at irishosteoporosis.ie. Róisín Ingle

Be there or be square

Meeting House Square reopens today, when the food market returns (10am-5pm). Movies on the Square also makes a welcome return with Singing in the Rain being screened next Thursday at 6.30pm. Entry is free but you need to request tickets at entertainment.ie/mhs. The square now has a new retractable canopy that is actually a set of four umbrellas, commissioned by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and designed by Seán Harrington Architects. Trad fans can enjoy a special Christmas gig by Kila on Friday, December 23rd. Tickets €20 (plus €2 booking fee) from Ticketmaster.ie.

Street Life

This is only the second year that Paddy Campbell's eerily lifelike figures have been displayed in Bewley's on Grafton Street, Dublin, but they are becoming a Christmas institution. The Christmas Streetexhibition includes 100 quirky Lilliputian folk up to all sorts of seasonal shenanigans. Teach Moroffers a voyeuristic glimpse into one suburban family's hectic Christmas. The Traindepicts passengers loaded up with parcels, and another scene features an elf frantically trying to wake Santa, who has fallen asleep on the job. Less Christmassy, but also worth a look, is Jilliver, a life-sized sculpture of a 17th-century shipwrecked girl captured on a beach by 21st-century holidaymakers. Running until January 6th, Christmas Streetis a free attraction, but voluntary donations will be accepted for Heart Children Ireland. Róisín Ingle