Hi everyone!

All of us here at the 5min team would like to wish you a happy holiday season!
While most of you were waking up to driveways covered in snow typical of Christmastime, 5min headquarters was enjoying a sun-drenched morning, free of any burdensome snow or ice.

Unfortunately, no mysterious presents awaited underneath any tree at our offices - but that’s because we’ve already celebrated Hannukah in full swing over a week ago!

Whatever your holiday of choice - be it Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or Eid Al-Adha - we hope that you took advantage of this special time of year to spend some quality time with your family and friends, give thanks for the great and beautiful things we are all surrounded by, and recharge your energies towards the new year.

Growing up, I never really had the chance to construct my own gingerbread house, and had to make do with Lego mansions and elaborate Playmobile estates. That’s just a part of the reason I was thrilled to bring you aspiring gingerbread gurus this terrific video, showing how to make your very own gingerbread cookies!

It’s much easier than I’d thought! Besides, what use would I have for a gingerbread house without any gingerbread folk to reside in it, right? Another thing I appreciate about cookies shaped like people is the options of dressing them up in chic designs with the help of colorful frosting! It’s a bit of a challenge to mimick elaborate designs such as a David Saunders print, but as we all know, fashion is fueled by passion, even when it comes to cookies.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to go out there and snap up some charming holiday pictures, grab your cameras and head out to catch some of that Christmas glitter! Beautiful lights are everywhere, waiting to be captured digitally - this video will show you how to photograph Christmas lights so that you have mementos to keep you company all year long!

Need some quick advice for last minute gift-giving? Even if you’re shopping on a shoe-string budget, a little creativity can go a long way. Why not learn how to wrap your gifts like a pro? Just remember that while Christmas is drawing to an end, some of still love getting gifts all year long!