If the idea of going home for the holidays sends a chill down your spine, you might find relief in bringing along The Dysfunctional Family Christmas Songbook by John Boswell, best-selling author of What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, and Lenore Skenazy, a New York Daily News columnist and contributor to Mad magazine. This irreverent hymnal of 19 satirical “alternative” Christmas lyrics, all set to the music of the old standard carols, is guaranteed to raise a reaction whether it’s to tickle the familial funny bone, or to make Aunt Hilda bop Cousin Bobby with the Christmas ham. So, get happy, raise a cup of cheer and warble out such favorites as: “O Holy Fight” (sung to the tune of “O Holy Night”), the saga of one family’s sadly divided politics; and “Come Meet the Family” (sung to “O Come All Ye Faithful”), a “celebration of Christmas aggravation.” Alison Hood still waits up for Santa every Christmas Eve and eats way too many cookies while keeping watch at the hearth.

<b>What’s new in getting old</b> Not many Americans have missed the message that retirement now means a Jupiter-sized nest egg, a fourth or fifth career and purpose-driven leisure. That pressure takes its toll on the collagen, but Mark Victor Hansen (co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series) and beloved 94-year-old TV host Art Linkletter ( Kids Say the Darndest Things! ) tout 60 as the new forty and implore baby boomers to think outside the casket in <b>How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life</b>. Longer and healthier lives mean a new set of expectations and challenges, so the duo urge readers to refire instead of retire and sage instead of age. These inspirational quips ( don’t regret, re-great! is another) and obvious recommendations ( maintain vibrant health! Defy expectations and have a hot sex life! ) get a bit old, so to speak, but the pair also inject some literary Botox into many myths and misconceptions about aging to smooth away worry, and offer some unusual ideas to ponder. The controversial calorie restriction approach to longevity is interesting, along with their advice on unleashing your innate creativity or inner Grandma Moses, and becoming a seniorpreneur to stay solvent, keep the synapses firing and stave off Alzheimer’s.

In the past, most people learned crafts from a friend or family member. They taught the new crafter basic stitches and were nearby to help when he or she got stuck working on a new project. These days, people teach themselves crafts a lot more often, which means there is no wise expert on call to solve problems that can stymie a project and crush a new crafter’s confidence. Edie Eckman’s The Crochet Answer Book seeks to take the place of that helpful friend by anticipating and answering some of the most common questions crafters have. This book covers the basics of forming stitches, shaping and blocking, as well as more advanced techniques. It should be on every fiber lover’s bookshelf. Sarah E. White is the senior editor of the crafting website LovetoKnow Crafts.

In the past, most people learned crafts from a friend or family member. They taught the new crafter basic stitches and were nearby to help when he or she got stuck working on a new project. These days, people teach themselves crafts a lot more often, which means there is no wise expert on call to solve problems that can stymie a project and crush a new crafter’s confidence. Margaret Radcliffe’s The Knitting Answer Book seeks to take the place of that helpful friend by anticipating and answering some of the most common questions crafters have. This book covers the basics of forming stitches, shaping and blocking, as well as more advanced techniques. It should be on every fiber lover’s bookshelf. Sarah E. White is the senior editor of the crafting website LovetoKnow Crafts.

Swimwear designer Ashley Paige knows more than most about the interplay between crafts and fashion. Her knits have graced the bodies of such stars as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Gwen Stefani, and her book Sexy Little Knits: Chic Designs to Knit and Crochet brings her sultry sensibility to the home crafter. The book offers 25 designs including beach wear, fun summer clothes and pieces to wear at home. The projects show incredible range, from a nylon robe to a halter dress with peek-a-boo hearts to barely-there bikinis and an long mesh nightgown. This book is not for beginners, as it doesn’t given any basic knitting or crocheting instructions. It’s also not for the timid (and not just because there’s a derriere on the cover). Those who have been looking for something daringly different to knit or crochet will find that this book fills the niche perfectly. Sarah E. White is the senior editor of the crafting website LovetoKnow Crafts.

The perfect way to jazz up an outfit is with a great beaded necklace, earrings or bracelet. Beaded jewelry looks difficult to make, and it can be, but there are many simple designs that are quite beautiful and satisfying for beginners and more experienced crafters alike. Simply Beautiful Beaded Jewelry by Heidi Boyd offers 50 delightful projects for beaded accessories made with supplies easily found at national craft store chains. These designs look anything but run-of-the-mill, often incorporating fancy looking design techniques such as multiple strands, wire wrapping and using head pins to make beads dangle. Each project is photographed in great detail as Boyd walks readers through every step. Variations are provided so that even beginning crafters will feel free to make these designs their own. Sarah E. White is the senior editor of the crafting website LovetoKnow Crafts.

T-shirts have long been a fashion staple because they are so easy to dress up or down. But in the end, a T-shirt is just a T-shirt, right? It is unless it’s an altered T, made with the guidance of Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay. This fun and creative book shows crafty women (and men) how to turn basic new or vintage tees into halter-tops, tanks with braided straps, peasant shirts, miniskirts, teeny bikinis, bags and much more. Using holes, ties, strings and scallops as embellishment, this book takes T-shirts to a whole new level. The designs are easy to follow and many of them can be made without sewing. Those that do require sewing could easily be stitched up with a needle and thread instead of a sewing machine, making this a very approachable DIY book even for those who don’t see themselves as crafty. Sarah E. White is the senior editor of the crafting website LovetoKnow Crafts.

There’s something to the old saying, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” Crafty people know the pleasure, pride and peaceful satisfaction derived from creating something by hand. Those interested in converting others to their way of thinking might pass along one of these books to anyone whose heart could be helped by busying her hands. You’ll not only spread that sense of peace and accomplishment, but thwart the devil a little as well. Making memorable keepsakes As Nancy Ouchida-Howells writes in Calligraphy: Easel Does It (HarperDesign, $16.95, 96 pages, ISBN 0060588349), the ancient art of beautiful writing demands “full attention and concentration, a balance between control and freedom that creates a meditative, peaceful state as you immerse yourself in the act of creating.” Her book is designed to stand up like an easel for easy reference while following its photographed step-by-step instructions. Ouchida-Howells begins with the basics: materials needed, how to maneuver the pens and basic lettering, then guides you through eight projects “easily adjusted to suit your needs,” such as greeting cards, wrapping paper and invitations. Several calligraphic styles are demonstrated, including Gothic, Renaissance, Celtic, Romanesque and Modern Revival. There’s even a scrapbook cover project that segues nicely into the next book, Scrapbook Tips and Techniques (Leisure Arts, $16.95, 288 pages, ISBN 157486422X). In fact, since scrapbooks often include lots of lettering, your homemade keepsake album is likely to benefit from your newfound penmanship skills throughout its pages not just on the cover.

If you’re like me, with boxes and boxes of photos, souvenirs and mementos and some vague notion of creatively organizing them “someday,” Scrapbook Tips and Techniques can propel you into action. Chapter titles include “From Chaos to Order: 10 Easy Steps to Photo Organization” (sign me up!), “Collage Craze” and “Border Ideas.” While giving detailed instructions and containing numerous lovely and inspiring example pages, this book is far from being simplistic. For the serious scrapbooker or the seriously artistic, many advanced techniques and mediums are covered, such as creating stained-glass embellishments using watercolors, embossing, or fiber and eyelets for different effects.

Crafts for home and garden A versatile and portable craft, crochet is a quiet, contained activity you can do almost anywhere, and Crochet Basics: All You Need to Know to Get Hooked on Crochet (Barron’s, $22.95, 128 pages, ISBN 0764156780), by Jan Eaton, is the book to get you hooking away. Designed for the absolute beginner, Eaton’s book points out that you don’t need to invest in expensive supplies to get started: all you need is a ball of yarn and a crochet hook or two. With large, clearly defined photos of each step, she walks you through 12 separate projects starting with a simple scarf and progressing to more complicated designs such as a child’s sweater, purses, a lace evening wrap and a colorful Harlequin afghan. “Once you have the hang of holding hook and yarn comfortably,” she notes, “the basic techniques of crochet are surprisingly easy to master, and all crochet forms, no matter how intricate they look at first, are based on a small number of stitches that are very easy to learn.” Finally, if turning trash to treasure floats your creative craft, and you’re not afraid of basic tools like a hammer, sandpaper and paintbrushes, then Flea Market Makeovers for the Outdoors: Projects ∧ Ideas Using Flea Market Finds ∧ Recycled Bargain Buys, by B.J. Berti, is the book for you. In these pages a weathered trellis, too fragile for garden use, becomes an appealing plant holder, discarded woolen sweaters become a cozy patchwork throw, and rusty thrift-store trays become trendy purveyors of cooling beverages. Berti offers plenty of projects complete with material lists, numbered instructions and photos. My favorite is the romantic painted candelabra for the outdoors, created by removing the light sockets and the wiring from an electric chandelier, painting it and then substituting candles for the milk glass lightbulb covers. Just keep the fire limited to your imagination!