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Altacal Audubon will feature the following pro- grams and activities for December. All programs and activities are free of cost unless otherwise in- dicated and are open to the public. If you have any questions or want further information about spe- cific activities, call Way- land Augur at 519-4724 or write to wba@acm.org. Chico Creek Nature Center, members' slide show, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 14. December is a special month and the group will celebrate it at the Altacal program by inviting mem- bers and friends to share some photos they have taken over the past year. The annual members' slide show is a favorite program for many. There are always some great new, and sometimes old, pictures to see and tales of how they were gotten, to hear. Join in and bring a few of your own photos of birds, wildlife, nature on disk or memory stick. The group will have plenty of time for all who want to participate. Also at this program the group will hear about plans for the annual Chico and Oroville Christmas Bird Counts taking place over the following two weekends. Call or write to Jennifer Patten, 345-9356 or jpchico@sbcglobal.net, so organizers know ahead of time how many will be showing photos. Christmasbirdcounts Sunday, Jan. 3 — Red Bluff CBC. Call Karen Scheuermann in Cotton- wood at 347-1687 or write to karens2020@gmail. com. Let Karen know if you plan to join the count. Saturday, Dec. 19 — Chico CBC. Call Mary Muchowski at 228-0625 or write to mmuchowski@ earthlink.net. All levels of birders are welcome. Bring warm clothes, hik- ing shoes, lunch, bird books and binoculars. You will be assigned an area and spend the day count- ing birds in this area. RS- VPs encouraged. Meet at 7:30 a.m. Chico Creek Na- ture Center, 1968 E. 8th St. Compilation dinner will take place at 4:30 p.m. at a location to be announced. Sunday, Jan. 3 — Oro- ville CBC. Call Gaylord Grams at 533-1624 or write to gg2canoe@yahoo.com. All levels of birders are welcome. Beginners will be paired up with expe- rienced birders. You will be assigned an area and spend the day counting birds in this area. Bring warm clothes, hiking shoes, lunch, bird books and binoculars. To do a half-day, contact Gaylord Grams ahead of time. Meet at 7:30 a.m., Butte County Ag Commissioners Of- fice, 316 Nelson Ave., Oro- ville, east of State Route 70 across from The Home Depot. Compilation dinner will take place at 4:30 p.m., at 2330 Nevada Ave. ALTACAL Audubon events for December Providing Essentials for the Tehama Shelter, or PETS, is planning the sec- ond annual Strikes for Strays fundraising night, 4-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Come and join fun lov- ing PETS people at Lariat Bowl, 365 S. Main St., in Red Bluff. For a $15 ticket you can bowl, play games, have your photo taken and meet shelter mascot Homer to kick off this end of the year fundraiser. Tickets include two games of bowling, shoes and entry to win one of multiple door prizes. There will be lots of raffle dona- tions and a very special raf- fle for four Disneyland Park Hopper tickets. All money collected goes to PETS in support of animal adoptions, spays and neuters, pet food do- nations and other shelter needs. Visit www.petstehama. org and look for the Strikes for Strays portal to learn more, including sponsors, available foods, raffles, maps and activities, or call 527-8702 with questions and to request tickets. Tick- ets are available at Aquar- ium and Pets and Lariat Bowl in Red Bluff. PETS Bowling fundraiser set for Friday As much as I love Christmas, I must confess that there are some things about the holiday sea- son I dread. I always get that heart- pounding feeling that my feet are in the start- ing blocks and any second I'll hear the signal to start running as fast as I can to make it to the finish line before midnight on December 24. It's easy to let the busy chaos of Christmas get the best of us. We feel ob- ligated to meet the expec- tations of everyone — kids, friends, relatives, commu- nities and even our em- ployers. This year, try these five ideas to keep spending un- der control and to make your dollars go further. Give retail value Determine the amount you want to spend on each person on your list. Let's say you designate $50 for your sister. To your ut- ter amazement, you find a gorgeous sweater at a high-end sample sale. It's her size and favorite color, marked down to $30. It's perfect. Don't spend an- other $20 on your sister to satisfy a notion that you must meet the $50 allot- ted. Your mission is com- plete. You purchased a lovely gift and cut the cost by at least 75 percent (you know what cashmere goes for these days!) The actual cost is your secret — and a reasonable way to cut the expense of Christmas. Create limits There's something to be said for setting limits on how many gifts to give the kids and other fam- ily members. Fewer gifts mean less shopping, less wrapping and of course less spending. You may discover that less is more than enough. Create family gi s Rather than buying in- dividual gifts for all the kids in one family, con- sider a single gift that will be enjoyed by everyone like a board game or DVD. Start thinking and soon your creative juices will kick in. Get creative Not a talented artist or crafter? Don't worry. You can still create your own gifts. If you have the basics like a computer, printer, paper supplies, writable CDs and DVDs, you can create unique gifts, and then duplicate as needed, giving the same gift to many on your list. Ideas include a Fam- ily Calendar that is cus- tomized for your family and includes the names, dates and all pertinent in- formation of every per- son's birthday, anniversa- ries and other significant dates. You can even search "printable calendar" on- line to find templates. A Family Cookbook is another great idea, and could be a compilation of your own recipes and fam- ily favorites that have, per- haps, been passed down from previous generations. Share your Family Mem- ories in stories, pictures or movies. Select and transfer family photos and videos that capture the essence of your family's life over the past year. Add cap- tions and short stories and you will have created the equivalent of an electronic scrapbook that can be eas- ily duplicated. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE MakeChristmasfestivewithoutbreakingthebank COURTESYPHOTO Four members of the Red Bluff Kiwanis Club, from le , Tony Carbonell, Lisa Hansen, Lois Rogan and JB Stacy, were honored Nov. 4with the Distinguished Kiwanian award. Presenting the awards, on the right, was Division 39Lt. Governor Leanne Westphal. The Red Bluff Kiwanis Club meets at noon each Wednesday at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge. Guests and prospective members are always welcome. RED BLUFF KIWANIS Four honored as Distinguished Kiwanians Mary Hunt PLEASERECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thankyou! Regular Haircut $ 2 00 off KWIK KUTS FamilyHairSalon 1064SouthMainSt.,RedBluff•529-3540 ANY RETAIL PRODUCT 20 % off withanychemicalserviceof $50 or more Notgoodwithotheroffers Expires 12/31/15 With coupon Reg. $13.95 40 th Annual & Last Fri.,Dec.4 th , 2015 9AM to 8PM Sat., Dec. 5 th , 2015 10AM to 3PM 25076 Sycamore Avenue, behind La Corona, Los Molinos TEAANDBOUTIQUE Dec.3,4&5 Thurs, Fri, & Sat. 9:30am-6:00pm For Custom Wreaths & Designs ALL FRESH WEATHS, ARRANGEMENTS and more 645AntelopeBlvd.Ste11 Frontier Village (across form the Fairgrounds) Holiday Scholarship Boutique RedBluffGardenClub Calltoorder 941-1516 or 527-2226 LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, December 2, 2015 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5