fancy-a-date

by scrappy annie

A few Unique And Original Christmas Present Suggestions

With Christmas coming up, people around the UK are starting to wonder what to buy each other as a gift. But, it is sometimes hard to think of original ideas each year, and some of us can feel a lot of pressure to make sure that the gifts they purchase are up to standard. Instead of leaving everything until the last moment, it is certainly a good idea to start planning as early as possible, and buying what you need early in order to avoid the Xmas rush. Here are a few unique and unusual gift ideas, to enable you to get a head start with your Christmas shopping.

For any lover of animals in your life, why not give them a gift that is truly unique – the chance to adopt a polar bear! The pack includes a certificate of adoption, a cuddly polar bear, photograph, fact sheets, and newsletter, and will help finance the WWF in their crucial activities helping save this beautiful species.

A personalised bottle of malt whisky and set of glasses can make a wonderful present to give to a scotch drinker, or anyone else who enjoys a little tipple during the Xmas period! Alternatively, for a wine lover, try a Laithwaites wine tasting experience for 2 people, which offers a relaxed experience and the chance to try up to 25 different types of wine.

For a money-no-object, one off unforgettable experience, surely there would be nothing better than the opportunity to drive a REAL F1 grand prix car, which would surely make this Xmas truly unforgettable. The recipient would receive a full days experience, which includes personal tuition in a variety of race prepared vehicles, culminating in a drive in an actual F1 car.

Alternatively, a Segway race experience for two, or dumper truck racing experience, would be an equally original, but slightly more budget friendly option.

If you are looking for a present for an expectant loved one, a Mum-To-Be Photoshoot could be a great indulgent present, with professional photographers available at locations around the UK to create a special memory.

Chinese Flying Lanterns, otherwise known as ‘wishing lanterns’ are becoming increasingly popular, and it is no wonder why. Watching them soar gracefully into the night sky, glowing mysteriously for around 20 minutes, is an amazing and wondrous moment, making these a fantastic way of celebrating a special occasion.

What do you get a chocolate lover? A Thorntons chocolate hamper would make for a fantastic gift, including milk, dark and white chocolates with fudge, toffee and nougat. You can’t go wrong with this amazing gift made by the leading chocolate maker. A less expensive but every bit as special alternative would be a Thorntons ‘Favourites’ Hamper, which offers fantastic value.

A grow it yourself Manchester United football pitch would be the perfect gift to give for any fan of football, containing all you need to grow a miniature football pitch, including the actual seeds used on the Old Trafford pitch!

With touchscreen devices starting to become more and more common, it can be frustrating in winter to discover that they will not function when wearing gloves! The way around this is a pair of specially manufactured touchscreen gloves, which make a fantastic gift for someone who owns an iPhone or other phone.

Last but not least, if you were considering giving a designer perfume as a gift, why not give a design your own perfume experience instead? This gives you the chance to design, name and wear your own fragrance, just like the stars!

by palkynebtab

The Advantages in Choosing LED Christmas Lights

The holiday season will soon be here, and that means it’s time to start thinking about Christmas lights and decorations for your house and property. Are you one of those people who dread this time of year because you have to spend hours untangling all the Christmas lights from last year and replacing worn out or broken bulbs? If so, you’re in luck this year because one of the hottest new trends in holiday decorations is LED lights, and they promise to put an end to all that pain and suffering.

There are multiple benefits of using LED lights instead of the traditional Christmas lights used in the past. The first benefit is their energy efficiency. LED lights save approximately 80-90% on electrical bills versus incandescent lights making them much cheaper to use. They are extremely easy to store because their wires are relatively thick and will not tangle easily. Also, the bulbs are encased in thick plastic rather than flimsy glass so breaking a bulb is much less likely. Simply roll up your strand of LED lights at the end of the holiday season, and come back next year to find them still functioning and easy to unroll. LED lights come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes, styles, and colors making them ideal for Christmas decorations as well as lighting patios or decks throughout the year.

Another benefit of LED lights is that they are extremely safe because they run cold and will not burn your fingers or start your house on fire. They have a much longer lifespan than traditional incandescent bulbs, often lasting more than 25,000 hours. This means that, unless they are damaged, LED lights could last an entire lifetime of holiday seasons. LED lights can safely be used inside or outside because they are almost completely weatherproof and are resistant to moisture and extreme hot or cold temperatures.

One of the most obvious differences when using LED lights instead of traditional lights for Christmas decorations is that they are much brighter and produce a stronger, purer color. The intensity of their color is much more enjoyable to look at and will not fade over time. Lastly, LED lights are much cheaper to operate, using only about a tenth of the electrical current for the same amount of light from incandescent bulbs. As technology continues to advance, they are also becoming much cheaper to buy and are extremely cost-efficient as they have a much longer lifespan.

For Christmas decorations this holiday season, LED lights can be found in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. They come in regular strands, net lights, icicle lights, snowfall lights, and all sorts of motif lighting for any Christmas objects you would wish to display in your yard. They also come in programmable strings or nets and can be set to blink. LED lights can also be found in a variety of colors so let your imagination run wild and have fun decorating your house and yard this holiday season. You may have the brightest and most colorful display in your area with the use of LED Christmas lights. You’ll also have the reassurance that they can be used over and over for years to come. Try something different this year and invest in LED Christmas lights, and you will enjoy a brighter and energy efficient holiday season!

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by Hegemony77 doll clothes

Canvas Prints make fantastic Christmas presents!

Canvas prints have now become the most popular form of artwork to decorate your home and put some colour on those blank walls.  You can so easily change the look of your room without completely redecorating – change the colour or theme just by changing the tired looking pictures and replacing them with eye-catching and vibrant canvas prints.

So what are canvas prints?

Original oil paintings (on canvas) from the old masters have been around for centuries but this relatively new concept of printing on canvas using wide-format printers was really only introduced in the 1990s.  With today’s technology the quality of these canvas prints – known as ‘giclée prints’ is almost as good as the original oil painting.  These printers use fade-resistant printer inks which mean that the canvas prints will last far longer than ordinary art prints but the greatest advantage is the ability to reproduce the original image in such detail regardless of size and maintain a high degree of accuracy in colour.  Hence – canvas prints – an affordable way of putting colourful canvas artwork on your walls.

Where can you find them?

Online shopping is the best way forward but there are a huge number of companies now supplying canvas prints so who to choose?  Many websites only offer ‘photos on canvas’ but there are a few digital printing companies that offer photographic gallery artwork as well. 

CanvasRus is a well established online company who have been creating beautiful canvas prints for many years.  They can put your own photos on canvas or create canvas prints from over 800 fantastic photographic images in their 20 themed galleries all available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  All their canvas prints are printed on the highest quality canvas and then stretched by hand onto 50mm solid wooden stretchers.   All their canvas prints are fully laminated (completely free of charge – some companies charge for this service) enhancing the colours of the image and ensuring that the printed canvas has incredible durability.

Photos on Canvas

Or how about something more personal and memorable?  Choose your own favourite photo and have it made into a fantastic canvas print.  Everybody has one of those photos that gives you an ‘ahhh’ moment – well why hide it away?  Imagine how your loved one will feel when they see that special memory – whether the kids, pets, or on holiday, or even your own wedding – captured for ever on canvas. 

And it’s so easy to order!  Just upload your digital photo to the website, choose your size and colour (choice of colour, B&W or sepia), pay online and hey presto, it’s done.  Ordering takes only minutes, and delivery a few days – maybe a little longer during the Christmas period due to high demand!

But what if you simply have too many photos to choose from?  Then order a Canvas Collage from CanvasRus.  They have a unique online facility where you can upload all your photos and see your collage come alive on screen, so if you’re not happy with the way it looks, just choose another photo and upload a different one.  There are 3 different layouts available each in 4 different sizes so again a wide range to choose from. 

So don’t leave all those digital photos hibernating on your computer – start looking through them now and transform them into trendy Canvas Prints.

In this podcast, Bre brings in Matt, the screenprinting expert of etsy.com, to the Weekend Projects podcast. Have you ever wanted to create your own t-shirt designs? Look no further! Don’t forget to go and download the pdf to get all the details and supply lists. makezine.com
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by cmiked

Pre Lit Christmas Tree – Save Some Time This Season

Artificial Christmas trees are becoming more and more popular with every passing year and one of the best selling models is a pre lit tree.I know decorating the tree is all part of the holiday tradition but sometime there is just no enough time to get it all done. You can save some time and save some money with a pre lit artificial Christmas tree.

These trees will benefit you in several ways. First, there is no more struggling with tangled wires. You know exactly what I am talking about. Each and every year you put your lights away and you do it in such a way as to avoid the rat’s nest of tangles but somehow they always manage to get tangled and you have to spend an hour or so untangling them. That is not fun and sometimes the holiday season can be stressful enough on it’s own. You do not need that hassle. With a pre lit tree you can avoid all of that frustration because the lights are built into the Christmas tree.

Another great feature of a pre lit tree is the fact that they use less energy. That means a lower power bill for you and ho does not want to save some cash, especially around the holiday season. Using less energy is also great for the environment.

When the holidays are over and it is time to put everything away, storing a tree could not be any easier. Since everything is built into the tree itself, the only thing that you have to prep for storage is the tree! Do yourself a favor and get a pre lit tree for your holiday season. You will be glad you did!

Need more info? Click here – <a target=”_new” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://artificialchristmastreessale.com/pre-lit-christmas-trees.htm”>Prelit Christmas Trees</a>.

Need more selection? Check out – <a target=”_new” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://artificialchristmastreessale.com/”>Artificial Christmas Trees</a>.

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by procrastinet

Prelit Artificial Christmas Tree: The Season For Colors

There’s something to be said about the traditional Christmas tree. Finding one usually require a mini-ritual when the holidays come around. For those who live in the cities, we accompany our parents to the Christmas tree lot and pick that one tree that we will use for that season. The lucky ones get to go in the forest somewhere and chop up a tree instead of buying one.

Well, just like anything else, there are issues with always using traditional trees. For one, not everybody has a truck car to haul these trees. Not to mention that we could be in the middle of a financial crunch that holiday season, so having to buy a Christmas tree can strain the pocket.

Additionally, there are times when a traditional tree simply does not capture the season for us. Lo and behold comes a product of western ingenuity, the artificial Christmas tree. These manufactured wonders can really come to the rescue. They are creative and flexible at the same time. Think of it as the “ace in the hole”. If you have an artificial Christmas tree in storage, you can never have a stressful time hunting for a tree at the last minute if you choose not to. As many of us have experienced in the past, last minute Christmas crowd can be very discouraging. Lastly, if you own a prelit artificial christmas tree, you won’t have to go without a tree during any Christmas season simply because money is tight. Just pull the tree out of storage and you’re good to go.

STYLING WITH A PRELIT ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE

What’s great about artificial Christmas trees is the creativity behind various designs. Artificial Christmas trees can give you traditional or non-traditional look. It can be sized for tabletops or as tall as a living room. And also, it can come in a color you haven’t even thought of for a tree. Let’s look at a few popular styles:

PINK ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES

This one has been very popular. A pink artificial Christmas tree is something I would never even thought of, but perhaps if you have a little girl in your life, daughter or granddaughter, it will make sense. Girls like anything pink. That’s a given. A pink Christmas tree will be a tough to decorate for many of us. But encourage the girls to do so, and they’ll more than satisfy you. Just think, decorating a pink artificial Christmas tree can become a yearly family event for your little princess throughout the years as she grows up.

RED ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREES

Red is a Christmas color. Why isn’t it a Christmas tree color? The simple answer is that trees are not red. And that’s another reason for buying an artificial Christmas tree. You can have any color including red. The color red draws attention. But a red Christmas tree demands attention. Anytime a guest walks into your family room, a red artificial christmas tree will greet them with cheerful tidngs.

ARTIFICIAL FIR CHRISTMAS TREE

Ever ask why the traditional Christmas tree is a triangle shape with green color? It comes from the fir tree that cropped up from a fallen oak that St. Boniface cleaved to convert German pagans to Christianity. The fir tree had a triangle shape symbolizing the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) with evergreen leaves that stay green through different seasons and represent eternal life.

Accordingly, among the artificial Christmas trees, one of the more popular type is the artificial fir Christmas tree. From within the fir tree type, there are subselections as well, such as Fraser, Noble, Camdon, Everbrite, Carolina, Montana, Spruce, and Pine Cone. These trees are so realistic that they’re visually tough to distinguish from real trees.

SAFETY CONCERNS

One last note on artificial Christmas trees, over the past years, American families are choosing artifical Christmas trees over real trees. If you have any concern of their use, then you’ll be glad to know that today’s artificial trees are made with flame-resistant materials. This bit of information is helpful since Christmas trees are often decorated with electrical accessories such as Christmas lights. Prelit artificial Christmas trees are among the most popular type out there.

by demontroute2k

Phillies Christmas Xmas Decors to Celebrate Phillies Sports in a New Tradition

Nice opportunity to select the perfect Phillies theme accessories with our “Xmas decors” online. With a lucrative selection of Phillies themed Xmas Decors and Xmas present ideas, we strive to please. With hundreds of exciting new products on the website this Christmas, consumers are spoilt for choice.

By offering a wide range of Xmas decors in out online Shoppe, consumers will not be disappointed this Christmas.

Our best selling product in the Phillies theme Xmas Decors range is the Santa lawn figure. The product comes dressed in a variety of football jerseys, from Giants, to Raiders and even the Eagles. Who ever you support, we have it covered. Fitted with 150 individual lights, the ornament serves to accentuate its hologram display. Santa will pose on your lawn throughout the festive period, proudly adorning the jersey of your choice, making a perfect Xmas gift for a football crazy husband or son, or equally any Phillies sports fan.

Complete with helmet and football, Santa showcases the “official football logo” of your choice. Once secured to the lawn with the wires included in the package, he or she will become the envy of the neighbor-hood. This particular product retails at just under .

However if you are seeking slightly cheaper, quirky Xmas present ideas, we are offering a jolly range of Xmas presents online. Why not let Santa Clause ‘touch down’ your chimney tonight. You can rock around the Christmas tree this year, with a ‘Rock and Roll Santa’, retailing at under . Jolly old St Nick will kick off the holiday period, kitted out in the football jersey of your choice, from the New York Nicks, to the Pittsburg Steelers, boogying to the song ‘Shout’, and really getting to work on the dance floor, or in this case a small black polymer base.

This product will have friends and relatives laughing, and poses the perfect sports themed Christmas present idea.

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by Jessa-Minnie

Nothing warms up the home and the heart quite like the glow of a Pre Lit Christmas tree

Nothing warms up the home and the heart quite like the glow of a Pre Lit Christmas tree. Pre Lit Christmas trees give you all the peace and ambience without any hassle or stress. No more worry of which blown bulb is keeping the whole strand dark. No more tangled wires coming out of the box. No more endlessly circling the tree to place and adjust the lights just right. Pre Lit artificial Christmas trees are one way to help make sure Christmas stays peaceful, not stressful. A Pre Lit artificial Christmas tree comes beautifully lit and ready to go from the moment it arrives at your home. The lights are built into the tree itself, so the bulbs are tastefully arranged, and the tree can be stored without any need for removing the lights. This also protects the wires from breakage, making the built-in lighting elements of a Pre Lit Christmas tree more durable and long-lasting than strands of tree lights.

Styles abound when it comes to purchasing a Pre Lit Christmas tree. From short, knee-high pathway trees intended for the outdoors to full-sized trees for inside use, Pre Lit trees come as big and as small as any other artificial tree. Some are in pots, while others are on stands. Lights can be colored, or simple white, and the trees come in any number of shades: from lush evergreen to snowy frost, and even black and silver for a night-time look.

Pre Lit Christmas trees are the perfect way to keep your home looking peaceful, without having to stress out to do so. With so much else going on at the holidays, you deserve a little break, and Pre Lit trees make the welcoming image of a glowing Christmas tree easier than ever to set up. The less time you spend untangling strands of lights, the more time you’ll have to sit back, enjoy the ambience of your Pre Lit Christmas tree, and reflect on the holiday season.

Here are instructions on how to put up your pre-lit Christmas Tree, courtesy of www.christmascentral.com Artificial Christmas Trees are a great way to have a beautifiul Christmas Tree year after year. Go here to shop our entire selection of Pre Lit Artificial Christmas Trees http

by clarkk

Rope Lights at Christmas

Rope lights can be a very festive decoration at Christmas time. Rope lights are safer that the mini string lights because their lights are inside a tube and protected from the winter weather and less easy to break.  

The tubing that surrounds these lights is very flexible so you will be able to follow the shape of your house. You can also be very imaginative and create your own designs and shapes with rope lights. Running them down the sides of your driveway or as landscape path lights will let those who come for visits know where to park and walk for safety. Another possibility would be to mount them on stakes and outline your front yard landscaping. For indoor use they can be used to decorate any large houseplant, your Christmas tree or brighten up a corner of a room.   

Light-emitting diode or LED rope lights are now available for conserving energy. These lights are very tiny bulbs with no filament and this is the reason they are able to use less energy; they also do not get very hot and will last longer than the regular bulbs. The LED lights will burn brighter; they are made of heavy plastic and are very long lasting. They can also last up to 100,000 hours and you can string up to about 600 feet together.  

Because these outdoor rope lights are encased in tubing you can create numerous shapes. Some of the festive shapes you can create are: stockings, bells, candy canes, trees, stars, animals, or a simple holiday greeting. Mounting clips are available for rope lights for the ease of mounting on different surfaces such as a fence or on a frame to stand on your front landscaping. These rope lights can be purchased in many different colors including multi-colored and clear. If you purchase Christmas rope lights that are classified as chasers you can place them on Christmas decorations that have wheels and it will give the impression that the decoration is moving. They can also be wrapped around trees, bushes and hedges, or around a flag pole.

Solar rope lights are a very good choice for landscape rope lighting as they do not need electricity, just the sun as their energy source. They can be used when it is rainy, overcast, or while it is snowing because of their polycrystalline cells. These solar cells are capable of capturing enough energy during dispursed sunlight or a small amount of daylight during the winter months to perform.  

Your backyard garden is also an excellent place for holiday rope lights. Deck rope lighting can be placed along the railings of your deck or along the edge of your deck flooring. They can also be mounted on your landscape fencing to highlight your entire backyard landscaping. Rope lights mounted on stakes used as landscape path lights are a great way to see around the garden. Using rope lights at Christmas and any time during the year is an innovative way of lighting up your garden and landscaping.

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by morberg

Christmas Lights: The Ultimate Way To Decorate Your Home

Holiday lights; we have all seen them and most of us have used them before. When it comes to Christmas lights, we often associate those lights with Christmas trees. While Christmas lights are most commonly used to light Christmas trees, did you know that they can also be used for much more? If you are planning on decorating your home for the holiday this year, I suggest you to examine what else Christmas lights can be used for. After a close inspection examination, you will likely see that lights can be used for a lot more than you may have originally thought.

As previously mentioned, when it comes to holidayChristmas lights, we often associate Christmas lights with Christmas trees. This is because most individuals decorate their Christmas trees with holiday lights. What is nice about using holiday lights on a Christmas tree is that the lights come in a variety of different sizes and styles. It is possible to buy Christmas lights with small light bulbs, as well as large ones. Traditional holiday lights come white in color or with a combination of all different colors. In recent years, the demand of different colored lights has skyrocketed. You can now buy single colored Christmas lights or lights with a specific color combination. These types of lights are ideal for those who are wanting to theme their Christmas tree.

Although many individuals choose to use holiday lights for their Christmas tree, as mentioned above, there are other uses for them as well. One of those ways is for decorating the outside of your house. Online and in many retail stores across America, you can easily find Christmas lights that are designed for outside use, especially around a house. These type of lights are often referred to as icicle holiday lights. Icicle Christmas lights allow the lights to drape off the side of a home. While it is possible to find multicolored outdoor holiday lights, you will find that they are most commonly sold in the traditional white color.

In addition to decorating the outside of the outside of your house with Christmas lights, you can also decorate the landscape outside of your home. A number of homeowners, each year, decorate the trees outside their home, often exactly like their indoor Christmas tress. Many times, these trees are relatively small in size; therefore, the same types of Christmas lights that can be used on a regular Christmas tree can also, sometimes, be used on an outdoor tree. Decorating the small trees in your yard is a great way to bring a touch of Christmas to your block.

You can also use Christmas lights to decorate any one of the rooms that can be found inside your home. There are many individuals who hang Christmas lights along the top of their walls. This is a great way to bring extra Christmas cheer into the room that your Christmas tree is in, as well as other rooms. In fact, you can even use Christmas lights to decorate one of your home’s bedrooms. This idea is often loved by teenagers and other children; many enjoy the bright lights and colors. Decorating your home’s bedrooms is a great way to bring the Christmas cheer into a room that you may have otherwise not decorated.

As nice as it is to decorate your home for Christmas, you may also want to decorate your office or your workspace. Keep in mind that not everyone celebrates Christmas|>Unfortunately, not everyone celebrates Christmas. This may be a problem, when it comes to decorating your office. However, you may still, in many circumstances, use holiday lights to decorate your office. In most cases, you will find that it is the items that are exclusively Christmas that cause the problems, not the lights themselves. Therefore, if your supervisors allow it, you could easily hang Christmas lights around your office walls or along the sides of your work desk.

Isn’t it amazing all of the different ways that you can use holiday lights to decorate your home or even your office? What is even more amazing is the above mentioned examples are just a few of the numerous ways that you can use holiday lights to bring the holiday spirit into your home or office.

by jon_a_ross

Christmas tree for happy Christmas

Need tips to decorate Christmas tree for happy Christmas celebrations? Look no further. Read on to get useful Christmas tree decoration ideas.

Christmas decorations :

The joyful Christmas season is eagerly awaited the world over. In countries like the US, the occasion is observed in a fervid manner. It is a season that signifies unity and brotherhood. It is a time for prayers, joyous celebrations and beautiful Christmas decorations. Every home wears a festive look in the days leading to the celebrations. Every family devotes time and energy to make the home front look as beautiful as possible.

Christmas tree decorations :

Decorating the Christmas tree is an inseparable part of annual Christmas celebrations. The Christmas tree decoration is a long standing tradition in the western countries. Almost every home puts up an impressive display of Christmas tree to mark the holiday season. Surely, you must also be setting up a Christmas tree during the coming holidays. Do you have any prior experience in Christmas home decoration? If you do, you must be well aware that the placement and decoration of the Christmas tree is no easy task. It requires a lot of care and aesthetic sense decorating Christmas trees the right way. A nicely decorated Christmas tree can make your celebrations more memorable. Your loved ones will be surprised at your Christmas decoration skills.

Christmas decoration tips :

Decorating Christmas tree for happy Christmas celebrations need some forethought. Here are some useful Christmas tree decoration ideas. Check these out and make your Christmas tree stand out!

1. Have a clear discussion with your family members regarding the look of your Christmas tree. Think whether you want to give it a modern or innovative look or prefer to stick to decorating it traditionally. This will decide the nature of your Christmas tree decorations.

2. If you are using a real tree, let it stand in a bucket. Cover its lower part with earth to let it stand strongly. Pour in some water. This will keep it fresh for a long time.

3. Cover the base of the tree with a pile of gifts.

4. Trim your tree with a lot of care. See that it gets an even tapered shape.

5. Use ribbons of red and white color to hang ornaments from your Christmas tree. This will give it a distinct Christmas feel. You may also use golden ribbons to make it more attractive.

6. Most Christmas trees look artificial. Lend your tree a more natural look by hanging real fruits, nuts and flowers from it.

7. Hang glistening balls from the tree branches. This will give it a classy, shining appearance.

8. Elaborate lighting is an essential part of Christmas tree decorations. Use small white bulbs on your tree. This will give it a more dignified appearance. White is also the symbol of purity which Christ stands for.

9. Christmas tree for happy Christmas celebrants always stands for a magical object. This is true for kids as well as adults. You can lend a magical flavor to your tree by constructing an elaborate manger scene around the tree.

For more information about Christmas tree log on to http://www.christmascarnivals.com/

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