Deck the halls

Soft hangers: Add wire ornament hangers to the list of holiday-related dangers for very young children. The shiny hooks are a magical attraction to little ones who can't resist putting anything they can pick up in their mouths, in light sockets, in the dog's ear. A St. Louis mom, Michelle Pike, designed a soft satin loop, the SafeLoop, as an alternative in five colors. $5 for 25 at www.safeloop.net.

Do-it-yourselfers can make their own easily with soft satin cord from a fabric or craft store looped and knotted to the desired length.

Indoor snowmaker: Bring Frosty's magic indoors with the Recycled Snow Machine. Just snake the blower tube behind the artificial tree - up to 7 feet high - and turn it on. Snow gently puffs from the top and cascades into a collar that recycles the faux flakes without any shoveling or mess. $199.99 at www.smarthome.com (not for real trees).

Split wreath: A big door wreath is a festive welcome, but double doors usually mean two dinky wreaths. The Smarthome gadget folks have solved the problem with a 36-inch split wreath of PVC needles with 50 glittery lights on each half that plug in separately, allowing the doors or gates to open, together or separately. $69.99 at www.smarthome.com.

Let it snow

Car plow: Strap the Autoplow by Country Home Products on any standard passenger car, minivan, light truck or SUV and cut a swath through driveway snow. Two straps attach the V-shaped high-density plastic gizmo to the car's bumper frame and it sits directly on the ground while clearing the mess. At 43 pounds, it folds away for storage and has padded contact points to protect your car's finish. $399 at www.chp.com.

Power shovel: Leave the huffing and puffing to the electric Toro Power Shovel and clear up to 200 pounds of snow per minute without breaking into a sweat. It has a 12-inch clearing width and 15-foot throwing distance. $99 from Home Depot's catalog or Web site only. (800) 639-2675 or www.homedepot.com.

Handyman specials

Laser tape: Size up a distance from 2 feet to 50 feet on the Strait-Line Laser Tape, calculating area and volume, converting feet to meters with the push of a button, $59.

Stud finder: No help in the escort department, but Strait-Line's Stud Finder can scan up to 11/2 inches deep to find wood or metal without all that wall banging, $25 at Target, Ace Hardware, Do It Best Hardware, Sears, True Value, Lowe's, Home Depot and Wal-Mart.

Contact Joy Kraft by phone: 768-8467; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: jkraft@enquirer.com.