Now that Christmas ads have hit the telly, it's officially okay to start making plans for the festive season. Lovely as it is to spend it at home in the bosom of the family, there's a lot to be said for whisking yourself away and getting someone else to baste the turkey. The Lodge, at Doonbeg, Co Clare, is offering a pretty luxurious package this Christmas. Guests will wake up to a buffet brunch and gifts on Christmas day, followed by Christmas lunch and then . . . if you still have the physical capacity for it . . . high tea. The Wren Boys arrive on St Stephen's Day and there's a treasure hunt for the whole family or, if they prefer, a round of golf on the Greg Norman-designed links course.

It costs 1,580 per Christmas package per person.

www. doonbeggolfclub. com

Tea Time

The era of the three-martini lunch has long since passed and we will never see its revival in these health-conscious days. However, we might be swayed to embrace the one-champagne lunch, particularly if it's in aid of a good cause.

Throughout November, the Tea Room restaurant at the Clarence Hotel has a special lunch offer of two courses and a glass of pink champagne for 29, 2 of which goes to Action Breast Cancer.

Throw in the fact that you might spot a U2 member and that one of the signature desserts combines exotic fruit salad in coriander and lime jelly, iced Baileys with a raspberry macaroon and chocolate fondant, doing your bit for charity has never been so sweet.

6-8 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2; tel 01 407 0800

One to Watch

We keep hearing the name Ruairi Robinson of late and the 27year old filmmaker/ commercials director from Dublin is definitely one to keep tabs on.

He already has an Oscar nomination under his belt for his animated short, Fifty Per Cent Grey and his latest short, The Silent City, starring Cillian Murphy no less, won many plaudits when it premiered at the Cork Film Festival in October. Check it out his stuff on www. ruairirobinson. com and remember the name.

Ciao Bella

It's not easy to find that perfect christening/Christmas/special occasion outfit for your little darling but Petit, which has just opened on the Merrion Road in Dublin 4, brings an entirely new dimension to shopping for children's clothes. The shop itself is beautifully designed and the clothes . . . Italian designer for new-borns up to 12 years of age . . . are really lovely. There are four ranges: Piccolissimi (christening gowns and baby wear); Petit (special occasion wear for girls); Daniela (trendy casual wear for girls); and Les Garcons (special occasion and casual wear for boys). The shop also carries a wide range of accessories and it's well worth a visit.

234 Merrion Road, Dublin 4; tel: 01 260 6601

We Want to Break Free

Tom Hodgkinson's book, How to be Free, suggests better and happier ways to live our lives. Before reading it, you might presume it's one of those pop-cultural tomes being endlessly churned out at the moment, which promise so much but lack any real substance. Not in this case. This is the book that will make you want to quit your job, stop buying into a vapid consumer culture and return to medieval values that make much more sense. Hodgkinson, the editor of The Idler magazine, urges us to rid anxiety, debt, housework, bureaucracy and moaning from our lives. Hurrah! The merry revolution starts here.

Gra and Gaeilge

We love TG4's Paisean Faisean so much. A dating programme always makes for compelling viewing but when it also involves three boys trying to pick a 'guna deas' for their potential date, and all 'as Gaeilge', this is 24-carat television gold.

The producers are currently looking for one cailin (preferably gorgeous) and three buachailli (must be handsome) for the new show. The contestants must be Irish speakers between the ages of 20 and 30 and filming takes place between November and February next. If you fancy your chances, contact Fiona or Blathnaid on (091) 569142 or email paiseanfaisean @magmaworld. com

Go Home

For all the dinner party chatter about property prices and desirable post codes, there are still those who do not have some place to call home in Ireland. 'Hearth', an exhibition that has just opened at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Kilmainham, is a fascinating exploration of the concept of home in contemporary Ireland. A collaboration with Focus Ireland (the national voluntary organisation which works to alleviate homelessness), the exhibition includes 'Property' by Beat Klein and Hendrijke Kuhne, a response to the 1990s' Irish property boom, cut from estate agents' advertisements in The Irish Times over a period of months in 1998. Also check out 'Hereafter', Paddy Jolley's film about the vacated flats of Ballymum. Thoughtprovoking stuff. Admission is free and the exhibition runs until April of next year.

The Billion Dollar Question

Bye bye fashionistas, hello barganistas.

Being chic and cheap is no longer incompatible and with the return of the Billion Dollar Babes designer sale to Dublin on 25 November, you can pick up labels such as Versace, Jenny Packham and Aideen Bodkin at knockdown prices.

This time around, they're launching a Platinum Membership programme and we have three membership cards up for grabs. The winners will get exclusive access to VIP sale on Friday 24 November from 12 noon the day before the sale opens to the public, a gift bag worth 200, complimentary cocktails and entry for four friends. For more information on the event, go to www. billiondollarbabes. ie. To enter the competition complete the name of the design duo: Dolce ef Send your answer, name, address and contact number to hotshots@tribune. ie Claire O'Mahony