World's longest Christmas cake

Eighty chefs of the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai created a 1068-metre -long yule log cake after 24 hours of hard work during a charity event to raise funds for children with cancer - setting the new world record for the Longest Yule log (Christmas) cake, according to World Records Academy

The previous Guinness world record, standing at 207.8m-long, was created by Philippe Gardette of the Ordre Culinaire International and Jean-Claude Meritte and Nathalie Raphael of CODECOM (all from France), in La Defense, Paris, France.

Guinness World Records also recognised the world record for the longest Christmas stollen; it measured 72.10 m long (236 ft 6.58 in) and was achieved by Lidl (Netherlands) at Haarlem Railway station, The Netherlands.

Preparation took several days and the final set up involved 150 staff members working for 24 hours straight, with the cake placed on 156 tables lined up in the hotel lobby.

The World's Longest Christmas Cake required 904 organic eggs, 1,045 kilograms (2,304 pounds) of wheat flour, 209 kilograms (461 pounds) of cane sugar, 633 litres (1,114 pints) of fresh cream, 401 kilograms (884 pounds) of bitter chocolate and 34 kilograms (75 pounds) of vanilla from Tahiti.

The cake was sliced immediately and sold to the public for 2 yuan (0.31 US dollars) per piece. Proceeds from the sale of the cake will be used to support the medical needs of four children undergoing chemotherapy treatment in Shanghai.

Courtesy: World Records Academy

Be careful when lighting firecrackers

Many indulge in lighting firecrackers during the festive season especially at the dawn of a New Year. There are many reports of injuries as a result of people being careless when lighting these crackers.

Children should always make sure there is an adult around when lighting fireworks or going to watch others doing so because they could end up being seriously hurt due to accidents. Sometimes accidents occur due to the poor quality of firweworks or as a result of carelessness.

Many little children are fascinated with sparklers and sometimes they hold the sparklers too close to their bodies or that of others around them without realising that they could get burnt.

Sky rockets, crackers and sparklers are all dangerous and harmful, so they have to be handled with care. Never stay close to where they are being lit. Do not hold a lit cracker in your hand at any time. Adults must be careful not to use dangerous methods of lighting fireworks when children are around because they too tend to do the same. Here are somethings to keep in mind...

* Do not stand too close to the spot where sky rockets or crackers are being lit.

* Make sure you have a clear path, especially when lighting sky rockets, because they could lead to a fire if they land on material that easily catches fire or burn someone if it falls on a person.

Even animals too could get burnt.

*Ensure that little children are under the care of an adult before you start lighting any type of firecrackers!

Protect your pets from fireworks

Do not have fun at their expense :

Most animals are afraid of the sound of firecrackers and tend to run away from home if they are not kept safely indoors. Always make sure where your beloved pets are during the festive season especially at the dawn of the New Year when there is bound to be a thunderous noise with the load of firecrackers that will be lit. It is easy to get caught up in the fun and forget all about your dumb friends. But remember they are helpless and need you to protect them, at all times. In fact, as a pet owner it is your responsibility to ensure that your pet is safe at all times . You could lose your pets forever if you do not take proper measures to ensure their safety.

So, before you start to light crackers or anyone else in the neighbourhood does so, lock up your pets (both cats and dogs) if there are no walls to prevent them from running away.

Sometimes your pets that run away in fear could end up being the subject of fun for those who do not think twice about harming an innocent animal. There are many who have a good time at the expense of these innocent animals either tying firecrackers on to their tails or throwing them onto their bodies. Animals too feel pain and are afraid of fireworks. Their ear drums could be damaged by the sound of them if they burst too near them .

Do not act in an irresponsible manner this festive season and mar the spirit of the season by causing harm to even the tiniest of our animal friends. Make sure that just like your pets, all stray animals too do not come to any harm as a result of firecrackers.