A HANDCRAFTED CHRISTMAS

Mary Beth Evans, who plays Katherine Bell on “General Hospital,” prepared for the holidays by being very creative.

“I do a lot of crafts,” she says. “In fact, my best friend Carrie and I do a Christmas craft day every year. We get together at her house and set up a sewing machine in her guest room and do production line stuff.”

According to Evans, her specialty is “lined baskets. Actually, it’s one of the only things I know how to do,” she admits with a laugh. “I took a class on that once. So it’s me and my hot-glue gun making baskets.”

Evans and her husband, Dr. Michael Schwartz had an extra long holiday season this year. They celebrated Hanukkah in late November and Christmas on Dec. 25. Celebrating both holidays has always appealed to Evans.

“I think it’s great for the children to be introduced to both holidays,” she says. “We have a menorah and a Christmas tree at our house, and the kids love it.”

When the family exchanges gifts, says Evans, “We pick one day of Hanukkah for that. I give the children their presents. This year I gave each of them a journal to write in. They just loved it. They sat there for hours writing stories. I really prefer giving them things that mean something.”

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To go along with the 25th anniversary of “All My Children,” a coffee-table book picturing the history of the soap is already in the bookstores.

Written by Gary Warner, the book, described as a comprehensive scrapbook, features 200 archival photographs, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and little-known trivia. The book chronicles the lives of the many residents of the show’s fictional town, Pine Valley. Also between the pages, “All My Children” fans will find a listing of major and minor characters who have appeared on the show.

Also out is a new video, “All About Erica,” which is scheduled for release this month. Hosted by Susan Lucci, who plays Erica, the video covers the character’s schemes.