The Show
Martha Stewart has never been my cup of tea. It has a lot to do with my personal tastes and my lack of interest in the art of home decorating. But, on the other hand, my wife adores all things craft, and was completely enraptured by Martha's classy techniques, cute projects and down-home New England style. So there was no chance I was getting away with not reviewing this title for DVDTalk. To tell the truth, I'm sort of glad I did.

This three-DVD set has one disc for the winter holidays, one for Thanksgiving and one for New Year's. The New Year's disc is only available in this Holiday Collection set, so Martha completists will want to pick up the box set. Combined, the three discs include over eight hours of segments from "Martha Stewart Living," plus a decent assortment of bonus material (see The Extras.) That's the equivalent of about eight episodes of her TV series, covering over 85 different projects. That's a whole lot of Martha, but if you're a fan, you won't be able to get enough.

The Thanksgiving disc, "Martha's Classic Thanksgiving" is probably the most comprehensive, considering it devotes over three hours to a single meal. Every bit of the holiday is covered, from the main-event bird to the stuffing to dessert, table settings and kids crafts. Martha goes in-depth in these areas, offering five ways to make the turkey, another five side dishes and a bunch of ideas for decorating the table.

Though the recipes and ideas here are interesting and useful, they can't compare to the drama. While cooking a Black-Lacquered Turkey with a banker friend, Martha unwittingly walks into a bear trap of WASP-y passive aggression. Her guest chef cuts off Martha at every turn, correcting Martha's eyeballing by demanding exact measurements and specific actions. Watching this pint-size terror release her stress on the domestic diva, while looking out from under her eyebrows to keep the camera in her sights, is worth the cost of admission.

The second disc, "Martha's Homemade Holidays," has more reach, as there are several occasions to get to, including Christmas and Hanukkah. With baking, decorating, cooking and gifts all represented, I can't think of anything that's not on this DVD, outside of dealing with your family. The only questionable section in my opinion is the group of segments on handmade ornaments. These could have been lumped in with the decorating segments to make room for more variety.

The third DVD, "Martha's New Year's Celebration," is half the length of the other two, with much less for Martha to demonstrate. Though the disc is New Year's themed, many of the ideas would work for any nice party you throw, as she shows ideas for hors d'oeuvres, drinks and cocktails, kids' stuff and decorations. It's a good party primer, but some of the concepts, like the kids' ideas, will be of limited use to most.

If there's any proof that this set is good, it's my wife's reaction to watching the three DVDs. She's already made plans with her mother to cook several of the meals this holiday season, and is trying to decide which of the decorations she's going to make. Any time a how-to DVD can inspire you to immediate action, as Martha would say, it's a good thing.

The DVDs
"Martha's Holidays 2005" is packed in three snapper cases with translucent closures, which are housed in a thin cardboard slipcase. This seems like a step backwards considering the advances that have been made in DVD packaging, but I don't think this set is aimed at the traditional DVD buyer who cares about such things.

Each disc opens with a program-specific introduction from Martha, which leads into a cleanly-designed, animated full-frame main menu with options to play the segments, view the extras and choose subtitles. The segments are broken down first by type, then into individual pieces, along with access to printable pieces for each (see The Extras.) There are no audio options, though subtitles are available on the segments in Spanish and French, along with Closed Captioning.

The Quality
There's not a problem to be found in the full-frame video on this DVD. Very solid color and detail make for an excellent viewing experience. The look of these DVDs is certainly sharper than the show looks on TV. There's a slight bit of softness in the wide shots of the kitchen, but close-ups are nice and tight, without any obvious dirt, damage or compression artifacts.

I can only imagine what Martha in DTS 5.1 would sound like, but we'll have to settle for a Dolby 2.0 track for now. It is what it is, as there's not much to say about the sound of a cooking show. The dialogue and sounds of cooking are clean, without distraction.

The Extras
Classic Thanksgiving
The extras start with a section titled "Bonus Ideas," though only two of them actually are ideas. Four minutes on how to carve a turkey is very helpful, while the 1:30 spent showing how to plate a Turkey is only for the most anal dinner hosts. The final idea isn't an idea at all, but is instead a seven and a half minute visit to a cranberry bog. It's interesting, but isn't very useful.

10 "Tips and Techniques" can be viewed individually or in a group. These bits don't feature Martha and focus on small pieces of information. Among the how-tos are the best way to keep mashed potatoes hot, how to wash fine china and how to store tapers. At just under five minutes in all, this is a nice, breezy way to learn some interesting ideas.

The remaining extras are useful print-outs, including shopping lists, recipes and instructions for the meals on the DVD, along with placecard ideas and illustrations that explain turkey carving. They can be printed from the DVD in a DVD-ROM drive, by using the InterActual DVD player software, or visiting Martha's Web site, which provides them all for free.

Classic Thanksgiving
Four more "Bonus Ideas" this time, but once again, they aren't all ideas. The first bit is a four-minute recipe for Martha's Classic Eggnog, a drink with a popularity I will never understand. It's followed by a look at Christmas tree decorations, which barely qualifies as an idea, but it might inspire you to practice a bit of self-control in decorating your own tree. The final two "Bonus Ideas" are, like the cranberry bog, visits to interesting places, this time a sleigh-bell maker and a candy kitchen.

10 holiday-themed "Tips and Techniques" are included on this disc, including ideas on how to separate eggs, sharpen knives and store Christmas ornaments. These were probably the most "normal" and useful of the "Tips and Techniques" ideas in this set.

As with the other disc, there is a selection of printables, including a holiday planner, cookie recipes and a Q&A about pets and holidays. The bonus features on this disc were the most enjoyable in the set.

New Year's Celebration
The extras get the short shrift on this disc, with no video features included. There are the shopping lists and such, along with a bar checklist and a selection of dessert recipes. It's a light lineup, but still a useful one.

The Bottom Line
Though there are sprinkles of a more entertaining Martha in this set, and the variety of projects and meals keep it from becoming boring, I can't see a non-Martha fan getting into this set. However, if you do enjoy her show, this is a pretty comprehensive collection of late-year celebration helpers, with some guest appearances that are enjoyable. What's most important is that much of what's here can be done in your own home without the help of a caterer. The presentation is extremely nice, and the bonuses, including plenty of practical printouts, are a nice addition. That you can't get the third disc any other way, helps to make this a recommended set for anyone into cooking or decorating.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.