Q: As with other forms of brewing coffee (like "drip" brewing methods), the first thing you'll need to do is decide how much coffee you want to brew, then add this amount of water to the "tank" or "reservoir" portion of the percolator. Depending on how your percolator is assembled, you may simply be able to open the lid and pour your water in, or you may need to remove the upper "basket", which holds the coffee grounds during brewing, to access the reservoir. Most standard-size percolators will hold about 4 - 8 cups, though differently-sized varieties exist. As a reference point, four cups of coffee equates to roughly two standard-sized mugfuls. Next, if you had to remove the upper basket/chamber or the central tube to add the water, replace them now. Though every percolator is different, the basic construction of most is nearly identical the coffee grounds should sit above the water in a small basket or chamber lined with small holes. A narrow tube should extend from this basket down into the water below. When the water heats, it will naturally move us the tube and into the coffee grounds. As it soaks into the grounds, it will pick up some of their aroma and flavor and drain back down into the water below, where the cycle will repeat. Next, add your coffee grounds to the upper basket lined with small holes. You can use either fresh-ground coffee or pre-ground beans which ever you prefer. Use roughly 1 tablespoon (15ml) for each cup of water you use if you like your coffee strong. For weaker coffee, use 1 teaspoon per cup. As you use your percolator, you may find that you need to adjust these measurements to get your coffee tasting just right. As we'll discuss below, for most percolator brewing, you'll want to use a light, low-acidity roast and a fairly coarse grind coarser than what you might use for a standard drip machine. You're ready to go now, all you need to do is heat up the water in the bottom of your percolator and physics will do the rest. Your goal is to heat up your water to the point that it's quite hot, but not boiling. The hotter the water is, the more quickly it will absorb flavor from the beans, which means that boiling water can lead to coffee that's too strong. Use medium heat to get your water just below boiling, then reduce the heat to keep it hot, but not boiling or simmering. If you see steam at any point, your percolator is too hot and you should reduce your heat (or carefully move your percolator to a cooler area). In terms of heat sources, stove tops offer the most control, but you can also use campfires if you keep a careful eye on your coffee's progress. Always operate your percolator with medium heat from below don't use an oven or another all-around heat source or you risk damaging your equipment and ruining your pot of coffee. Many percolators contain a glass or see-through globe at the top to allow you to monitor the progress of your coffee as it brews. As the water begins to circulate through the percolator, you'll notice it sputter or bubble within this globe. The faster the sputtering, the hotter your water is, and the darker the water, the more "done" the coffee is. Ideally, once you reach a nice medium heat, you want to see bubbling every few seconds or so. This represents a good "pace" for percolating. Don't use percolators with plastic globes coffee aficionados claim that exposing hot coffee to plastic can cause the taste of the plastic to transfer into the coffee, resulting in a foul-tasting brew. Depending on how strong you like your coffee and how hot you're heating your water, your percolator's ideal brewing time may differ. Note that brewing for ten minutes at the suggested medium pace will produce a pot of coffee that's fairly strong compared to an average pot of drip coffee. Obviously, for weaker coffee, you'll want to brew for less time, and for even stronger coffee, you'll want to brew for longer. Using a kitchen timer to keep track of your coffee's progress can be a smart idea, but don't simply set your timer and come back when it goes off if you do this, it's easy to over-heat your coffee and create a bitter, muddy product. When your coffee has finished percolating, carefully remove it from its heat source (use a towel or oven mitts to avoid burning yourself). Immediately open the percolator's lid and carefully remove the basket which contains the soaked coffee grounds. Discard the grounds (or recycle them). Don't leave the grounds in the percolator if you do this, they can spill into your cup when you pour the coffee and may continue to make your coffee stronger by dripping into the coffee in the reservoir. After removing the basket with the grounds, your perked coffee is ready to serve. Enjoy your strong, old-fashioned style cup of joe!
A: Add water to the reservoir. Add the chamber and tube assembly. Add ground coffee to the basket. Place your percolator over a medium heat source. Watch the glass globe to monitor your progress. Allow your coffee to percolate for about ten minutes. Remove your percolator from the heat source.

Q: Exercising will put you in a much better mood and help you burn off some of the extra Christmas-food calories. Go for a jog, lift weights or play a sport with some friends. If you live in a cold climate, January might be too chilly for much outdoor activity, so look into a gym membership or indoor sports leagues. If you've received any hobby-oriented Christmas gifts like paints, kitchen utensils or a new video game, put them to use. Throwing yourself into a new hobby and learning a new skill will help take your mind off of your sadness. Volunteering can help you keep your Christmas spirit alive as you help those in need. Look into helping out local soup kitchens, shelters or charities that distribute winter clothes. You'll be able to help others through the winter and take your mind off of the end of the Christmas season. While it may be depressing that Christmas is over, always try to keep up a good attitude. Remember that this Christmas isn't the last one you'll ever have, and focus on things that make you happy as much as possible. It may be especially hard to keep a positive attitude if you have to go back to work. However, think of your return to work as a blank slate and new beginning. Remind yourself that you can start back to work at a slow pace and catch up on your own time.
A:
Exercise. Start a new hobby. Volunteer. Try to keep a positive attitude.