Q. How do you clean candleholders after the candles have burned out? - Barbara Guadag, Westbury, N.Y.

A. If you catch wax drippings while they’re still fresh, they’ll generally come right off. Once the wax hardens, you have to work a little harder.

If the candleholders are waterproof - glass, metal or ceramic, for example - immerse them in hot water or run hot water over the wax. (On metal candleholders, use water that is very hot - almost boiling. On ceramic and glass, the water shouldn’t be quite so hot.)

The wax will soften enough for you to remove most of it easily; the rest should come off with regular washing or gentle scrubbing.

Try placing wooden candleholders in the freezer - the wax may shrink and become brittle enough to remove without a struggle.

Q. Martha, like you, I grew up in a house where the kitchen was the center of activity. But although my mother taught me basic cooking techniques, I’ve never felt particularly confident in the kitchen.

As a single woman, I am in a quandary. I want very much to entertain my friends and colleagues but find myself unable to handle anything fancier than a tuna casserole. What’s a weary working woman of modest skills to do? - Winifred Moffat, Evanston, Ill.

A. Entertaining should never feel like hard work. Over the years, I’ve learned ways to entertain almost effortlessly.

This season is a wonderful time to invite friends, family and colleagues into your home. With all the holiday decorations, you already have a festive setting.

An open house is one of my favorite ways to entertain, and it can also be the easiest. It gives you the opportunity to bring people together without the stuffiness or hard work of a more formal event. It can be a relaxed get-together, but it should still be elegant and special.

Without cooking too much yourself, you can assemble an inviting buffet of delectable foods. Let your local butcher, specialty-food stores and even mail-order sources do most of the work for you.

Make sure you buy or prepare enough to replenish the buffet throughout the afternoon or evening. People will pop in at different times, and the selection should always be plentiful and fresh.

Order a smoked turkey or ham and serve it with an assortment of rolls, biscuits, mustards and chutneys. Put together an antipasto platter with olives, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted vegetables, prosciutto, salami and other Italian cold cuts.

There are so many wonderful cheeses available now; find the shop in your town with the best selection, buy several different kinds and serve them with crackers and flatbreads.

Serve pate and colorful vegetable terrines with slices of crusty bread. Make or buy robust salads whose flavors develop as they stand at room temperature, such as those made with wild rice, bulgur, couscous or wheat berries.

Place platters of crudites, baskets of breadsticks and little bowls of nuts throughout the house for guests to snack on as they circulate.

And if you feel like splurging, smoked salmon and caviar make any gathering feel like a celebration.

Instead of setting up an elaborate bar, make a festive punch, mulled wine or eggnog. Set up a separate buffet for sweets and coffee. Cookies, chocolates, candies such as peanut brittle or fudge, and fruit are really all you need. But there’s nothing wrong with asking a few close friends to bring along their favorite pies or cakes.

After a successful party this winter, don’t rest on your laurels. The more you entertain, the easier it will become and the more you’ll enjoy it.

Q. What is the best way to store purses in my closet? Is it better to hang them or stuff them with tissue paper? - B.D.R., Phoenix A. To help maintain their shape, purses should be stuffed (but not overstuffed) with tissue paper and fastened shut. Always use white or off-white tissue paper.

Hanging the bags is fine if it doesn’t strain the handles or straps and if you have enough space. I like to keep bags on a closet shelf, where I can see them and reach them easily.

If the bags don’t stand upright, use dividers, open cubicles or boxes made of plastic-coated wire to keep them neat. But don’t store your handbags in airtight plastic boxes or bags. Leather and natural fibers need to breathe.

MEMO: Questions should be addressed to Martha Stewart, care of The New York Times Syndication Sales Corp., 122 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10168. Questions may also be sent to Stewart by electronic mail. Her address is: mstewart@msl.timeinc.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Martha Stewart New York Times Syndicate