if your parties tend toward the somniferous side. . .
From the December 10, 1896 edition: 
To Cut an Apple, but Not the Skin
“This little trick, well performed, is quite startling. Select an apple with a firm, smooth skin. Take a long and slender darning needle and thread it with silk or linen thread; cotton will do, but is more liable to break. Beginning at the stem end take a long stitch under the skin of the apple, being careful not to go so deep that the point of the needle does not readily emerge. Take another stitch in the same direction, sewing right around the apple exactly as you would cut it in half. When the thread comes out again near the stem take the two ends one in each hand, cross them and pull steadily. The thread will, of course, cut the apple in two, leaving no mark on the skin, and without breaking it beyond the tiny holes made by the needle, which are quite invisible. By repeating the performance in different parts of the apple, it may be cut into quarters and eighths, and on being peeled will fall into three sections.”
