“Going green” has become the chic new way to celebrate Mother Earth and what better time to honor her than during the holidays? Christmas, while sure to be a special time, can also be quite excessive and wasteful.

With the holidays fast approaching, many of us have accepted the fact that all that gift-giving will leave us broke.  The entire county is suffering from hard economic times and no one is immune.  That doesn’t mean that the giving spirit of the holidays should be lost.  It’s time to recession-proof your Christmas!  Nothing is impossible with a little creativity and a lot of heart.  

I recently read an essay by a fifty-something mom who was nostalgic about longing for the days when her kids were still young enough that every holiday season was filled with their screaming voices, sibling rivalry and oodles of time spent carting them to holiday plays, tree lightings and  menorah ceremonies.

Several months ago I was enraptured by Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch who, after having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, decided to give his last lecture titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” Standing in front of slides of his CT scans Professor Pausch revealed to the audience that this devastating disease would ultimately claim his life in a matter of months.

As an only child, I remember how much effort my parents put into ensuring that each holiday and special occasion were celebrated in a unique way.  For example, I still associate the smell of rice pilaf with Thanksgiving.  Now that my husband and I have a little boy and a baby girl on the way, we often think about how we can make holidays special and memorable for them.

Thanksgiving is a time for family togetherness, reconnecting with your roots, appreciating all that you have and of course – stuffing your face.  But if you, like millions of Americans, are a vegetarian, Thanksgiving can make you feel like the dinner guest nuisance.

This Thanksgiving, instead of giving thanks for all that you have, be thankful that you have the ability to help those who have not.  I’m sure all of us can look back fondly on a time when we gave ourselves helplessly to others.  And I’m sure all of us wish we had a bit more time to give back.  Devote this holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving dinner, to making someone else’s day a littl

Thanksgiving is full of tradition. There is the turkey, the pies and the parade. But, the most important tradition is remembering to give thanks for family, home and other blessings from throughout the year. As you enjoy Thanksgiving, here are five simple ways to help you incorporate the spirit of gratitude into your celebration.

Thanksgiving Day is often a whirlwind of activity from cooking dinner to catching up with family. It is inevitable that kids will become bored, needy and curious while waiting on dinner to be served. Keep their meltdowns – and your stress level – to a minimum with these Thanksgiving activities that keep them busy while the turkey cooks.

With so much going on in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day, it is easy to overlook what goes on the table before the food gets there. Make sure you set a festive holiday table with these easy decorations. They are simple and quick, so you won’t lose any time in the kitchen.