holidays

Let your Expectations of this Upcoming Season Be the Unexpected

Posted on 11/29/2011 by Leigh Anne Tuohy | Volunteering | Comments

VolunteeringHow was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was memorable. Ours was one of the best ever. We all loaded up and headed to Baltimore because the NFL decided the Ravens would play on Thanksgiving night. Now, I was perfectly happy about this scheduling as not only did I not have to cook, I didn’t even have to drive around and pick up food. It was just perfect. I told SJ, “You can either have a game dog or chicken tenders, and …

5 Tips for a Fabulous & Frugal Christmas Tree

Posted on 11/28/2011 by Jeff Yeager | The Ultimate Cheapskate | Comments

Money & SavingsI’m always hit with a little wave of Charlie Brown anxiety when we head off to buy the family Christmas tree shortly after Thanksgiving. Like Charlie, somehow I just know that the trees we’ll find can never measure up to the vision of the perfect Christmas tree I have in my mind’s eye. But this year I’ve done my homework on tree shopping and getting the best bang for your “tree buck,” so I have hope anew. Here’s what I …

‘Tis the Season: Don’t Let the Holidays Stress You Out

Posted on 11/28/2011 by Alejandra Owens | General News | Comments

Personal Health | Your LifeThis is a guest post by Annie Lynsen, on loan to AARP from Small Act. It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and the craziest. In between the shopping and cooking and parties and family gatherings, most of us will get precious few moments of peace and quiet in the next few weeks. But by stressing out, you could be making yourself sick. Too much stress can lead to heart problems, digestive problems, and decreased immune functioning that can bring …

A Volunteer Memory to Last All Year

Posted on 11/23/2011 by John Briley | AARP Blog Author | Comments

VolunteeringYou are, no doubt, expecting to spend the next three minutes reading about how you should, in this season of thanks and giving, find time to volunteer to help those less fortunate. And, yes, that is one of my themes today. But I also want to suggest something today that – I hope – will help you be a more empathetic and consistent volunteer throughout the year.

Should we Celebrate Thanksgiving Four Times a Year?

Posted on 11/23/2011 by Reed Sandridge | Giving & Volunteering | Comments

Home & Family | VolunteeringThanksgiving has many meanings to many different people. Hands down it is my favorite holiday. I love the simple beauty of coming together to share food and fellowship. Although I am not a big shopper, I recognize that many people look forward to the day after Thanksgiving as much as if not more than they do the holiday itself. In some ways it has become its own holiday. Where I work they list it on the official list of holidays …

Shop Small in the Spirit of the Holidays

Posted on 11/21/2011 by Jeff Yeager | The Ultimate Cheapskate | Comments

Money & SavingsBah Humbug! That pretty much sums up my feelings about participating in Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when we’re all encouraged to join the mobs and march off to the shopping mall in the wee hours of the morning to buy, buy, buy as the first official act of celebrating the holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays. It’s just that I’d like to think that there’s something more to them than plowing over other shoppers …