holidays

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It’s that time of year when many families gather for holiday celebrations and check in on loved ones. It can be a tough combo, creating a celebratory mood while also dealing with serious family issues. I get a lot of questions from family caregivers about how to handle difficult conversations that…
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I love the five weeks that begin with Thanksgiving and end with New Year’s, but a part of me also thinks, “Bah, humbug.”
SW The DramaQueen Boot
Here’s a ratio that prevails at far too many holiday parties: 99 percent vanity, 1 percent fun.
pumpkin pie
Thanksgiving is all about getting together over food — and I’m fine with that. But then comes that killer five-week stretch of yet more parties and food, with plenty of festive (and fattening) drinks thrown in.
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When I think of all that our country has been through historically, I am humbled by how far God has brought us since that autumn day in 1621, which is credited as the first Thanksgiving.
Lois in Alberta Ferretti
As little girls, my daughters, now 41 and 31, loved Halloween: It was the one day of the year their black-clad fashion-editor mom didn’t stand out in the burbs.
Small red heart in a bird's nest
A few days ago my husband and I dragged six heavy containers of holiday ornaments into storage. While I was happy to have that chore done once again, the house looked bare. It wasn’t only the decorations. The kids had gone back to their own homes and lives, leaving a few reminders behind: a…
Santa and the Grinch
Edward Lacy, 56, has a secret identity.
Sunset in a winter park
The winter solstice — and the shortest day of the year — will soon be upon us (Dec. 21), and not everyone is feeling the holiday spirit. Illness, loneliness, financial troubles, family problems and depression can make many dread the “most wonderful” time of the year and endanger both mental and…
thinking about money
The PBS documentary Thinking Money: The Psychology Behind Our Best and Worst Financial Decisions probably won’t take root as a holiday tradition like gathering the family round to watch It’s a Wonderful Life. But it’s sure to be a worthwhile reprieve from binge-watching A Christmas Story and other…
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