Real Christmas Trees Are a Real Pain
It is spring and we’re growing things. Every year we plant a garden, green up the lawn and compete with this season’s version of trying to out-do the neighbors. We do the same thing with Christmas lights each fall. The neighborhood looks...
Loving Our Valentine’s Christmas Tree
Our Christmas tree is still up. The lights outside are down, the Christmas wreath is off the door and the stockings are no longer hung by the chimney with care. But the Christmas tree is still up, doggone it. And we’re not nuts. We’re...
Grinch Remake: Bah Humbug
Maybe it is the cold, dark grey of winter outside my window that spoils my Christmas spirit on a day like this. But reading of plans for a new animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas has me feeling blue. First of all, consider who has...
The Power of the Christmas Card
A story out of Bloomington, Indiana today tells of a one time service man receiving a Christmas card from total strangers while serving in Vietnam. The year was 1966 and the man was then 27 years old. He received the card while stationed outside of...
Yeah, I Listen to Neil Diamond
I read with some interest this opinion piece from a St. Louis publication concerning the Christmas music of Neil Diamond. The piece features a large image of a nondescript middle aged white guy (the writer of the article) — a guy that kind of...
Christmas Blues: A Soft Light Blue for Me
Ah, the post holiday. You hear and read a lot right now about the PCB’s (a.k.a. Post Christmas Blues). I even heard today on the radio that January 14th is the bluest day of the year. They say the “glow” of the holiday season is over. ...
The Things Kids Say to Santa
Over at Santa Update.com they have been tracking the adventures of Santa as he treks around the world since 1991. Unlike Norad or Santa tracking through the search engines — which do a great job showing where Santa is on a map — Santa...
Why I’m Returning These Christmas Gifts
Men are not shoppers. Or so the gift buying world thinks. As a retail worker my entire career I have seen the inside thinking and can wholeheartedly agree that when it comes to shopping it is a woman’s world. Retailers love women. They build...
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RECENT FROM Bah Humbug
How many ways can you do Scrooge?
Here’s a clever bit of holiday humbug…some 32 versions of Scrooge saying humbug from the many...
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The Things Kids Say to Santa
Over at Santa Update.com they have been tracking the adventures of Santa as he treks around the world since...
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Real Christmas Trees Are a Real Pain
It is spring and we’re growing things. Every year we plant a garden, green up the lawn and compete with...
Christmas Blues: A Soft Light Blue fo...
Ah, the post holiday. You hear and read a lot right now about the PCB’s (a.k.a. Post Christmas Blues). I even...
Killing Off a Monopoly Icon
We have a love-hate relationship with Monopoly in our house. I love it, my kids hate it. It is a big part of our...
Wimpy Christmas Sales: Told You So
So here we are a week into the New Year and the whining has begun about the business of Christmas. Santa was not nice...
The Things Kids Say to Santa
Over at Santa Update.com they have been tracking the adventures of Santa as he treks around the world since 1991....
Why I’m Returning These Christmas Gifts
posted on: Jan 4, 2013 | author: Jeff Westover
Men are not shoppers. Or so the gift buying world thinks. As a retail worker my entire career I have seen the inside thinking and can wholeheartedly...
Arguing Christmas
posted on: Jan 4, 2013 | author: Editor
Every holiday season we endure a media conversation about the controversies of Christmas. Do we say Merry Christmas? Is Santa Claus real? It is a...
Putting Away Christmas
posted on: Jan 3, 2013 | author: Merry Ann Brite
The boo-hoos are all over Facebook this week. All my friends are bemoaning the post-holiday return to work, the taking down of the Christmas décor...
Top 5 Ways to Avoid the Post Christmas Blues
posted on: Dec 26, 2012 | author: The Merchant
My brother is Clark Griswold. You know the type. He will wear his ugly Christmas sweater in July. He marks the countdown to Christmas year round. He...
The Gift of Christmas Storytelling
posted on: Dec 19, 2012 | author: Jeff Westover
Years ago we spent a Christmas Eve as a family, as we usually do, gathered together tracking Santa Claus and enjoying good food. My kids at the time...
Lessons from Last Year’s Frugal Christmas, Part III: Blood and Tears
posted on: Dec 11, 2012 | author: Merry Ann Brite
It was my husband’s declaration of a frugal Christmas that kick started our season in 2011, the year he lost his job. He was inspired by my...
How many ways can you do Scrooge?
posted on: Dec 6, 2012 | author: Newsbot
Here’s a clever bit of holiday humbug…some 32 versions of Scrooge saying humbug from the many movie and television special versions of...
Putting the Sanity Back in Santa Claus
posted on: Dec 5, 2012 | author: Jeff Westover
It is right about this time every year I start to see the articles showing up online and in newspapers that cause me to go on my annual Christmas...
Forget What They Tell You About Black Friday and Christmas
posted on: Nov 19, 2012 | author: Jeff Westover
Fact: Voter turnout was way below projections for the most recent U.S. presidential election. That is not information that is new to anyone who...
Employee Backlash Growing Over Working Black Friday on Thanksgiving
posted on: Nov 12, 2012 | author: Jeff Westover
When Target last year pushed their Black Friday opening time to midnight one fed up employee complained online in the form of a petition and received...












