"Silent night, Holy night. All is calm, all is bright..." The carols try to tell us that this is a calm and silent time of year. But for most of us, the weeks leading up to Christmas can be anything but calm. You know the drill: office parties, shopping, baking, wrapping, relatives, Christmas plays and everyone's favorite - family pictures. It's...

If making homemade goodies is one of your favorite holiday activities, but you don't want to push your family off the healthy-eating wagon, there may be a sweet solution for this common problem. The book Low-Carb Sweets and the Art of Self-Indulgence is bursting with desserts ranging from Brownie Fudge Pie to Cranberry Nut Bread and the best news...

Need to talk? Power to Change offers a free mentoring program where you can talk privately with a trained mentor. This is supposed to be a season of joy and happiness, but many people don't feel it. Many people suffer from bouts of depression or the blues at different times during the year. During the holiday season people encounter...

The holidays can be challenging. If you need someone to talk to, come talk to a mentor. One Christmas, I came across an article in a local newspaper by an articulate columnist named Bill Johnson. His column was titled, "A Lesson in Catching the Christmas Spirit." Johnson began his search for the Christmas spirit at the Christmas tree lots,...

Those who've seen Jean Louis Gerome Ferris' painting commemorating the first Thanksgiving are likely to be misled by the artist's rendering. The idyllic scene belies the reality that life-threatening challenges faces the Pilgrims daily.  Even before their journey across the ocean began, travel guides to the New World cautioned, "First, make thy...

It's that time again. Time to start basting the turkey and getting ready for one of the biggest meals of the year. Why not 'Wow' them this year with a gourmet twist on the classic favorites? Try a few, or all of these holiday recipes from our friends at Recipe Du Jour. All you need to add is your favorite dessert. For those of you who will be serving...

"I look forward to the holidays - and I dread them at the same time," said my friend Peg over a cup of tea. "November and December are usually a big blur. Thanksgiving comes and goes and then it's time to prepare for Christmas. Next thing I know it's the New Year. I look back and I can hardly remember what happened or how I felt." If this sounds...