It's hard to believe today is the day after Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday replete with delicious food, big smiles, and countless laughs. Now that Turkey Day is behind us, it can only mean a couple of things. For one, we can expect a myriad of families to put up their holiday decorations today. Secondly, there's no denying that, arguably until after New Year's, retailers from Macy's to Victoria's Secret will be barraging us with holiday ads, whether on TV, in the newspaper, or online. It's really a shame that the holidays have become so highly commercialized. My coworkers and I were fretting the other day over the fact that many stores now sell Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff alongside their Halloween items. That means you can stock up on Christmas decorations as early as October. While doing so may save one money in the long run, coupling all three occasions does little to build anticipation for the latter holidays...

I saw a meme on Facebook the other day that read as such: "Black Friday: Because only in America do we wait in line and trample others for sale items one day after giving thanks for what we already have." This is spot on. Isn't it ironic how many of the same people who give a heartfelt prayer at the dinner table on Thanksgiving are the ones jostling with other shoppers for bargains at the mall that night or the next day? It's nice to see a growing number of retail establishments closing for Thanksgiving so that their employees can spend the holiday with their families. But that list remains far too short as many stores still look to cash in on the frenzy by getting Black Friday underway on Thursday night. Many shoppers are ready to throw money at virtually anything that has "SALE" or "50% OFF" slapped on the sales tag. To be fair, some of the deals to be had really are phenomenal. But cutting Thanksgiving night short to schlep to the stor...

It's Halloween today. That means a few things are certain: (1) Costumed children (2) Lots of candy (3) Election Day looms ahead  -- finally!  (4) The end of the year draws near. Once we hit the end of October, it really feels like the end of the year is just around the corner. On Sunday, we'll be turning the clocks back an hour. Before we know it, we'll find ourselves working on holiday shopping lists and itineraries.  Halloween falls on a Monday this year, which seems rather odd, doesn't it? Many people opted to attend Halloween parties over the weekend in lieu of trick-or-treating on a school night. I see Halloween as officially kicking off the holiday season. You'll notice that many retailers have been stocking their shelves not only with Halloween merchandise, but Christmas ornaments and decorations as well. Their strategy is obvious: Market all the holidays in one fell swoop.  To be sure, it's a smart move on the part of these merchants, as...

Time flies! Can you believe that it's January 21st already? Weren't we just celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year? It seems like it was merely days ago that I was vacationing in sun-drenched Orlando. Indeed, time waits for no one, especially as we get older. Before we know it, the holidays will be right around the corner once again. If you use Facebook, you've probably noticed its nifty "On This Day" feature, which lets you view posts you submitted or were tagged on one, two, even four years ago. You see some of these and ask in sheer disbelief, "Was this really posted THAT long ago?" Some of the alerts I've received include posts about items we checked off our To-do List for our wedding, which took place almost two years ago. February should go by even faster, considering the month has fewer than 30 days. The time of year that flies by the quickest is undoubtedly the holidays. Once Halloween arrives, the final two months of t...

Many people insist that New Year's Eve should be spent with family. Those who are single or have no kids, however, say they're just as happy spending the night with only their partner or closest friends. I'm of the belief that New Year's Eve can be spent with anyone you hold near and dear to your heart -- whether it's your best friend or a group of long-time neighbors. I've never thought of New Year's Eve as being strictly a family affair -- unlike Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I do deem family occasions. It's interesting how people get into the habit of compartmentalizing different occasions. This day should be spent with such and such people, and that day should be spent with so and so. But shouldn't every day be considered Thanksgiving? Shouldn't we aim to spend any day of the year with family? Our time on this planet is short. We ought to make every effort to spend as many days of the year --above and beyond birthdays and holidays...

How to Understand People would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! May it be filled with ample love, peace, health, and joy. Is there anything in particular you asked Santa for this year? Where will you be spending the day, and doing what exactly? My wife and I plan to spend the day with our families before hitting up the movie theater tonight. Share your thoughts and please be sure to also share the blog with your friends and family. Again, from our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately, Christmas is often associated with shopping and presents in the minds of many consumers -- and not much else. In this materialistic world we live in, far too many people have lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas. To me, Christmas is really about: The birth of Christ Spending time with loved ones Giving to the less fortunate Being thankful for what I have Being nice, noble and helpful Thinking about others before myself We should be mindful of these things year-round, but at the very least we should prioritize them this time of year.  Gifts come and go. They depreciate and are eventually discarded or replaced. Such is not the case with our friends and family, who most of us would deem irreplaceable.  Christmas is more about giving than receiving. It's about spreading a little cheer to those who sorely need it -- the poor, the sick, the injured, the elderly.  Christmas is about love. It's about neighborliness. It's about being...

Ironic that I would create a post about this on Thanksgiving of all days, isn't it? But I find it a germane topic in light of the fact that many of us won't be happy when we step on the scale tomorrow morning. In fact, studies show that many people decide to go on diets the day after Thanksgiving as a way of mitigating the damage. Whether they keep the diet when Christmas and New Year's come rolling around is a different story. Here's my trick to losing weight: The best way to exercise self-control is to ask yourself how many calories eating that scrumptious slice of pizza would set you back. The key is to mull this over before you even put the food on your plate. If you do it the other way around, you'll feel as though you've committed to eating it ("it's on my plate already -- might as well eat it) and will feel bad putting the slice back in the box. Now, that doesn't mean you can never "cheat" once in a while. After all, experts...

I live in South Florida, which is widely known for its scorching summers and relatively warm winters. Most people would agree that it feels like summer year-round here. One common complaint among South Floridians is that it never quite feels like Christmas, as people generally associate the holidays with cold weather. I would surmise that most people throughout the country yearn for whatever kind of weather they get little of. New Yorkers and Bostonians surely get tired of being inundated with snow, while heat-loathing Floridians like me yearn for the opportunity to dust off their sweaters and coats once in a while. Granted, I'm all for light snow, but heavy snowstorms -- the kind that keep people holed up at home and force them to shovel snow from their driveway for days on end -- are something I'd rather not deal with. If I have to choose between this and a blistering South Florida afternoon, I'd opt for the latter. (At least I can find respite from the heat in an air...

I am firmly convinced that most stores now regard October 1 as the official kick-off date for the holiday season. Yesterday, my wife and I went to Denny's for dinner. I looked at the menu and couldn't help but notice that they've already made available holiday dishes and desserts -- and we haven't even celebrated Halloween yet! I find it jarring to spot wreaths, turkey ornaments, and Christmas lights on display at stores like Walmart and Walgreens so early in the year. Retailers have coupled Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas together -- it's as if they comprise a "holiday quarter" that begins in October and ends in December. I see both pros and cons to this approach. For one, consumers might find it convenient to purchase all their holiday decorations in one shot. What's more, they likely can take advantage of special offers that might otherwise not be available to them if the items were rolled out in separate months. However, this speaks ...