If you celebrate, I hope you had yourself a merry little Christmas this year. Despite the usual suspects -- unexpected illness, a deeply coveted toy which turned out to be broken right out of the box (argh!) -- I think my children and nephews experienced the kind of joy that parents always wish for their kids to experience. It was a pretty magical day, all around.

So Christmas is over, the holiday shopping, wrapping , cooking , travel ,caroling, charity events , Church services, cards sent, gifts mailed, calls made to loved ones, gifts given and unwrapped (whew) . BUT OH, those Grinch types who tried to steal Christmas from my family along the way this year! They always provide a challenge each year to an already stressful and busy time.

It's Christmas Eve, and for many people that means it's time to break out the eggnog. I'm finding it a little hard to concentrate right now, because all the people in my house happen to be indulging in this particular holiday tradition. I'm also dodging an early Christmas gift of my son's (a remote controlled helicopter), that is whizzing by my head. Is eggnog part of your holiday celebration? If so, here are a few things you might want to know. If you're trying to stay fit for the holidays, you might want to avoid the eggnog.

I can vividly remember the first time I tasted Glögg, the delightful Swedish Christmas drink made of heated wine and other spirits, and often served with raisins and almonds sprinkled on top. When I had my first taste of this dangerously delicious hot drink, I was spending Thanksgiving on a houseboat at Utah's Lake Powell and a friend named Jane had brought along a big jug of Glögg, which we heated on the houseboat stove and sipped from coffee mugs. As soon as I tasted it, I asked her for the recipe, and it's something I've been making for holiday parties ever since. Keep reading for Jane's fabulous Glögg recipe, plus a few more versions of Glögg I found.

The holidays can be very difficult for people who suffer with chronic illness. We want to be like everyone else, and we can end up pushing ourselves to the point of making our conditions worse. And, a lot of us don't "look" sick, so our family and friends may expect us not to "act" sick. It's also really easy to get depressed when you want to be the "well" version of yourself (or the "you" you used to be).

Just could not resist sharing these car buying tips from AWARE and Santa His Reindeer ! Up on the Car Roof click, click, click.....The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and Santa just realized he has a problem. His sleigh is getting old and won’t be able to make it around the world to deliver toys to all the good girls and boys. Santa needs a new sleigh, but he doesn’t know where to begin.

All I want for Christmas is a brand new car...a brand new car ...a brand new car-Ohhhhh!

I am a divorced female with one adult child and one minor child. I have stories I could share about my first holiday without my minor child, my fears about what the ex's family might say to our child that might ruin his holiday experience, the questions he might have to answer that would make him uncomfortable. What do these worries illustrate except my family was dysfunctional before its legal break? Divorce didn't mess us up; we were already in trouble, and that's what I'm thinking about this holiday season: How much time do we spend during the holidays trying to manufacture Hallmark card moments when we know that our families are not Hallmark cards, that children sense desperation, and the best gift for the holidays is a peaceful spirit comfortable with itself?

Nearing this winter holiday season when stores sell more toys than at any other time of year and during a year when we've heard so much about dangers like lead paint in toys, I've been wondering where can parents find safe toys? Do you wonder the same? Parent News at The Pikes Peak Gazette, a newspaper serving Colorado Springs, Co., offers a standard tip to parents with toy-safety concerns this year:

It might be said that there are two kinds of people in this world: those who put antlers on their tiny dog at holiday time, and those who don't.

In the spirit of the holiday season and BlogHer's Holiday Guide, I'm hosting a carnival on Monday, November 12 and asking participants to list at least five items that may be a little different than the run-of-the-mill socks and underwear we usually give as gifts. Your list can include pre-made items (linked to the store where we can purchase the item) or items to make (linked to tutorials). You can read more about the carnival at Don't Try This at Home.

Just in time for the holidays Leah Peah has announced a Christmas Themed Trade Day at her popular Leahpeah's Trade A Craft! It's a brilliant and timely idea: I'm thinking crafts that would make great gifts or even Christmas decorations. If we have our date set as Nov. 7th, that gives us enough time to think up something great and make it before hand, send it, receive it and then send it again if we need to in time for Christmas! (Oh, yes. I've got it all figured out. (ya, right.) )