_When Benny Hill joked, "Roses are reddish, violets are bluish, if it weren't for Christmas, we'd all be Jewish," he may have had it backward. Growing up in a suburban New York neighborhood with a large Jewish population, I never envied my Christian friends their indoor pine tree or pudgy guy who slid down the chimney. My family had its own holiday, Chanukah -- eight magical nights of candles flickering, dreidels spinning, latkes sizzling, and parents bearing presents (good thing, because we didn't even have a chimney). What was there to envy?

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_This holiday season why not try making your own Kwanzaa Unity Cup, or Kikombe cha Umoja, symbolizing the foundation principle of the Nguzu Saba, Umoia (Unity), this traditional vessel is used to pour Tambiko, which means "libation for our ancestors." On the sixth day of Kwanzaa, the Unity Cup is filled with wine, or grape juice, and passed to each family member, eldest to youngest.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_Christmas has certainly gotten complicated over the years, hasn't it? Instead of simply enjoying time with family, we have turned Christmas into a list of required rituals and an endless drain on the wallet. This year, why not go against the grain and have an old fashioned Christmas? Here's how to have a nice old fashioned Christmas, without the stress and complications.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_The celebration of Kwanzaa is an African American cultural holiday. It originated with Dr. Maulana Karenda and is observed between Dec 26 and Jan 1 of each year. During Kwanzaa, families celebrate on seven principles, one each day. As a part of your celebration and learning experience for your family, you may consider including Kwanzaa printable activities found on web sites, or doing Kwanzaa coloring pages with your children.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_Hanukkah or Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins at sundown Dec. 11, 2009. On the Hebrew calendar Hanukkah always falls on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. Here are free printable crafts and activities to celebrate Hanukkah.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_Handmade Christmas ornaments are fun to make and bring back memories year after year. When kids start to make ornaments, they tend to want to go overboard, making far more than the Christmas tree will reasonably accommodate. Even if the plan is to give some of these handmade Christmas ornaments as gifts, the costs can get out of control if using commercial ornament kits. These cheap Christmas craft ideas will allow your kids to make ornaments by the dozens and other Christmas decorations without straining the budget.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_The holidays are time for fun and festivities, but women who are pregnant should pay special attention to the holiday goodies they eat. Some foods, although seemingly harmless, could pose a risk to the woman's unborn baby. Here's a handful of foods every pregnant woman should do her best to avoid this holiday season.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_My daughter made custom notepads for her grandparents when she was a preschooler. They started out as nothing more than a simple drawing on white paper. I took it to the copy shop and they shrunk the image and fit it along the bottom edge of plain notepads. I think we purchased fifty pads for a very nominal fee.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_It can be easy to let your spending get out of control during the holidays. Although it's better to avoid debt during the holiday gift rush, not all of us are successful at doing so. Those of us whose willpower went astray during the holiday rush might find ourselves staring at a mountain of bills in January and paying them off might feel near impossible! Here are some tips to help you pay those holiday bills off.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>

_Just about every company had holiday office parties mostly during the Christmas season. But did you know that a lot of companies are now choosing to get rid of the holiday office party? Of course the employees are not too happy about this, but if you think about it, you are there to work not party. It seems that nowadays people will try just about everything in order to get our of doing work. Of course they could choose to have an office party at a separate location, as there way of saying thanks you to their employees for all their hard work.

Continue reading on Yahoo! Voices>>>