As I wrote last week's column, I was still in that, "I'm not ready for the holidays" mode. But this morning I went out and bought my annual turkey (which I got on sale for a really sweet price!) and with the thought of next week's turkey and dressing (my favorite meal), I'm starting to get a little more in the mood. This morning I broke tradition and even let my daughter listen to the holiday music station on the way to school. Typically this is something that is not done until after Mommy has started her Christmas shopping. My rationale is that if I don't hear holiday music then I'm not behind with shopping--kind of an ostrich approach, but it works for me.
I've noticed as the years go by, I'm finding myself adding new traditions. Most of them are not quite as uh . . . "eccentric" as the whole holiday music thing, and a lot of them have to do with family--past and present. So in this week's column, I thought I'd share some ideas that you might like to turn into traditions for your family. And since many of us may be stressing about the cost of gas, heating, and holiday shopping, I'm focusing on cost-efficient traditions.