One day before Christmas, I asked my friends and family to lower their expectations regarding future gifts. I told them about my financial situation, what I could spend on, and what I was trying ...

We didn't really know our neighbor of 11 years until my husband asked for a favor. Now, he's like a grandfather to my kids.

I do still feel sad at Christmas; it’s unlikely that I’ll ever have the festive season I really want with my family. But feeling able to sit with that disappointment, rather than push it away ...

my family is hardly the Brady bunch, and I get upset dwelling on one particularly sad situation between me and my siblings that always comes to light at Christmas. So I just keep repeating that ...

which she’ll be serving to her family on Christmas Day. To create the perfect table setting, Mary also shows us how to create a sustainable and cost-conscious centre piece from foraged ...

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Michael Allen, a 54-year-old author from Titusville, Florida. It has been edited for length and clarity. In 1995, I realized I couldn't give ...