"I am going to lose weight this year" used to be one of the top New Year's resolutions that people spouted off around December 27th, but these days resolutions are popping up that seem more selfless.

There are now Facebook groups urging people to make their resolution recycling more and that's pretty understandable in this world where folks are nuts about "going green," but imagine if people actually did it.


Kermit the Frog once said, "it's not easy being green," but honestly, how hard can it be? Recycling is probably easier for a lot of people than shedding those extra pounds all of those holiday sweets put on, so maybe people will do it.

It is also a statement about the selfishness/ selflessness of Americans. Usually resolutions are about improving our own lives - quitting smoking, sleeping enough, working harder, saving money - but people seldom walk around saying "I am going to improve the world this year!" If you hear someone say that, BEWARE: it is probably for show.


I can actually see the world going in the direction of setting goals that will help the greater good. If enough people aren't making their resolutions helping other people by "going green," why not start that trend? A little environmental protection never hurt anyone. And don't forget that you don't need a new year to start setting goals.

Whatever your New Year's resolution is, have a happy and healthy year.

Happy Christmakwanzakah - don't forget to set up your nativity scene with a non-denominational Santa Claus figurine.

In a world that is trying to accept many different cultures, races, states of mind and beliefs, the meaning of Christmas (and perhaps other holidays) is evolving too.

A friend of mine told me about a man who is teaching his kids about an all-encompassing meaning of Christmas. He has a nativity scene set up with Santa Claus kneeling beside the baby Jesus. They are both a form of faith, but one is more wide-spread for children.

I haven't been fortunate enough to delve deeply into enough other faiths to see if perhaps religion is morphing to appeal to new generations, but it seems that some religious families who typically celebrate the Christmas story as told in a Biblical sense are including good ol' Saint Nick in their bedtime stories too.

The Christmas Story (religious version)

It makes me wonder if generations from now what our grandchildren's grandchildren will think the meaning of the holiday is. Holidays have a history of changing over time; mistletoe and what is now the Christmas tree were both originally Pagan symbols.

The Story of Saint Nick

Personally, I like the idea of updating and merging holiday beliefs. Santa Claus and Jesus are not mutually exclusive. What's important is the meaning of the holiday season, no matter what faith you label yourself as or who/ what you believe in. Love, appreciation and gratefulness have always trumped any sort of belief system around the holidays for me.

So whether you celebrate the holiday with a nativity scene and midnight mass or a fiber-optic Christmas tree and waiting in line to see Santa, I hope that you all have a Merry Little Christmas.

There is only a week and a half left until Christmas. Is your holiday shopping done? No? Then allow me to brag - mine is.

Between having a full-time job, a social life and a journalism addiction, I could not think of a time to get all of my Christmas shopping done. I nixed the idea of trying to squeeze it in after I go to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and before starting a cookie-baking marathon. Then it occurred to me - why not shop online?

I rarely shop online and I have never done it in bulk, but I figured that it would allow me to truly buy the presents that I want to get people without running out of time and having to get them something mediocre.

According to Dow Jones, I'm not the only one indulging in this shopping trend. Technology Researcher comScore Inc. raised its expectation for e-commerce retailing during the holiday season to 11 percent growth after a strong jump in spending this winter. It also mentioned that online sales have surpassed those in 2007, right before the recession. (Economic recovery?)

Through my new shopping venture, I have discovered that around the holidays, organizations offer a ton of online deals - free shipping, free gift wrap and they might even throw in an entirely free gift if you spend enough money. 

Shopping online is also good for an impulse buyer like myself. I spent less money on holiday shopping this year because of fewer point-of-purchase temptations. Yeah, I know, I can stumble upon a lot more impulse-buys on the Internet, but I have the time to reconsider. Would my brother really want a tie that doubles as a beer bottle opener? Probably not.

I used Amazon.com for my shopping needs last week and all of my gifts have arrived already (shipping was free!) This has been the least stressful holiday season (so far) because of my online buys. Even in an economy only fit for Scrooge, it looks like people are still giving while being savvy and turning to the Internet for their gifts this holiday.

It's that time of year again and people are scowering the stores for the perfect gift while trying to refrain from buying themselves something they just have to have. But if you think about it. People complain about Christmas shopping even though it is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. It is a season of giving, but a lot of people give for the wrong reasons - just because it's expected.

There are usually only a few people - family, friends, even pets - who shoppers really put a lot of thought into. Mostly, people get gifts because they feel guilty when others get them gifts, but those people feel guilty... catch my drift? It's a vicious cycle.

By not getting someone a gift (who knows it is more of a formality) they will feel less obligated to spend (waste) money on you. Not that you aren't worth every penny.

There will always be exceptions to this of course, but people can pretty easily reverse this trend. If everyone gave one less obligation gift this year, think about how much money everyone could collectively save. By pumping money into useless goods, people are really just Hallmarking the holiday even more than it is already Hallmarked. Christmas does center around material goods, but the gift of giving never started out because someone wanted a car, a new dress or a guitar. 

Gold may have been a little costly, but frankincense and myrrh were more from the heart than the wallet back in the days of original gift giving. Maybe Rosemary or Thyme wouldn't be the most ideal gift for your parents or girlfriend, but when you do shell out money, think about why you are doing it and what the gift really means to them. By spending less on necessity gifts, you can spend more money on the people you really want to buy gifts for, or on yourself. 

When all else fails, bake cookies, dip them in chocolate and toss them around with holiday-colored Hershey kisses and people will love them.

Quick and easy Christmas (holiday) cookie recipes

What do you think Christmas is all about?