Holidays

Don’t most of us love to receive books? How much fun is it to unwrap a cookbook we wouldn’t think of buying for ourselves? Or flip through the novel we’ve heard so much about? Or snuggle with a grandchild as we share a picture book?

I’m traveling with a friend. We stop at an artist’s cooperative in a university town on our way back home. We spot a dizzying array of Christmas tree ornaments. As always, we ignore them – they have no relevance in our Jewish lives. Abruptly, my friend…

I’ve always considered November to be the month of gratitude. This is not to say that gratitude shouldn’t be practiced every month of the year, but during this month, I believe it’s particularly important to make it a priority…

I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday of the entire year. I try to live a life filled with gratitude, and it’s special to have a day set aside for giving thanks – even though I practice it every day. This year, my estranged daughter will once again…

Let’s face it: it is hard to stick to healthy eating and an exercise plan during the holidays. Everywhere we turn, there are tempting foods and drinks – from treats at office parties to our own traditional family favorites. When you add in a busy schedule…

With the winter holidays just around the corner, many of us are wondering how we will handle getting together, in whatever form, with certain people, whether they are family or friends. We all have those people with whom we’ve had a falling out or a breakdown…

Christmas and New Year are upon us. A lot of you are not feeling it. You may have a lot of reasons to stay in hiding! But here’s some advice: don’t! If you have gotten comfortable with your endless routine of…

The holiday lights are shining, Christmas trees are on display, the carols are playing, and presents are wrapped. Many people look forward to the festivities like no other, and the anticipation is as heartwarming as the actual holidays…

Like many others this year, my husband and I will not be traveling across the country to celebrate the holidays with our family. Instead, our plan is to have a small gathering of family members who live nearby, whom we’ve been…

Tom and I had a one o’clock reservation for a traditional Thanksgiving meal in the dining room. We were seated at one end of a rectangular table, with another couple we knew slightly at the other end. Although socially distanced…