Merry Christmas: Stories from a global celebration

Enjoy Our HOLIDAY OVERVIEW:
START, by learning how a humble birth became one of the world’s biggest celebrations.

NEWS! Just in …
OurValues
reports on a major shift: Americans prefer “Happy Holidays” to “Merry Christmas.”
And from OurValues: Where have all the carolers gone? Find out right here!

DOWNSIZE Christmas: Cindy LaFerle echoes Pope Francis’s call to recover “tenderness and hope” this season.

Suzy Farbman’s Godsigns: Millions go to church on Christmas Eve. Who knows how lives may change?

GIFT GIVING:
OUR HOLIDAY GRAB BAG!
12 “Guilt Free” gift ideas. Something for everyone! (Yes, you too!)
Remember the Caregivers!
Give gifts they are sure to enjoy.
Gift of Laughter: Spiritual Wanderer Rodney Curtis serves up holiday pleasures.

COOKIES from FeedTheSpirit:
Gather the generations and try Russian Rose Cookies.
AND: The centuries-long tradition of Lebkuchen.

COPING with HOLIDAY STRESS:
A Young Caregiver writes: What do you do, when you hit that traffic jam!

MORE HOLIDAY STORIES!
FEED THE SPIRIT:
What Jews Do at Christmas (eat Chinese).
St. NICHOLAS DAY:
For millions, he’s arrived!
KWANZAA: Celebrating 7 noble principles of African heritage.
St. STEPHEN’S DAY: Remembering King Wenceslas, too.
FEAST DAY: Catholics celebrate the Holy Family.
AT A GLANCE: See our complete Holiday calendar!

LOOKING BACK AT 2013: Debra Darvick highlights her most memorable stories of the year.