It happens to the best of us at some point in time. Like Santa, you made your list and checked it twice. The Christmas shopping was done early and under budget. You’re all set, right? Well, no.  Aunt Edna and her family are coming to visit, along with your brother and his kids. You need gifts, and you need them fast.

Don’t worry, we have you covered...

Gift Cards: the all-purpose cheat.  These plastic life-savers are easy to find and offered by almost all of the major retailers. Who wouldn’t want some money to buy just what they want at their favorite store?

Food Never Fails.  If you have any cooking talent, now is the time to use it. Brownies, cookies or your special apple fritters - whip them up fast and then find some pretty ribbons and bows for that personal touch.

Basket Toss.  When the sands of time are running low, specialty baskets can be a great solution.  They come in many varieties (cheese lovers, chocolate lovers, etc.) and during the holidays, the stores are stuffed with them.

That’s the Ticket.  While you’re chatting with your brother and Aunt Edna on the phone, throw in some subtle questions about what type of shows they like. Armed with that information, make an online dash to Ticketmaster or StubHub. Gift problem solved.

Regifting.  The ultimate cheat, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Just make sure you remember where the gift came from.  Nothing is worse than gifting back to the person who originally gave it to you!

With these handy tips, you’ll be prepared no matter what (or who) shows up at your door.

December 6, 1941 was a Saturday, and Americans were doing their usual activities. Some were listening to the radio - game shows, children's programs, farm reports. Others had been at the movies - Barbara Stanwyck's new film Ball of Fire was playing, as were numerous westerns. This was an innocent era, when songs like “You Are My Sunshine” or the soundtrack from Disney's Dumbo were the big hits of the day. The events of the next morning changed the country and that innocence.

The bombing of the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii by Japan resulted in more than 2,400 American deaths and left more than 1,100 wounded. The day after the attack, the United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II. Not only were soldiers sent overseas, but every American at home was called upon to join the war effort - and join they did!

Housewives were asked to save their bacon grease and other fats - which Girl Scouts collected from each home - to create explosives. Besides grease drives, there were rubber drives, scrap drives, paper drives and metal drives. Americans were urged to “Do with less - so they'll have enough”, meaning U.S. troops. Meat, sugar, fat, butter, vegetables, fruit, gas, tires, clothing and fuel oil were all rationed. Americans also purchased approximately $185 billion in war bonds to support the fighting effort.

December 7 is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Take a moment to remember the fallen from that day, and the sacrifices so many ordinary Americans made to help win the war.

Getting together with your family over the holidays can be very stressful. Just about everyone has certain relatives who always know which buttons to push, and seem particularly fond of doing it this time of year. These are the people we love, so how about some tips on how to make family holiday parties bearable?

• Assume a role at your get-togethers. Be the photographer or the dish washer, take charge of entertaining the kids, offer to be the one that takes care of an elderly relative for the event - whatever the task, it gives you the opportunity to retreat if one more person asks you “why aren't you married yet?”
• Turn awkward conversations around by asking questions. If an older relative is showing disapproval over your current job situation, ask them about the jobs they had during their life - which was their most or least favorite, what their dream job would have been, etc. You may gain some new insight.
• Invite a friend. Sometimes they can help you put things in perspective and see the humor in the situation.
• Take breaks if you need to. A few moments in the bathroom or getting fresh air on the porch could help you feel less stressed. It may also be just the amount of time needed for Aunt Ethel to forget she wants you to teach her how to email you the pictures of her cats again.
• Go out of your way to say something positive to each of your loved ones. Compliments are gifts everyone loves.

Holiday parties with the people who've known you all your life should be a time of love and happiness. Have a positive attitude, and have a good time!

Thanksgiving is the most widely celebrated holiday in the United States. For many families, this is the only time during the year that they are together, and they have many ways to celebrate their togetherness - mainly the annual feast. As the story goes, the first Thanksgiving was all about the pilgrims being thankful for the food that had been provided to them by the local Wampanoag tribe, and even today, when we think of counting our blessings, food should be included.

While we all know there are hungry people in villages on the other side of the world, we often forget that we may have neighbors who aren't well provided for. It's easy to take for granted that we can just stop at the local grocery store and buy our food, and leave the trouble of slaughtering animals and toiling in the fields to someone else. Whether it's at Thanksgiving, or throughout the year, we should take a few minutes to savor our food.

At the first Thanksgiving, the pilgrims received the gift of maize from the Native Americans, who considered corn a vital part of their diet and folklore. Here is a recipe for Indian pudding, a popular dessert made from cornmeal, that often finds its way onto many Thanksgiving tables.

Being grateful for the little things - like the food we eat - can help make your Thanksgiving holiday feel more authentic.

Are you prepared for your holiday shopping? Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming up, and we've got some tips so you can easily shop for those bargains!

• Before you do anything, make a list. If it's not on your list, no matter how great the discount, you're not saving anything by making an impulse buy. If you’re thinking about purchases beyond your gift list - for example you KNOW you’ll need a new computer monitor in the spring - then by all means, add it to your shopping list. But otherwise, don't buy a monitor just because it's on sale.
• Find out what the regular purchase price is for each item on your list, including shipping costs if applicable. A little bit of research on Google shopping will tell you the price at most stores, so you’ll know if the sales price is good or not.
• Sign up for sales alerts from your favorite stores. If you're opposed to getting all those emails, then obtain a new email account dedicated to promotional deals.
• Check out the social media pages for your favorite retailers. They often publish special sales.
• Some of the best information about discounts can be found on sites like BlackFriday.com or forums like FatWallet.com. 
• Make careful note of the timetable for sales. Some Black Friday sales start as early as Thanksgiving Day, and some are limited to only a few hours.

With a little research and preparation, you should be able to get your shopping out of the way in order to spend the rest of the holiday weekend with your family.

Happy bargain hunting!

What does it mean to be an American? It’s not simply a love of our homeland. It's almost like being a member of a large family, where all our parents tell us that we have to look out for each other, and that our dreams will come true if we just work hard enough.

Going out to vote on Election Day is one of the ways we keep our American family together. Voting means that we have a voice in how our communities are being helped as well as issues that affect us personally, like reproductive rights or discrimination laws. Being an American of legal voting age means we are responsible for the rest of our family.

Of course, there are many of us who feel that voting is a chore - not unlike having to cook dinner for the family. But it's important to remember that voting is a privilege that generations of Americans struggled to win, and that there are people in other countries who are still fighting for that right.

And speaking of fighting, there are about 22 million members of our American family - our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, our mothers and fathers - who are veterans of our armed forces. These family members go out into the world, risking life and limb to keep us safe. These are the people who enable us to continue to call our country “the home of the brave.”

November means that we honor our family, our fellow Americans, by going to the polls, and taking the time to thank our veterans, either with a handshake or volunteering. This is what it means to be in our family - to insure our families are taken care of now and in the future.