Marin Thomas

When the kids were little, I considered myself a holiday traditionalist. We always bought a real evergreen tree for Christmas. When the kids were in kindergarten and first grade we thought it would be a great family experience to cut down our own tree. What a disaster! It took forever to cut the tree down. The kids grew bored. They complained they were cold. Then on the way home our son asked why we didn’t just drive to Dad’s store (Home Depot) and buy a tree. Next year we dr

October through February is my favorite time of the year. In October the leaves change color. Cooler weather sends us looking for our sweaters. We start thinking about carving pumpkins and what we—or our kids—will wear for Halloween. December brings hot chocolate, cold snaps and, for some of us, beautiful snowfalls. With our families and friends, we celebrate a variety of special holidays this month, often along with delicious dinners and yummy desserts. Then there’s January,