Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas to Take Money, Stress Out of Christmas

As you look over the list of gifts you need this holiday season, an unsettling feeling starts. How will I pay for all these gifts? How about homemade gifts?

Gift-giving is meant to be a time for sharing how much you appreciate others, but rising prices and tight budgets take the feel-good vibes right out of gift-giving traditions. This year, take the money stress out of the holidays by turning to homemade gifts. Homemade gifts are a great way to show you appreciate someone while also adding a personal touch. Gifts don’t need to be expensive to be special. Get the family involved in the fun and you will be creating memories while making unique gifts for those who mean the most in your life. Patch explores the homemade holidays in hopes that you will find something to inspire you to enjoy the season more. Healthy options: Pack energy in a jar with healthy snacks like energy bars, dark chocolate…

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11:32 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012

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Fun Facts and Trivia for Thanksgiving

Canadian Turkeys, carving the lobster and a turkey the size of a dog.

No need to worry about conversation topics around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Let your guests fill up on this Thanksgiving fun facts. 

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Poll & Pics: So, What Did You Get?

If you got a gizmo or gadget, don't forget to Patch-ify it!

Patch wishes all of its readers celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and other joyous occasions happy holidays (and hopes those who aren't celebrating are at least getting to enjoy an extended weekend). We want to know: What did you get? Tell is in the comments below, and hit the "Upload Photos and Videos" button above to show us! If you happened to get a new tablet or phone, don't forget, you can take Patch wherever you go. Visit www.Patch.com/mobile for a quick link to our Android and iPhone/iPad apps.

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How to Beat the Blues? Experts Say Take Charge of Your Thinking

We have a choice in how we deal with each situation, they say.

It may not be easy. But it sounds that way. "It may sound simple, but we are all presented with a choice–we can look at the donut, rather than the hole," said Alex Pattakos, Ph.D., former resident of Morristown, founder of the TheOpaWay.com and author of the book "Prisoners of our Thoughts. " That's the key, Pattakos said, to addressing the despair and grief that often come with winter.  "The holidays and the feelings that arise offer us an opportunity to look at our life," Pattakos said. Editor's Note: This is the second in a two-part series on dealing with wintertime depression. In the first part, we explored how expectations for the holdiay season can add stress and anxiety. Pattakos said he believes we change the nature of our …

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It's Not all Norman Rockwell, And That's OK

Experts say our expectations of the holidays can lead to depression. Part one of a two-part series.

You're supposed to be joyous and festive this time of year. You're supposed to see everything as a celebration. You're supposed to have good will in your heart and think anything's possible in the new year ahead. You're supposed to. But it's not always that easy. Psychologists and change gurus say our expectations often are at the heart of the holiday blues. We know what we want to happen, or what we're supposed to want to happen, and when life falls short, it can prompt mild or even deep depression. Editor's Note: This story is the first in a two-part series. In today's installment, we explore the causes of holiday-time grief. Tomorrow, we'll discuss expert suggestions for beating the holiday blues. "There are many who expect their …

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Day Tripper: Out of Town, But In Reach

Reuse, Repurpose, Rejoice: Eco-Friendly Christmas Display Worth The Trip

'Go Green for the Holidays' just one reason to drive down to the Monmouth Museum.

If you're going to go green this holiday season, you might want to go far (but if you do, carpooling seems like the most responsible idea). The Monmouth Museum and Cultural Center, located on the Brookdale Community College campus in Lincroft (Monmouth County), is presenting Go Green for the Holidays—an display that's as eco-friendly as it is festive. The event began on Nov. 21 and continues until Jan. 3. It's an intricate, entertaining, educational and clever exhibition—and part of why the museum is our first pick for a new weekly feature, "Day Tripper." We'll be highlighting spots and events worth the travel time every Thursday. At first glance, the large exhibition room of the Monmouth Museum doesn't look like anything special—it's …

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Holidays in Hillsborough

Fun and Holiday Lights at Jingle Bell Jog

YMCA hopes holiday light run becomes annual tradition.

Luminaries lined the lawn of one house along Peterson Drive, while another nearby house decked its eaves with holiday lights and placed a Chinese dragon on the lawn.  Still other houses placed reindeer, Santa Claus, or figures of cartoon characters dressed fore the holidays on lawns, lined doors with lights, or threaded them through bushes. During the Hillsborough YMCA's first Jingle Bell Jog Wednesday night in about a decade, not stopping to gaze at the decorations may have been harder than the running. The jog went through the neighborhood around the YMCA's East Mountain Road building to see the lights on nearby houses. The hope is to make it an annual tradition, modeled on an event that began years ago, Hillsborough YMCA Fitness …

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Holidays in Hillsborough

10 Ways to Give Green for Christmas

A list of eco-friendly holiday gift ideas for every type of person you know.

It's never been easier to give eco-friendly gifts. With stores throughout Somerset County offering everything from organic terry cloth robes to hemp dog beds, there is a green gift for everyone on your list this year. To keep with the theme, skip the wrapping paper. Pick up a few cute, reusable canvas totes instead. Here are my top 10 picks for green gifts available right here in Somerset County for the... Not finding what you're looking for in these stores? Check out freecycle.org to see if someone else has what you're looking for. The free network connects neighbors who are looking to give away items that others may love.

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Holidays in Hillsborough

Jingle Bell Jog Offers Fitness and Holiday Spirit

The Hillsborough YMCA hosts a tour of lights around its East Mountain Road building Wednesday.

You've heard of Jingle Bell Rock, but how about Jingle Bell Jog? That's the twist the Hillsborough YMCA is taking on touring holiday light displays, by hosting a run and walk through the neighborhood surround the Y. "I had, several years ago, done this with my boot camp class," Laura Russo, fitness coordinator at the Hillsborough YMCA and jog organizer, said.  "We had such a great time and decided to do it again.  It's just a good way to celebrate the holidays in a healthy way." The Jingle Bell Jog is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and will include an about three-mile jog for the runners and a one-mile walk for walkers, both through the neighborhoods surrounding the YMCA. There is no fee to participate and the run is open to anyone who wants…

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