What can you do? The list is endless, but here are six ways to help someone and do some good this holiday season.

Spread your cheer. If you’re a social person who makes friends easily, lift the spirit of a resident in a nursing home or hospice and give the gift of your friendship. Patients without family could use the company, especially at this time of the year. Click here for helpful tips.

Start your own drive! Collect blankets, shoes or coats for the homeless. Pick an item that many of us take for granted and ask others to donate it. Choose a family shelter and collect toys to deliver there before Christmas Day. Parents who can’t afford gifts would be most appreciative. Also consider adopting a family.

Contact those organizations who rely on volunteers to do their good work. Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army,  American Red Cross , and Goodwill Industries are just a few who would gladly take your help.

Fill an empty stomach. Food shelters operate all-year round and are especially busy during the holidays. Pitch in by helping to clean, cook, serve or deliver food to others.

Take your help abroad. It wouldn’t be your typical tradition around the holidays. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, why not volunteer abroad to a country which desperately needs help? Think of places such as Haiti that still need support. Start your research here.

Clean up a community. Whether it’s your neighborhood or one nearby, make it beautiful! Gather a group of friends to help remove graffiti and collect trash. Offer to help a senior citizen hang decorations while you’re at it. You never know what your good deeds will inspire.

Family dinners are important during the holidays and all year around. Alanna Stang, who co-wrote Time For Dinner with Pilar Guzman and Jenny Rosenstrach, gives her tips to making the most of your dinner table experience. Host a fabulous holiday party, get your kids talking, and keep up the energy night after night with her affordable and healthy suggestions.

The Beehive: Hello. I’m speaking with Alanna Stang, the former executive editor at Cookie magazine and the current executive editor at Martha Stewart Omnimedia. Today, we’re discussing the family dinner. Why is it so important for families to have dinner together, especially during the holidays?

Alanna Stang: A lot of studies have come out, in the last 5-10 years especially, showing how much dinner matters in kids’ academic performance, in terms of how, whether they get into drugs and drinking, how they relate to authority and adults. You know, dinnertime is about socializing your kids. It’s when you sit down, and you focus on them. The TV’s off, or it should be off. It’s that steadiness. It’s that focus, now we’re together. Now we’re focusing on the family. It doesn’t matter what you’re serving. It matters that you’re together and you’re talking, and you’re sharing a meal. And the studies have shown that the more frequently you can do it during the week, the better off your kids are. And around the holidays when, you know, we gather, when we come together as families, it’s the time when the dinners become more special, and I think we, you know, we tend to recognize that this is a special time of year. But it really is something that is so important all year around to do in some form or another.

BH: I’m wondering, how’s it possible to make meal night after night without getting burnt out, during the holidays and year round?

AS: It’s hard. It’s really hard. It’s hard no matter what, and at the holidays when we have all of these demands and special events and parties, gifts to buy, it’s even harder. You know, one of the chapters in our book is about prepping, is about doing a little bit of cooking on a Sunday afternoon to get you ready for the week ahead. It’s a really helpful, non-daunting strategy to have, you know, just a few things in the fridge you can pull out and combine as meals. But you know, one of our main messages in this book is yes, a home-cooked meal is great. But if you can’t do it, don’t worry about it. Take the pressure off yourself. Just get something on the table, whether it’s take-out or prepared food or whatever it is. The last section is about entertaining and how you can create sort of self-serve parties, where you make a bunch of things, and people can either have toppings to make a pizza or do a taco party. Or we have one that’s about salad. I mean all of those lend themselves well to holiday meals.

BH: Do you have any tips to cutting down your grocery bill while still making good, healthy dinners?

AS: Home-cooked meals are, you know, really the most affordable way to eat. I think we all tend to think, oh, you know, fast food is so much cheaper. Really if you shop smartly and cook a little bit in bulk and freeze things, you’ll save money. Things like beans and rice and grains, which are incredibly nutritious, are very affordable sort of pound for pound, calorie for calorie. And the more you can do soups and stews and grain-based or bean-based dishes, the more money you’ll save.

BH: Are there tips you can share about making the most of your dinner table conversation?

AS: Well, it’s hard to get a lot of kids to talk at the dinner table. I mean, I personally have to cajole the information out of my son constantly. In the magazine, we ran a sort of cheat sheet on how to get your kids to talk, and the idea is that sometimes you’ve got to do a little reverse psychology. “Oh, you didn’t go to the zoo today, did you?” Or “I heard so-and-so was doing such-and-such, but that couldn’t have happened,” you know. And then the kid will say, “well, yeah, it did happen! And then I saw the monkeys!” or whatever.

BH: And what are the values that get shared around the table?

AS: The listening and the sharing and the talking. Creating a ritual where everyone comes and shares is a great value. Studies have shown it’s important to kids’ success. I think the other great value of family dinner is trying new foods. If you keep bringing it out on the dinner table night after night or week after week, at a certain point they’re likely to try it. You know, some kids are more stubborn than others, but generally if you expose kids to something ten times, they’ll try it and oftentimes they’ll like it!

BH: Well, thanks so much for talking with me, Alanna.

AS: My pleasure.

BH: Please check out more info at thebeehive.org/holidays.

The common cold costs Americans several billion dollars in sick leave, medicines, and doctor’s visits each year. But how much do we know about this viral pest? Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the common cold from author Jennifer Ackerman.

The Beehive: Hi, everyone. This is Alison, one of your producer, and today I’m talking with Jennifer Ackerman, the author of the new book A-Choo! The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold. Thank you for talking to us today. I guess I first want to know what exactly is the common cold?

Jennifer Ackerman: A cold is a mild illness caused by a virus infection in the nose, and we all know the annoying symptoms. You know, the sneezing, runny nose, congestion. Colds usually last, you know, on average about a week, but they can last for much longer, up to two weeks. And I guess adults get an average of 2-3 colds a year, and children 6-10.

BH: Is it really possible to fight one?

JA: That’s a really good question, and the one very simple way of preventing the common cold is to wash your hands and avoid touching your face. The most common virus of the common cold is called the rhinovirus. And it likes to travel from nasal secretions of someone who has cold, onto the hands, from there to an object or another hand, and then that person who was infected with or contaminated with the virus touches either their nose or their eyes, and becomes infected themselves. So the way to prevent the cold is to wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face. And this is actually harder than it sounds. We on average touch our face hundreds of times a day, so keeping our hands from our nose and eyes is not an easy thing. But it’s a great way to prevent a cold.

BH: I’m wondering what are strangest folk myths you’ve heard for curing the common cold?

JA: There are some very funny remedies. One of them is kissing the muzzle of a mouse. Another would be rolling up the peel of an orange and sticking it in your nostril. And one that was popular during colonial times was drinking alcohol until you saw two hats on your bed. The idea really was that by that point you were so drunk that you wouldn’t be able to really even feel the symptoms, so nobody really recommends that these days.

BH: And you’d basically just sleep it off anyways.

JA: That’s right.

BH: I have a horrible cold every year, and I have a red nose for the season, and my whole family calls me Rudolph. And I’m just wondering if there are any home remedies, like chicken soup or orange juice that I could do that will actually work.

JA: One of the best things you can do is get a product called bag balm, which is actually used for cow utters. But it’s very good for that raw feeling around the nose. You just rub a little bit on there, and it takes away the redness and all of the irritation. As far as the sore throat goes, gargling with salt water is a really effective way of easing sore throat. It reduces the swelling in the sore throat, which in the throat, which causes the pain; so salt-water gargle is a really great thing.

As far as chicken soup goes, I think it’s a great comfort food. I think it’s been a remedy for more than a thousand years. My grandmother always swore by chicken soup. And there is a little bit of evidence in the scientific record that suggests that there may be actually some medicinal value to chicken soup, though that hasn’t been proven yet in people. But it is good to have a hot broth, and it’s especially good if you get somebody to make it for you, and you can enjoy that TLC, that tender love and care that comes with having somebody make you a big pot of soup.

BH: I bet the TLC helps a lot to for helping you feel a little better.

JA: Absolutely. In fact, there are some studies to suggest that the empathy, the feeling that you have somebody particularly your doctor or your, you know, friend or roommate or somebody is actually empathizing with you, actually feeling sympathy for you and tending to you, that can actually cut down the duration of a cold by as much as a day.

BH: Are there any new things doctors and scientists have found out about the common cold?

JA: One of the reasons it’s so hard to create a vaccine to the cold virus, which has never been done so far, is because there are more than 200 different viruses that cause the cold, so they’re having a very difficult time finding a way to target all of those cold viruses with a single vaccine.

BH: Thank you to Jennifer Ackerman, author of A-Choo! for speaking with us today. And all of you listening can check out more information at thebeehive.org/holidays.

It doesn’t help that many holidays in the United States are associated with three things: family, food and booze.

In the summer, there are Fourth of July cookouts and family reunions. In the fall, there are Harvest Festivals and Octoberfests.  The spring is a time to celebrate our parents on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. So, we tend to take them out to fancy dinners and drink to being born. Finally, we give thanks around the family dinner table and toast to the New Year in the winter.

The holidays are about togetherness, and that means seeing old friends, family members, and being in old places, too. All of these are triggers that are warned against in treatment and 12-step programs.

Yet, avoiding these people and places may also mean loneliness and depression, which  can trigger the desire to use again, as well.

The key to dealing with the holidays during your drug and or alcohol recovery is to have a plan. No matter what your situation, there are some things you can do to ease the pressure and stay on the road toward recovery.  Here are some tips that will help you cope:

• Put yourself first: You may feel like you’d be letting friends or family down if you don’t show up to a function. But if you know that you are putting your sobriety in danger by attending, you have to consider that if they know it or not, your loved ones need to see you sober more than they need to see you at a party. If they’re upset that they don’t get to see you, arrange another time to see them one on one.

• Stay close to your sponsor: Some people travel during the holidays, and while you may not be camping out on your sponsor’s couch or even in the same city, plan on having regular, scheduled conversations. If you don’t have a sponsor, find someone else in recovery and plan to have regular support calls with them.. Also, set up a special code for emergency situation so that if you are around other people and you need to talk, you can let them know.

• Share: Your gift to yourself this year is that you are healthy and safe. Because of that gift, you are able to share your own experience with other people who are also feeling scared, lonely and anxious about the season. When you share your story with others, you are helping them understand that they are not alone. That realization goes a long way this time of year.

• Find Your Local Alano or Similar Center: Communities will often have centers or places to go during the holidays with parties, dinners, dances and events free of drugs or alcohol. If you are traveling, look up listings for meeting in the towns you are visiting. Even if you think you are only going to be there for one day, you may find that to be just the day that you need a meeting.

• Should a relapse happen: Don’t fall into defeated thinking. If you used or drank, it doesn’t mean you have failed. Remember that you have worked very hard to get where you are and you can do it again. Reach out for help so you can get back on the road to recovery.

If you need additional help finding resources and support in your area, you can use  Narcotics Anonymous meeting finder or Alcoholics Anonymous

Do you have tips for staying sober during the holidays? Do you need to find some support from others in the community? Share your ideas and join us on our forum.

So, what’s the health-minded cook to do?

We want you to learn some expert-approved skills for lightening your holiday entrees, side dishes and desserts. We’re calling these healthy cooking dos — “recipe remixing” for the holidays. The tips we’ve gathered shouldn’t change the taste of your holiday dishes, but they will make them healthier on your waistline and easier on your budget.

Here are 10 traditional dishes that have been remixed to help you whip up a healthier holiday meal:

Roasted Turkey

Pomegranate and Citrus Glaze

Corn Bread Dressing

Cranberry Sauce

Sautéed Collard Greens

Macaroni and Cheese

Cream-Like Potatoes

Maple-Glazed Sweet

Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie with Golden Raisins

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Try one or all of these recipes or just incorporate the remixing tips into your own Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and/or New Year’s meals. And don’t hesitate to share your favorite remixed recipes and tips with us on the Beehive Forums. Happy holidays and healthy eating!

Photo credit: bizwisetv

Many businesses hire temporary workers to help out with all of the extra work created by the holiday season. These jobs can be a great way to pick up extra cash for the holidays or even to help pay your usual bills. Here are some tips to help you land a seasonal holiday job.

1. Find the jobs: Not all of the seasonal holiday jobs are where you think they are. Big retail stores will certainly be hiring but so will many restaurants, grocery stores, shipping businesses and even some government agencies. Take a look at this list to get an idea of who is hiring. When searching job search websites, use keywords such as: holiday, seasonal, temporary, part-time and Christmas. Try SnagAJob, a site dedicated to part-time and hourly job listings.
2. Be prepared: Employers want to see experience relating to the job for which you are applying. For example, retail jobs like to see experience dealing with customers, making sales, and handling cash. If you need a resume to apply, take a look at it and make sure you emphasize any experience that applies to that specific job.You should also learn as much as you can about your potential employer. Learn as much as you can about the business by looking at their website and get a feel for it by visiting in person and talking to current employees. This will help you to figure out what to emphasize on your resume, and it will also help you to be more prepared and knowledgeable during the interview process.
3. Apply early: Most hiring for seasonal jobs is done during October and November. Get your resume or job application in as early as possible. After your interview, follow up with a few phone calls to let the person who interviewed you know that you are still interested in the job.
4. Be flexible: Many holiday jobs have hours that change week to week so you have a much better chance of getting hired if you are willing to be flexible with your availability. Similarly, some positions aren’t as popular as others, for example: cleaning person or late night/early morning stock person. You have a much better chance of getting hired if you are willing to take a less popular position.
5. Be enthusiastic: Part-time shoe salesman may not be your dream job but act like it is. Employers want someone who is enthusiastic about their job and happy to come to work every day. Be that person during the interview process AND after you have landed the position. There are a lot of people willing to take your job. Hang on to it by keeping a positive attitude. After the holidays are over, make sure that you leave the company on good terms. If you ever want to work there again, most employers will give consideration to people who have worked for them in the past. In fact, certain companies, such as UPS, give their temporary workers the opportunity to apply for full-time positions after the holidays are over.

Join our conversation about seasonal jobs.

Is it possible to find nice gifts for under $10?
Do you have any ideas about cheap, but nice gifts to give people during the holidays? Tell us your thoughts.

Top 10 Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa Gifts Under $10

Any creative gift ideas for the holidays?
Do you have cool gift ideas for things you can make? I got some great ideas for handmade gifts in this article. But I wondered if there are other holiday craft/present projects that you all could suggest to me, especially projects you can do with kids. Share your ideas with us.

Top 5 Handmade Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa Gift Ideas

Francis Aviani, St. Anthony’s Foundation Communication Director: With the economy, we have also seen, we’ve seen more actual people giving, but the amount of donations have been a little smaller, so we are really hopeful this holiday season. So if you could do a clothing drive at your office or your workplace or with your family and your friends or your spiritual community, clothing drives are really great ways to donate lots of clothing. And food drives are really great as well. Those are really important things that we use every single day here at St. Anthony’s.

Title Card: Please give large food items, protein, hard drives, clothing and monetary donations…

Organize food and clothing drives in your community during this holiday season.

http://www.stanthonysf.org
http://www.charitynavigator.org
http://thebeehive.org/holidays

Michael Kearney, St. Anthony’s Foundation Dinner Room Manager: Also monetary donations help us out a lot. We’ve got, we have a food cost of about $0.42 per tray, so if you can imagine, we can take those dollars, because we buy in such large scale, and we buy with other organizations as well. We have a cooperative purchasing program that we do, so we can really stretch those dollars.