I got this email from a reporter at the Denver Post and it made me think:
 
I’m working on a story about how people now, during the second holiday season of the Great Recession, are adjusting to the season.
Has the prolonged economic slump caused some families to reassess how they approach the holidays? Maybe in the past the holidays were a spectacle of consumption, but now they are more an opportunity to step back and give thanks? 

I know we are doing a lot of retro decorations – digging out the old stuff and adding from thrift stores, etc. I also know that a lot of friends and I have been talking about handmade gifts or edible goodies (things you can make and wrap up).

Maybe this is all a return to my parents day when my Mom would spend days baking cookies and then loading up plates for friends and neighbors. It was a fabulous gift and one that was apreciated by all. AND economical?

I’ve also been impressing on our kids (7 and 9) that many many people out there this year don’t have it as good as we do – so we’ve already been through our bookcases to find donations for kids in need and also gone through some of the toys (although my son, the youngest, isn’t as thrilled about this idea).

I think we will be finding someone to take food to as well – but that’s still “in the works”.

So, what are you doing this season? Does it include a return to old style values? Or have you always done things like that?