Now that Halloween is over, the retailers have removed the gloves and stopped pretending like any other holiday matters. It's now full speed ahead to Christmas. Usually I dread this time of year.

I enjoy Christmas itself but I hate all the trappings that go along with it. I hate the marketing hype and the focus on spending. I prefer to keep my celebrations small and meaningful, not lavish and expensive. And my "smallness" of celebration has always made me a bit of an oddball in the eyes of many. But this year is different. For the first time in many years I find myself excited about Christmas again. Or at least interested.

I've already heard from many people that they intend to drastically scale down their Christmas's this year due to the sour economy. They intend to give fewer gifts, to make more gifts, or to give gifts of time instead of physical objects. They may decorate less or make their own decorations. They intend to...

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