Unless you are on the list of people slated to be visited by three Ghosts this Christmas eve, you are thinking about Christmas shopping and gifts.

You can tell it's the season, toy commercials have doubled, Wal Mart has doubled their toy section and everywhere you look there are fluffly commercials inviting you to come to their store and spend the most money. I watch these commercials every year and try to rate the silliest, the funnist the most obnoxious....etc..

The children pick up on this fast, and are constantly running to you with requess. My three year old granddaughter tells me, Nanny, I HAVE to have the Barbie doll house. I am sure you are having this delightful experience as well.

Christmas is a fun time of year, traditions come into play, we see more of family, friends, and

the inside of Walmart. What are some of your traditions?

My kids know Christmas is coming sometime in September when I can't stand it any longer and start playing Christmas carols. It's a sure sign they come in to the house to We Wish you a Merry Christmas blaring from the computer, MP3 or radio and collectivity groan.

Some people put up their tree the day after thanksgiving, some put it up Christmas, some people don't even have a tree. We put the tree the day after thanksgiving, and I am so thoroughly sick of it by Christmas I am ripping it down the day after Christmas, It doesn't make it to New Years in my house.

We always open onr presents on Christmas eve and the rest on Christmas morning, have turkey and ham the rest of the meal is so rich and starchy if you are quiet you can hear artieries hardening all around the room.

I was talking to a friend the other day who is starting new traditions. One of the ones is eating healthier, they are going to fry their turkey this year it is much juicier, less fat. they also are having more vegetables, less sweets sound good to me except I cannot figure out, quite, how a fried turkey is healther. Still the point is they are starting new traditions, that the point.

We also read the Christmas story and A Christmas Carol. I enjoy both of those immensly, and have many people I think the Ghosts need to put on their list, I worte Santa to see if he was in charge of this list as wel, but he wrote back and told me no, the big man upstairs, well I don't mess with the big man so I hope these people get thei joy back soon.

The Story of a Christmas Carol is a tradition in my house. I watch everyone of them that comes on TV, and if it doesn't come on I rent it. The story itself is revered as a jolly old good entertainment, old Scrooge gets his comuppence and everyone lives happily ever after. But the deeper meaning of the story of course is man's inhumanity to man.

I like Scrooge, he is a men who has been hurt in life and feels the whole world is against him.

He doesn't care about the world because the world doesn't care about him. Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. Luckily I didn't need three Ghosts to get me out of it.

So to avoit a visit, remember the poor, feed the hungry and duck Jacob Marley, he seems to be the one the ghosts are following around..and have merry Christmas

I love a good vs evil story.

It seems that Christmas is the one time of the year we remember the homeless, the hungry, the not so fortunate.

Remember Bob Catchit He was not a dream he was for real, people right her in the united States live this way. We can help them get their goose by donating to the food banks