You hang your stockings by the fireplace every Christmas season, hoping that Santa Claus will fill them with goodies on Christmas Eve night. But how and why did stockings become such an integral part of the holiday season?Stockings have been part of the Christmas tradition for centuries, although no …

Christmas is a time of good cheer and gift giving—and, unsurprisingly, it’s also when you’re most likely to indulge and splurge. This Christmas, the National Retail Federation expects that Americans will end up spending more than $750 billion. That’s a huge amount even per individual! Amidst hard-to …

Traditions often provide comfort. The holidays are a time where we get back in touch with our roots and relish those customs as well as make new ones. Food is a distinguishing signifier of culture, and a significant means of keeping our heritage alive and thriving. Crafting a holiday meal and breaki …

There is no accounting for taste. And this the season for a showy display. Wearing garish kitschy Christmas sweaters has become a significant fad and the theme for many holiday fêtes. Contests to find the ugliest and most obnoxious has even influenced several youth-focused apparel labels to oblig …

You know that you’ve got one of the best Christmas sweaters ever. It’s the most gorgeous… or tacky … or ugly Christmas sweater ever made. Whatever it is, you love it and it’s yours.You can’t wait to wear it to your yearly family Christmas get-together to show it off to Aunt Betty, Uncle Charlie and …

The best wool sweaters are cozy, soft to the touch, and effective at keeping you warm. In Ireland, Aran sweaters are a long-time favorite. Carefully crafted with more than 100,000 stitches and distinctive knitting patterns, they do a great job of preserving warmth while giving your skin space to bre …