Every year, without fail, it happens. Sometimes it's after Halloween , but the phenomenon follows Thanksgiving more predictably. We're not talking about Black Friday or Cyber Monday and we're not talking about the weight we gain from Halloween candy or our Thanksgiving feasts and leftovers. We're talking about the sudden burst of radio and streaming air time devoted to Mariah Carey's “All I Want For Christmas is You.”

There's nothing like home for the holidays! While I love seeing my family and eating some delicious turkey together, traveling during the last month and a half of the year can be a bit stressful. The airports and packed, and the roads are even more packed. I find road trips a lot more stressful than going to the airport. This year, I had a harrowing road trip experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. The night before me and my group of friends were supposed to drive two states over, th…

The creation of a Thanksgiving meal is no small feat. The two things that make Thanksgiving dinner such an undertaking are the scale and variety of the meal. First of all, you're probably cooking for more people than you would for a meal with your spouse and 2.5 kids. Usually, extended family is involved, and their mouths must be fed. The variety of sides must provide when hosting Thanksgiving is of the utmost importance. If you don't have mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean…

We really should all just stay home.

Gobble gobble family squabble

Remember to be nice to workers this Black Friday

Halloween was 9 minutes ago, can everyone just chill?! I'm looking at you, Walmart

We're all just goofy goobers anyways.

Picture this: You're a woman in the big city who is working hard to build your cookie company. You have a few clients (most of whom you've known a long time, and happen to be very quirky ) but the bills are stacking up and you are afraid you might have to go back to your job as an administrative assistant in the finance industry. You've just found out that your aunt back home in the Midwest (the only person in your family who is still alive) is sick with cancer. The stress and sadness are teari…

Many dads aren't known for being the most affectionate guys. These fathers tend to express their affection for their family quietly or not at all. As someone who's dad loves to sing humorous jingles to his animal friends, I can't really relate to this problem. However, I sympathize with people who have daddy issues caused by their fathers inability to express emotions. There are some dads who are so cavalier and unemotional that it goes past the point of being sad and circles on back to being f…

Happy 4th of July ! 245 years ago the United States declared independence, and it's been a party ever since. Independence Day is one of the best holidays for barbeques, fireworks, and ugly Old Navy t-shirts. One of the best parts of the 4th of July is foraging for a place to watch the fireworks. In every city and town in America, this is a blood sport. People claim their territory for firework viewing a full 72 hours before the festivities even begin. My personal favorite part of the 4th is tho…

Back to the daily grind

Remember to be kind to workers

Ho! Ho! Ho!

A look at Chris Maggio's wince-worthy 'Male Chef' series

During the Christmas season , many people want everything to be “just so.” Perfect lights. Perfect tree. Perfect family dinner. But if the past few years have taught us anything, it's that things don't always go as planned. Sometimes our good holiday intentions result in accidentally dirty spectacles and fails. And if we're being honest, sometimes being on the naughty list isn't all bad.