How to Celebrate Christmas

Send Christmas cards to family and friends wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Set up a live or artificial Christmas tree in your home. Decorate it with ornaments and lights.

Hang mistletoe in a doorway. It is traditional for people to kiss when they stand underneath this small, scented sprig.

Place lights and other decorations on the outside of your house and on your outdoor shrubs and trees.

Buy gifts for family and friends and pile them under the tree.

Hang stockings from your mantel so Santa can leave little items inside when he visits.

Ask your children to write down a wish list of the toys they would like to receive.

Share the list with Santa Claus so he can fill their requests. Expect him to arrive on Christmas Eve in a sled drawn by reindeer, carrying a red sack filled with gifts.

Play Christmas music in your house to get in the holiday spirit; some popular choices include "Silent Night" and "Deck the Halls."

Prepare a huge Christmas feast with foods such as turkey, ham, stuffing and vegetables; serve mince pie for dessert. Include other favorite recipes from your childhood holiday meals.

Attend church on Christmas Eve.

Remember that the true meaning of the season is really about giving.