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We asked our readers how they are keeping the holiday spirit alive during difficult times. Here are their responses:

First of fall, let's define "the holidays." A holiday is the celebration or remembrance of something or someone. The holidays this time of year are Thanksgiving and Christmas. So let's call them by name, not just "holidays."

Thanksgiving is exactly what it says, a time of giving thanks for our blessings-past and present. Certainly the first Thanksgiving was celebrated during difficult times for those settlers. But they had the spirit of caring, sharing, thankfulness, and love. That spirit is still alive today for those of us who truly count our blessings. We can enjoy family gatherings, worship services, the beauty of the created world all around us, praising God for His great love and care.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ (this the name Christmas) who came into the world as a gift from God to show His love to all people everywhere and to instill that love in the lives of all of us who accept this gift into our hearts. So the Christmas spirit is a matter of the heart, and we can have it in both good and difficult times. We can enjoy the beautiful Christmas music, decorations, whether simple or elaborate, worship services in our churches, special times with families and friends. There doesn't have to be lots of money spent of gifts, but we can still give. Homemade jams, jellies, pickles, and cookies are given with love. We can share a photograph of a grandchild, a recent family portrait, or a handwritten note of appreciation, thanks, and love. We can use this time to teach the children in the family the real meaning of Christmas and can help them experience the joy of giving to someone less fortunate then we are.

Christmas is celebrating the "good tidings of great joy" that was proclaimed by the angels that first Christmas. And that is the spirit that nothing and no one can take away from us, for it is in our hearts!

- Janette Teague

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Yes, it's true. Things are "tight" around the world this Christmas. However, the true meaning of Christmas remains the same. Jesus was given to us - what a wonderful gift, and best of all, it was free to everyone.

In spite of the gloomy economy, job losses, foreclosures and stock market losses, we still have the most wonderful things to be thankful for this season. When considering all the negativity in the world, I choose to focus on the many blessings in my life. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, children and grandchildren that truly make each and every day a great day, and they are a gift from God.

It's true, our gift list is being checked twice, and there will be adjustments made this year because of the economy, but there are so many free gifts we can give family and friends.

Visit an elderly person in a nursing home who never has visitors, call a friend who is caring for a sick loved one and offer to sit for a few hours so they can have an afternoon out, offer to babysit for a single parent so they can have a break, clean out your closets and donate these items to someone who would welcome a new dress, shirt, pants or shoes, volunteer with the Salvation Army to be a bell ringer, call a friend just to let them know you are thinking of them and praying for them --- none of these gifts cost anything but your time.

But you will reap the benefit of helping; it's only when we give that we truly live.

Recently, my little 6-year-old granddaughter, Sierra, was shopping with her mom and heard the Christmas song saying "its' the most wonderful time of the year," and she said "Mommy, it really is the most wonderful time of the year."

My daughter asked her why (expecting her to say because Santa comes), but instead was delighted at her response - because Jesus was born!

We all need to focus on our blessings and the birth of our Savior, and remember that there is always someone worse off than ourselves, and we can be that candle burning brightly to someone who is losing hope and needs someone to show them the way.

- Pat Kylander

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With two children in college, we have trimmed down their list for presents, but my Daddy died in April, so we are going to honor his memory with some old-fashioned ideas from when I grew up, in the late ‘50s, early ‘60s.

First of all, instead of buying a Frazier fir, we are going to cut down a cedar tree from around here. That is all we ever knew from that time.

Also, my Daddy would keep his cigar boxes, and each of us four children would leave them on the hearth on Christmas Eve, and the next morning, they would be filled with old-fashioned "nuts and fruits and candies."
We got other presents of course, but it wasn't until I was older that I learned my Daddy got us what he had grown up with, and maybe about all he got back in the '30s or so. An apple, an orange, assorted nuts, and stick candy.

I have found some old cigar boxes, and am going to do that for my kids this Christmas. These simple things are going to trim quite a bit of cost for me
Number 2 idea: Once when I felt my kids already had about everything they needed, back in the ‘90s, I decided to have a retro Christmas. They were maybe about 11 and 13 at the time, so I got them things like Slinky toys, Magna Doodles, board games, and just things like that they enjoyed from their younger days. Can't remember now what else, but they enjoyed that.

- Vikki Parris

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After 20 years in England, I am back in the USA to reconnect with my family and friends and to eat some "soul food" (grits, hushpuppies, collards, BBQ, chicken and dumplings). It feels so relaxing to be back home.

With the settlement pending regarding my divorce, finances are difficult. I am resourceful and have gone through difficult times in the past and discovered ways to create gifts that were useful and hopefully beautiful.

This year I am sending a single candle with the message: "It is better to light a candle than complain about the darkness." The solstice is the shortest day of the year, and after this day, the light increases. Our task is to keep the light burning in our hearts through acts of kindness.

My Essence meditation is:
Seasonal focus- Outer darkness calls for nourishment within.

Morning Focus- The angel of the Sun
"You run from me. You have showered me with light and warmth. In summer's fullness, was I nourished by your glow. But now I must provide this warmth myself. The glow must be found within my heart. The light within my spirit. When next we meet in summer's glory, I will wiser be. Till then I take your light inwardly with me."
Celebrate this LIGHT-FILLED SEASON and may we each remember that: ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE. LOVE IS ALL THERE IS. God bless you everyone.

- Patricia Graham

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There are two special ways we keep the holiday spirit alive:

At our Thanksgiving celebration, every family member draws another's name for the Christmas gift exchange. On the slip of paper with the name is that person's favorite charity, and gift suggestions under $10 in value. Gifts can be homemade, thrift store, or new. Each person gets two gifts, one from a family member and one from Santa. We find two gifts are just enough. The giver donates an undisclosed of money to that favorite charity.

Every family member is also given a small bundle of "good deed" straw. For every kind deed done in the month before Christmas, one piece of straw is put in a bag. On Christmas, we gather around an empty manger (an empty drawer lined with fabric).

As each person tells some of the good deeds they did, their straw goes into the manger. After everyone has had a chance to share, grandchildren get into their shepherd, angel, Mary, or Joseph costumes, and the story from Luke 2: 1-16 is told. Baby Jesus is laid in the manger, now filled and soft with "good deed" straw, surrounded by shepherds.

We end by singing Happy Birthday to Jesus, with one of the younger grandchildren blowing out the candle on His cake.

- Emilie and Tom Sandin

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The spirit is kept only through friends.

I am an 84-year-old widower, and I exist only because of my friends.

Not just on the holidays, but every day.

- Bill Alexander

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What keeps my holidays festive in hard times?

The spirit of HOPE is what fuels me to keep going in tough times. I don't need expensive material stuff that doesn't last to make my holidays glittery and special.

The season is all about giving and sharing our time and love with our family and friends, and even people in our community that we have never met.

Giving from my heart, knowing I'm helping someone else makes the holidays bright.

I am thankful for the gift of life, family, health and the love of God that makes all things possible. God's love for me is enough to make the holidays and everyday bright. Remember God's promise to never leave us in times of trouble.

When we walk with God, he will provide all our needs. So hold on to the FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE to keep the holidays and all seasons joyous.

- Julie Rook

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The holidays are here, and with layoffs, high prices, and economic uncertainty, it's a heavy time! My husband and I know things are tight. We'll give each other a hug and a Hallmark card for Christmas. But it's difficult explaining a tight budget to a kid, even one who is remarkably unspoiled. I thought I could find a book to help me explain the holidays in a difficult economy. I found two.

"Gifts That Rich Kids Get, But You Won't." Ouch!

"Santa Had Budget Cuts and Fired the Elves." Big Ouch!

It's up to me and hubby to tell Jenda what's up. We must merge difficult finances with holidays. If we can manage this, "where babies come from" will be a breeze!

I want to teach Jenda what a holiday is. "Holy day." Financially, it means "Holy cannoli, I'm overdrawn again?!" But really, I want Jenda to know holidays are sacred. It's a time to be grateful for what we have and not miserable about what we don't have. So I told Jenda the real meaning of Christmas - Christ's mass.

"Like when I leave my Legos and Barbies in the floor?"

No, not MESS, MASS. It's the day we celebrate and honor the birth of Jesus.

"Ooh, is there gonna be cake?"

This is harder than I thought. Jenda, wanna know where babies come from?

The thing to remember is while our economy, political landscape, and entire world are changing, the holidays, the meaning behind them, has not. The joy of Christmas isn't what's under our tree. It's the family and friends gathered around it.

It's what we give others. It doesn't have to be something expensive or the latest electronic gadget. For instance, I told Jenda that to make room for the things she will get, we need to take some of her other toys and clothes and donate them. And she is making pictures to go into scrapbooks to send to our extended family along with photos we have taken throughout the year. She's making a game of it by having us match the photos to her drawings to see if we can guess who's who. (The round one with big hair? That's me!)

Our best gifts are love and time. It costs nothing to donate clothes or items to others, or to serve in a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. Those are gifts our family will give this year.

True, I want nothing more than to give Jenda everything on her Christmas list. (Except for the puppy since I don't want to potty train anyone else.) Mostly, I will give her the gift of what this season really means.

When we touch others, we give the most important gift, which is ourselves. Long after toys have been discarded, after the newest gadget is obsolete, after the gift cards have expired, the love and hope we give to others endures.

- Catherine Harp

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As a single mom and as a teacher, I know first hand about budgets and "these difficult times."

This time is no different than other times for me, but what has worked and what has also been a blessing for me is how my neighbors and my family all come together.

We started this tradition three years ago and we love it! On Thanksgiving, Christmas and on other occasions, we all come together and share! Everyone brings a covered dish or two, and believe me when I say...NO ONE goes hungry!

We have a wonderful time. Food, fun fellowship. No pressure, financially or otherwise.

We have these get-togethers later in the day/early evening so everyone that needs to can visit their families and be back in time for our get-togethers. It really relieves so much of the expectations, because everyone is contributing.

My other tradition is delivering a Christmas breakfast coffeecake to my neighbors on Christmas morning. I make the same coffeecake for my girls. We deliver it uncooked in a disposable pan with cooking directions attached. Christmas gift and provision all in one. Just knowing that on a frosty Christmas morning, my little street is cozy with fresh baked Christmas coffeecake is a blessing.

Merry Christmas!

- Noel McKelvey

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I'm going to handle the financial downfall as much as possible by enjoying things and doing things that don't involve spending money for the holidays.

And there are a lot of them, such as just sitting or walking and remembering your late loved ones and the happy times you've shared in the past. Talking and laughing, having homemade meals together, watching television, listening to music.

Sometimes we forget what we call the "good ole days," when things truly came from the heart.

So this holiday, I will visit my late loved ones and go out among friends and strangers as well, enjoying the simple things and thinking about what the real meaning of the holidays is.

- Teddy Sparks

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How will I keep the holiday spirit alive? By remembering when I found that blessing, that no matter now bad things seem, with God's blessing and grace, I can overcome all things one day at a time.

No matter how hard times are now, it seems like only yesterday I was in New York City - homeless, hungry, broke, strung out on drugs.

And to wake up now to have a home, food, recovery and a lot of friends and family, I won't complain.

These are the things that make Christmas festive and a joyous occasion. This is my reason for the season - being able to be grateful and to give to someone else because my life was given back to me.

What greater gift can there be?

- Susan

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It sure is hard to have a festive holiday spirit as the news of economy, housing and the stock market seem so bad. No one is untouched.

But the one thing that will keep the spirit bright for my husband and I will be the sweet faces of our family and friends.

Especially seeing our little grandsons, whose smiling and innocent faces light up when they see us, that will be enough for us.

How wonderful to have them, because we have the privilege of seeing the job of the season their their eyes! God has been good to us; may he be with us all.

- Gail Kellam

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Year after year, I celebrate Christmas. Some of the years have been harder than others. Though the economy is bad, the 401k balance is falling and gas is up and down, there is one thing that remains steadfast and true. That is the birth of Jesus Christ. I celebrate that Jesus came to earth to be born, live and die so that I might have eternal life. What a wonderful gift he gave to us, and it fills my heart with joy not only at Christmas but every day of the year. This is what I celebrate and that is where I find the Christmas spirit in good times and bad!

- Kathy Annas

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For the past few years, I have been stressed more and more with the pressures of Christmas shopping. Asking for wish lists, waiting for folks to get back to me, going from store to store, looking for the perfect sweater, shirt, etc., was just not fun anymore.

About two years ago, I suggested to my family that we simplify our gift-giving. We started giving each other personal and household items that we use and enjoy. For example: a bottle of body lotion, a bag of bird seed, spices for cooking.

Mom bakes a lot, so she likes canned pumpkin, flour, vanilla, etc.; colored pencils, markers and such for kids. My husband owns a metal shop and he uses scrap copper and stainless steel to make bird feeders and watering cans.

You can actually give more gifts for less money and you can do one-stop shopping at discount stores.

What started as a way to relieve holiday stress now becomes of value in an unstable economy. For those with money to share, there are numerous ways you can give to those less fortunate - just look around you.

The only reason we have Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. So let us get back to that. Gather with family and friends. Attend church services together. Have warm cider and sing those favorite Christmas carols.

The only thing extravagant should be love.

- Susan Carrera

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I have always wanted to begin a campaign to have people not overeat at holidays, but to eat very simply with friends/family (very very simply meaning without appetizers, nuts, seven dishes, stuffing and potatoes and three desserts, AND THEN ICE CREAM, etc., etc., etc.).

Sit quietly and/or have a ball. Do this after you have already purchased and donated food to the hungry/homeless/these days jobless, whomever is in need of support.

And also make that donation something that goes beyond a one-day event, i.e., cans, etc.

We obviously do not need to sit and eat and sit and eat and sit and eat as holiday stuffing is not about self-stuffing, it is about stuffing a turkey!

Wait, it is also about giving thanks for what is! If at all possible...

Shalom.

- Judith Abraham

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I may not understand how many people keep the holiday spirit alive in hard times. But I do know what keeps the spirit of Christmas alive in hard times, good times and bad times. It's the love of the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts.

My holiday is Christmas. On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of our precious Lord Jesus, born to die on a cross to save the world from sin. He died for you and he died for me that we might have eternal life in Heaven with him - the greatest gift anyone can receive.

If we only believe, confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of god and our Lord and Savior, we won't have to worry about keeping the spirit of the season alive because He lives within our hearts every day and every season of the year.

Happy birthday, Jesus! Thank you for moving into my heart with your Holy Spirit and, by grace, giving me the most wonderful of all gifts, salvation.

- Jane Crowder