As my friends and I toasted the arrival of 2020 on New Year's Eve with all my hopes and plans for the months to come, I had no idea of the events soon to crash the peaceful shore of my life. A silent storm was brewing, and a life tsunami was about to break, not only for me personally but for everyone globally. Since that celebratory evening, life has taken on a surreal, cartoon-like quality with a theme similar to the post-apocalyptic movies that my family and I can't get enough of.

I’m talking about the stuff that we know we should address but don’t and somehow, we think that 2020 is going to be different without us behaving differently. Changing our behaviours is something we can do at any time, but most of us are more receptive to change at the ushering in of a new year. So here are 3 Ingeniously Practical Ways to Expand Your Resources in 2020.

Christmas. It is supposed to be the season for joy and merriment and for the most part, it is; however, even for the jolliest Santa, Christmas preparations and celebrations can bring out their inner Scrooge! No-one likes going into debt, but we all want to enjoy generous festivities, bless our loved ones and extend our giving to those less fortunate. Between parties, gifts, Christmas dinners, charitable donations and holiday-themed events, by January, our pocketbooks can become rather thin. With this in mind, here are 21 memorable ways to celebrate Christmas on a budget.

My love for Christmas advent calendars is progressively turning into an obsession. It started as a child when my mother introduced me to the store-bought cardboard version that contained chocolates. I suspect this was her way of coping with the “How many more days is it to Christmas?” question I posed to her multiple times a day. Now though, chocolate advent calendars are a relic of my childhood, and I am finding more creative ways to count off the advancing toward our most celebrated holiday of the year.

In the Christian community, Christmas is traditionally celebrated on December 25th as a religious holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. However, in the marketing world, preparing for celebrations is launched well before the Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween, continuing past the US Thanksgiving through to Christmas Eve. All this results in a rush to buy presents for family and colleagues, send greeting cards, plan celebrations, decorate the house, trim the tree, wrap presents, clean the house in preparation for visitors and overnight guests, and hopefully make it all happen by Christmas Eve. It is necessary to take proactive measures to prevent burnout during the holiday season!

The more I delve into the world of blogging and writing, the more I realize how important it is to build relationships with fellow bloggers and authors. Online communities have been invaluable in achieving this and I have been the recipient of unexpected, generous support from others as a result. When I announced the publishing of my first book, I met some local writers as well. One of these individuals who reached out to me is John Edward Habib, who recently authored his first book, Total Surrender: Transformation from a Self-Serving Life to God’s Servant for Life.

The holiday season can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Starting around mid-October, straight through into the New Year, it seems like we go non-stop. From preparing food to home decorations, parties, shopping for presents, booking accommodations, and incurring travel expenses, etc., celebrations can become overwhelming if you're not careful. If you are considering simplifying your festivities, here are 10 reasons why smaller holiday gatherings are better for families: