Survive the Holidays
Dear Santa: Help Me Survive!
November 19, 1997

Dear Santa,

Except for that one week in October when the market went skiing, it has been a really great year. I've been a good girl and contributed to my 401(k) plan every week, and I was only late with one credit card payment way back in February. Besides world peace and a new boyfriend, there really isn't anything that I absolutely have to have this year. Instead, I thought I'd give you a present.

Having now experienced a couple of decades of holiday headaches and cheer, my Foolish friends and I have devised the perfect plan for getting through the next six weeks with the minimum of money and the maximum of merriment. Over the next few weeks we're going to tell you our secret weapons. And because it's the season of giving, we're going to share them with our Foolish readers too. (I hope it's okay with you that I'm reprinting our private e-mail.)

Let's face it, the end of the year is all about four things: shopping, giving, eating, and getting ready for next year. This week we're going to look at our Foolish strategy for making an overall Holiday Attack Plan.

-- Check out All I Want for Christmas for help on setting your priorities for the rest of the year. (We came up with a brief holiday budget worksheet, too.)

-- In 10 Foolish Merriment Savers we talk about spending during the holidays and how to save your sanity and still have money left over for reindeer chow.

-- Play Dough takes a look at talking to your kids about money and the holidays.

-- And in the spirit of the season, we check in on Federated Department Stores (owners of Macy's) in Stock-in-Trade.

I know this is a really busy time of the year, Santa. Thanks for taking time to open our present for you. And don't forget to check in next week when we talk about one of our favorite topics -- FOOD!

--Trudy Hoyden (TMF Hoyden)

(c) Copyright 1997, The Motley Fool. All rights reserved. This material is for personal use only. Republication and redissemination, including posting to news groups, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of The Motley Fool.