Home for the Holidays:
Kick Up Your Curb Appeal!

1. Do a new door. You can give your home's entryway an instant lift by choosing custom colors, handsome woods such as mahogany or cherry, or cut-glass storm doors. Or you can simply paint your existing door with a vibrant, exciting new color.
   
   
2. Shutter at the thought. You can shop for vintage shutters in antique shops or order some trendy newer styles from your local contractor. Shutters are a great way to add vibrant accent colors like greens, reds and yellows.
   
   
3. Accessorize with accents. Brass knockers, mailboxes, and lanterns are small investments that make your house look great at a very low cost. Opt for tarnish-free pieces whenever available.
   
   
4. Spruce up the grounds. Trim shrubs so that doors and windows aren't covered. Plant tried-and-true perennials, while keeping in mind that the garden should complement the style of the house. If necessary, fertilize, de-thatch, or aerate your lawn to get it looking great.
   
   
5. Color your home happy. Traditional colors are big right now, but don't rush your decision. Check out homes you like in your area and ask the owners for the names of the paint colors they used. Even the most modest house has something to boast about. Use contrasting colors to draw attention to eaves, brackets, shutters, moldings, or other interesting details.
   
   
6. Make it interesting. Fences, arbors and water features are just a few of the elements that can add style, character, and visual interest to your front yard quickly and easily.
   
   
7. Punch up the path. The walkway and/or steps that lead to your front door can do more than provide safe passage; they can set the tone for your home's style, from casual to informal, simple to stately. Forget the boring slabs of gray concrete. For a warm and welcoming entry to your home, build a walkway and patio with brick or paving stones.
   
   
8. Let there be light. Outdoor lighting can be very effective at highlighting your home and yard's features after daylight hours. Your front yard should have functional path and front porch lighting as well as accent lighting to help create dramatic effects.
   
   
9. Porches that "pop." A new or remodeled porch will give your house a brand new face. For a welcoming accent, build a small entry porch. To transform your house, build a porch that extends across the entire facade.

Top 5 Family Thanksgiving Traditions

1. Turkey and Trimmings

From the first Thanksgiving to today's turkey burgers, turkeys are an American tradition dating back centuries. According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. Regional twists offer variations on the traditional roasted bird, including coffee-rubbed turkey from Hawaii, salt-encrusted turkey from New England, and deep-fried turkey from the South.

2. Time Out for the Pigskin

Throughout the United States, football on Thanksgiving Day is as big a part of the celebration as turkey and pumpkin pie. Dating back to the first intercollegiate football championship held on Thanksgiving Day in 1876, traditional holiday football rivalries have become so popular that a reporter once called Thanksgiving "a holiday granted by the State and the Nation to see a game of football."

3. Parading Around

The first American Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1920, organized by Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, not Macy's as most people believe. The NYC Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade tradition actually began in 1924, and has grown into an annual event of balloons, bands, and floats, enjoyed by more than 46 million people each year in person and on TV.

4. Making a Wish

Does your family fight over the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey? Known as a "lucky break" the tradition of tugging on either end of a fowl's bone to win the larger piece and its accompanying "wish" dates back to the Etruscans of 322 B.C. The Romans brought the tradition with them when they conquered England and the English colonists carried the tradition on to America.

5. Giving Thanks

Last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the people and blessings of the past year. From pre-meal prayers to providing holiday meals to the homeless, the holiday is truly a celebration of praise and thanksgiving.

The Hand of a Teacher:
A Thanksgiving Story

Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment -- to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.

Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.

But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.

Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an empty hand.

His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the police protect and care for people. And so the discussion went -- until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.

When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was. The little boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."

She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful for his teacher's hand.

Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.

The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks. But they'll remember the hand that reaches out.