Need help this holiday? We've got the resources for you!

This is the resource list we posted on MySpace and Facebook for the Winter Holidays:

What are the main December holidays?
For an overview of major December holidays, see “Web Holidays,” at:
http://www.web-holidays.com/

An expansive list of Winter Holidays can be seen on Wikipedia (please note that information found there should be backed up with other, reliable sources):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winter_festivals

Holidays Around the World is from World Book Online, at:
http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Students?content_spotlight/holidays

Where is Santa now?
NORAD offers a “Countdown to Track Santa” – counting the days, hours, minutes, seconds until Santa’s big event, found at:
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

What’s the “real story” about Santa (and other pertinent questions)?
How Stuff Works is a site that gives a basic overview of the “story of Santa,” as well as ideas about the reindeer and more:
http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/santa-claus-stories-ga1.htm

The Smithsonian has information concerning Santa Claus:
http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/smithsonian/show_search_santa.do

Stories about the holidays:
The National Public Radio’s site has a tremendous amount of stories about the holidays, at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96539922&ps=bb2

Holiday Food
For traditional Christmas Dinners and Holiday planning, check out EHow's info at:
http://www.ehow.com/christmas/christmasdinner.html

For vegetarian/vegan alternatives, you might like to try the Veggie Table, online at:
http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/christmas.html

The Food Network, offers a variety of dessert choices and special holiday treats:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/christmas-dessert-menu/pictures/index.html

For Kosher recipes, see Kosher Cooking, at:
http://www.koshercooking.com/

Just in case! Emergency and Health-Related Sites
To learn CPR --
http://health.howstuffworks.com/cpr2.htm

TIP: Hum the Bee Gee's song “Stayin Alive” for the right rhythm:
http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20081017/cpr-gives-stayin-alive-new-life

Dealing with Family and Holiday Stress
Check out the Mayo Clinic's 12 tips for coping:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030

Another helpful resource is the Family Guide's Guide to Managing Holiday Stress: http://family.samhsa.gov/be/holidaystress.aspx

The pressure to spend can be minimized with some budget planning from Mint.edu. Check out:
http://blog.mint.com/blog/moneyhack/ten-tips-for-smarter-holiday-budget-planning/

Want to send greetings to our military?
“Letters to Santa” offers a list of organizations and ways to send support, letters, and gifts to our military and their families:
http://www.operationlettertosanta.com/Pages/support-our-troops.htm

If you would like to send an emailed letter of “thanks” to the troops, an easy way to do this is through “America Supports You,” online at:
http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/Message.aspx?SectionID=5

Or, you can specify which branch of the military service you’d like to connect with, though the U.S. Armed Forces News Service’s site, at:
http://www.usafns.com/email.shtml

Holiday Fun and Games
Print out some coloring book pages through the Coloring Page site, at:
http://coloring-page.net/christmas.html

Kaboose has a wide variety of crafts and games:
http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/christmas/christmas-crafts.html

A list of online puzzles and games with seasonal themes, from the “Gingerbread Man,” to “Ring the Bells” is found through A Kid’s Heart, online at:
http://www.akidsheart.com/holidays/christms/chgames.htm

Here’s a list of games you can play together:
http://www.partygameideas.com/christmas-games/

If You Plan to Travel
On the road:
Highway conditions can be viewed anytime through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s site at:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Trafficinfo/

In the air:
The Federal Aviation Administration can tell you what the status of flights and airport delays are. For up to the minute information, see:
http://www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp

Weather predictions can be found through the Original Farmer’s Almanac:
http://www.almanac.com/

and Weather.com is another helpful resource. It offers hour-by-hour options. Just put in your zip code or location:
http://www.weather.com

Have a question about something else? Get answers fast at AskUsNow!
http://www.askusnow.info
We're available 24/7, even on Christmas!

Happy Holidays,
Your friends at Maryland AskUsNow!