5 Holiday Scams You Can Avoid

From identity theft at the mall to suspect emails, here's what you can do to make sure you're not a victim this holiday season.

7 Unusual Things at Walmart To Hang on Your Christmas Tree

What's Christmas without a moose hanging on your tree?

For most families, decorating the Christmas tree is a personal exercise. Branches are filled with kid's ornaments made through the year at school, or items that carry a sentimental value. Some ornaments reflect the decorator's personality or interests, like the glass pickle that hangs on the tree, or the golf ball ornament that has a cherished place each year. If you're looking for something other than those boring glass balls, or the Christmas balls to adorn your tree, here's a selection of odd and unusual things at Walmart to hang on the tree this year: Merry Christmoose -- Looking a lot like a hedgehog with antlers, the Christmas moose is available for $1.97. St. Louis Cardinals Gnome Game -- Sporting a St. Louis Cardinals on his cap, …

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Butterball Hotline Talks Turkey With Dazed and Confused Cooks

Fifty turkey experts will answer questions on meal prep and turkey emergencies this holiday season.

It's Thanksgiving, the guests are only hours away and your turkey still is frozen. What can you do? Have no fear, the Butterball Turkey talk-line is open and ready to help. For more than 20 years Butterball representatives have talked turkey. The questions run the gamut, from experienced cooks simply looking for tips to make the perfect bird, to panicked hosts trying to avert disaster. "We have many different hats that we wear," said Tara-Rose Groberski, who has worked on the turkey talk line for 10 years. "We're there to alliviate their angst. Will tell them to take a deep breath and walk them through what they have to do." The first turkey talk line had six home economists answer 11,000 phone calls in 1981. This year more than 50 …

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Nearly Half of Americans Begin Holiday Shopping Before Halloween, What About You?

The National Retail Federation released its annual holiday shopping forecast. Americans are shopping earlier than ever, the survey shows, which could lead to a 4.1 percent increase in national sales.

Accustomed to pinching pennies thanks to years of economic downturn, holiday shoppers this year will look for ways to cut corners, comparative  shop online and even plan to travel less, if not at all, the National Retail Federation said in its annual shopping forecast for the Christmas season. On average, the NRF expects holiday consumers to spend $749.51 on holiday gifts, decor, greeting cards and more in 2012. That's more than the $740.57 shoppers actually spent in 2011. And before you think Patch is reporting on the holiday season, think again. According to the survey, nearly half of Americans say they've begun holiday shopping before Halloween—12.3 percent of those surveyed before September; 7 percent during September; and 22.1 percent…

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Celebrate the Holidays at Missouri Botanical Garden

The Gardenland Express is only one of a wide variety of events marking the holiday season. Traditional celebrations for Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa are also planned.

The Missouri Botanical Garden outlined its season-long schedule of holiday events in a news release recently. Included in the holiday events are flora, toy trains, holiday crafts and plenty of holiday decorations. The Missouri Botanical Garden is sharing the spirit of the holiday season with an abundance of festivities to create lasting memories for young and old alike. Enjoy the return of the colorful Gardenland Express holiday flower and train show, two weekends filled with holiday carols and visits with Santa, holiday décor, traditional Chanukah and Kwanzaa celebrations, and more. For detailed information on the complete lineup of holiday happenings, visit the Garden's website. Gardenland Express The annual Gardenland Express holiday …

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