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1). Spread Holiday Cheer With An Internet Phone Service
Your holiday cheer can quickly diminish when you first glance at your post-shopping credit card bills.

With the excitement of the season, holiday spending can easily get out of hand. But with these three tips you'll go into the new year with money to spare.

* Think before you shop. Impulse buying is what gets most people in trouble financially around the holidays.

2). The Trick to Sending Treats to Our Troops
Ask Deborah Crane, and she'll tell you that the trick to sending cheer to our troops serving overseas is to include lots of Halloween candy, masks, decorations - all treats that will put smiles on the faces of the soldiers who receive the special care packages offered by Crane's online business, Treats for Troops.

Supporting our troops by sending packages of goodies and love from home is Crane's passion.

3). Gift Ideas for Dads of All Types
Racking your brain to think of the perfect Father's Day gift?

Not to fret, there are great gift ideas to match the countless interests and hobbies of fathers out there. Here are some options to consider:

* For the Sports Fanatic: Does dad spend too much time on the golf course or on the court in his mad pursuit for perfection? Give him a hand and buy him a new Sony DVD Handycam camcorder.

4). Protect Your Name This Holiday Season
The holiday season is the time of year when you should be spreading holiday cheer and buying the perfect gifts for everyone on your shopping list, not spending time recovering a stolen identity.

In order to ensure that your name and credit are protected, banks, credit card companies and other organizations are working overtime to protect you. By working with your financial institution, you can avoid becoming a victim.

5). More Americans Decorating Their Homes for Halloween
According to the National Retail Federation, more than 56 percent of the population celebrated Halloween in 2003 and the numbers are expected to increase this year. One of the areas growing the fastest is home décor - both inside and out. In fact, by some estimates, Halloween is No. 2 in holiday home decor behind Christmas.

To help people decorate their homes for this "spooky" season, Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments offers "The Mansion on Ravenwood Lane.

6). Put a New Spin on An Old Chore
This Father's Day, shoppers can go beyond the neckwear, coffee mugs or golf balls and choose a gift that will help Dad extend the life and improve the appearance of his shoes.

The Buff 'n Shine polisher - a battery-operated device that features a slow-moving shoe polish applicator on one of its two heads and a fast-moving polishing brush on the other - is included in a complete shoe care kit offered at participating Wal-Mart stores this Father's Day.

7). Decorating Your Home From the Outside
Appearances make an all-important first impression. In fact, there is a proven relationship between a home's perceived value and the appearance of its front door.

According to a door study conducted by an independent research organization, changing a home's front entry door has been found to yield up to a 10 percent increase in the home's value. That means the way you choose to decorate your home from the outside speaks to what lies beyond the front door.

8). Experience Senior Power This Holiday Season
You won't find it on Fifth Avenue, at the Galleria, on Rodeo Drive or in a suburban shopping mall. You can't eat it, wear it or smell it.

But you can experience it. ExperienceSeniorPower.com, that is: the computer learning program the Associated Press says "links generations, rather than divides them."

ExperienceSeniorPower.com's newest offering, ESP@ Home, is this year's hottest holiday gift for senior citizens and it could land you in the "Holiday Gift Hall of Fame.

9). Five Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping
The holidays are quickly approaching and with that comes shopping - and shipping.

If you are among the thousands who have friends and family in far-off places, either spread out around the country or overseas, you need to get a head start because shipping those gifts takes some planning. Wondering whether or not your gift has reached its intended destination is something that you do not want to be doing during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

10). Make a Splash with These Gift Ideas
No one enjoys the long lines and feisty crowds associated with holiday shopping.

If you have homeowners, gardeners or do-it-yourselfers on your list, you're in luck. Your local home-improvement store is your one-stop source for gifts that will make a splash this holiday season. Beckett, a manufacturer of water gardening items, suggests the following unique and versatile gift ideas:

Give your mom or wife a reason to finally start on that garden she keeps talking about.

11). Cool Toys for the Car That Has Everything
So what do you get car enthusiasts this holiday season? The answer is simple: cool gadgets to make their lives on the road much easier and more fun.

* Drivers who love music know that bringing along compact discs and trying to change them en route is not only a hassle, it's also unsafe. Thanks to today's technology, the digital music player has become the music-loving driver's best friend.

12). 'Tis the Season to Be Safe
Holiday decorations give your home just the right festive touch, but they also pose a fire hazard.

"Unless you deck your tree, halls and walls safely, the season could be memorable for the wrong reasons," said John Drengenberg, manager of consumer affairs at Underwriters Laboratories Inc., a not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization.