A new year is upon us. And, like I do every year, I promise myself I will not miss yoga, I will eat as close to the earth as I can and I wwill try to have balance in my life. But...but...but... But, when we look at things we wanted to change from resolutions about success or weight or money, think about the power of words.

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May you enjoy this story of the beauty, and the strength, and the heart of family. A story about how being together with those you love truly is the present of Christmas. And a reminder that so many young men and women in uniform won't be home this Christmas - as their gift to all to us.

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On Friday, the kids celebrated their last day of school. On Monday, they were back at work, but instead of taking tests and writing assignments, they were doing a different type of job: helping the Salvation Army. But the response they got from the Wal-Mart crowd helped show them the true spirit of Christmas.

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This holy season as Christians honor and celebrate the birth of the world's most famous poor baby born in a manger, I hope we all will pause to remember the 15.5 million invisible poor babies and children in our rich country who need our help to survive and thrive and reach their God-given potential.

Courtney Byrne

Let them be incredibly excited about Santa. As the parents, do good that they can see: read them books about the first Christmas, help your friends, and donate your time or toys to the poor. Don't worry so much about the littlest ones in your house "turning out ok." As they grow, they'll see the good you do at the holidays; they'll recognize that you give so much more (all year) than you receive, and they'll pick up on it, I promise.

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America's greatest strengths comes from any individual's ability to be an American while also keeping one's cultural and religious identity. We do not need to be amalgamated. Being American means recognizing that our individual value is celebrated as it is added to America's shared values.

Suzanne Perryman

As I help Zoe out of the car, she looks up to me and grinning asks, "Mom, you know what would be the best gift ever?" This is a game we have been playing lately, the girls and I naming both real and imagined items as a best.gift.ever. "What?" I ask pausing, as I picture Zoe's painstakingly prepared Santa list sprinkled with favorites like Barbies and nerf guns.

Adele Sego

Now millions of Black girls AND women will see this story in a whole new way and more importantly, they will see themselves in the smartest, kindest, most useful character in the entire Harry Potter series. Eventually, Black girls will start to see themselves as limitless. What could possibly be wrong with that?

On Dec. 4, millions of TV viewers got a glimpse of an up-and-coming purse company with a unique business model -- the bags are all hand-knit by residents in an assisted living community.

By trying to understand your mother-in-law and by showing her some compassion, you'll at least get a new perspective on her behavior and won't take her words so personally. In other words, her criticism won't affect you as much.

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My hope is that every person who walks through my door will feel as empowered to discuss the meaning of their illness openly with me, so we can work through the feelings together and create a common goal. Collaborative mental health care that acknowledges but surpasses stigma is the best treatment, and I wouldn't accept any alternative.

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The signboard outside my neighborhood church got my attention: Does kindness have a chance? Isn't that what we're all wondering these days?

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Sleep has been a part of HuffPost -- an obsession, really -- since we launched our dedicated sleep section in 2007, prompted by my own collapse from exhaustion and sleep deprivation. And now I'm delighted that we're taking this commitment to the next level with Sleep Wellness, a new platform, sponsored by Sleep Number and dedicated to furthering the conversation on sleep as a public health issue and on all the ways sleep can enhance our lives.

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My daughter's favorite story is one she calls "Daniel's Rock." A far cry from Frosty the Snowman, it is one I can count on being asked to recite as Christmas approaches. It begins when she's picked up the small rock that sits on the southeast corner of my desk and has nestled herself in my lap.