I found myself explaining to my four-year-old daughter Z on Sunday that the reason our grocery store had sample trays that were mostly empty and looked like they had been picked clean was because we are in a recession. Ergo, I started explaining the whole concept of a recession. She was very interested.

If you are used to buying a lot of toys and other gifts around the holidays, dealing with the very real economic downturn can be particularly difficult. We have scaled back a bit ourselves, but the way we live as reviewers insulates us somewhat. We don't buy much at Christmas because Z has new toys on tap year-round, and very few of them stick around for long, so she doesn't get attached to many of them.

This recent CNN interview with a couple of thoughtful bloggers touches on some issues and ends on a positive note.



Are you preparing for a simpler, and perhaps more relaxed holiday? Tell us how!

ZRecs.com photo by tkellyphoto, shared via Flickr.