Re Xmas, Why not make plans with hubby for some things to do over the festive season that are free and are in the true spirit of the season, rather than just the popular and hard-sold overindulgence that we see in glossy ads and on TV. Churches and community events tend to start being advertised around now. You could even get your name down to volunteer to help out at a few of them so you can get involved without having to pay admission costs. I've managed to line lots of things up but only one of the events actually will cost me anything, and even that's not too expensive. On the day itself I'm volunteering with the Christmas dinner at the local Cathedral for people who'd be alone or on the streets at Christmas, so I won't be thinking too much about what I'll miss out on with not drinking. As far as gifts go, most poeple I spoke to about this were real happy and relieved to agree to get just a very small token gift and keep the cost down, or forego gifts altogether. Christmas can be beautiful without alcohol, indigestion or extravagance. I promise.