Many people are bogged down with work-related parties and children’s activities during the month of December, so if you have your heart set on a Christmas Bash, be sure to send out invitations early so that guests can mark it on their calendars while their weekend nights are free.

Consider a more informal afternoon affair, especially if children are invited. It’s often easier for guests to attend, and the children are less tired and cranky.

If you’re planning a formal affair without children, be sure to make guests aware of that fact and give them plenty of time to find a babysitter. And be understanding if they decline your invitation. Remember, babysitter’s can be hard to schedule, not to mention expensive during the rush of the holiday season.

Once you’ve figured out the style and tone of your party, you’ll want to consider the types of foods you’ll serve and the decorations you’ll use. Holiday parties can be much easier to plan for since most people opt to use their normal house decorations for the backdrop of the party, just adding a few of those special touches they would normally save for company.

Depending on the style of your party you’ll have to decide whether you want a formal sit down dinner featuring the good china and tableware, or a buffet style meal that allows guests to wander from room to room and chat with various people. While both have their pros and cons, there are some things to consider when choosing your meal style and food selections:

While a sit-down dinner does appear more elegant and formal, it can also be a wonderful option for people with children since it allows everyone to sit at one time at a table and eat without the risk of spills and other food related accidents.

Oftentimes a buffet allows for a larger variety of food items to be featured.

A buffet can be set out for longer periods of time, allowing guests to go back to the food table again and again.

A sit-down dinner allows guests to sit, relax and enjoy each other company and conversation more than juggling plates and drinks as you wander the room with a buffet

For those who want the party to begin and end at a specific time, a sit down dinner is best, since the serving of individual courses, and dessert, followed by polite conversation and coffee sets the signal that the party is winding down.

When it comes to the invitations you’ll want them to reflect the style and tone of your party. Casual family friendly affairs often sport a whimsical or even comical invitation, while the invitations for a formal event should feature dramatic colors and elegant elements such as ribbon or sparkling designs.

Semi-formal or casual events should feature invitations that reflect the holidays with more casual colors and design elements.

Throwing a holiday party can be a lot of fun, and the holidays are a great time t get together with friends and family. Just take care to make the entire process as much fun as the party itself in order to truly enjoy your holidays.

Here are just a few of the most common discounts offered by more than 300 of the nation’s top auto insurers:

Multiple Vehicle Discount.
If you are insuring more than one vehicle, whether they are cars, boats, trucks, RV’s motorcycles or even trailers, chances are you qualify for a multi-vehicle discount. See your agent for details.

Multiple Driver Discount.
It’s impossible for two people to drive the same vehicle at the same time, so insurers often offer multi-driver discounts to allow customers with more than one driver per car to only pay partial premiums on each driver.

Multi-Policy Discount.
Take advantage of your buying power. Choose one insurance company for all of your insurance needs, and you’re bound to experience a hefty discount on all of your policies. Combine your homeowners’ auto, disability, life and even health insurance into one insurance portfolio if at all possible. Some companies will also count financial savings plans such as 401K’s Roth IRA’s, money markets and college funds as additional policies when figuring out your discount.

Low Mileage Discount.
The less your car is on the road, the less chance it has of being involved in an accident. If you put less than 5,000 or 10,000 miles a year on your car, by all means tell your insurance agent! You may be surprised how cheap your insurance may become.

New Vehicle Safety Discount.
Offered to owners of new vehicles that contain certain types of safety features such as side passenger airbags, etc.

Anti-Theft Device Discount.
Any type of anti-theft device in your car is eligible for a discount too.

Good Student Discount.
Student rates can be quite high, especially for male drivers. But, some insurers are now recognizing that honor students may be more careful drivers, and are now rewarding good grades with cheaper premium rates.

Accident Free Discount.
Go several years without a claim and watch your premiums plummet.

Defensive Driving Discount.
Some insurance companies now reward drivers who attend special defensive driving workshops and seminars with either a one time, or ongoing rate cut.

Credit Counseling Services:
Credit counseling services are designed to help you take a long had look at your financial situation and decide what’s best for you and your future. Most will guide you through your finances and see if it’s a t all-possible to pay back your debt to avoid filing for bankruptcy in the first place. The nice thing about using this type of service is that it allows you to learn how to better manage your finances, while allowing them to handle your creditors to set up payment plans and even have some of your debt forgiven.

There are two types of credit counseling services: the pay for and the non-profit service. Both services are virtually the same, except that one is typically free, or very low-cost and one is not. Be very careful when choosing a service t be sure that they are qualified to handle your specific situation and can actually help you get out of this important financial bind.

Bankruptcy Lawyers:
Once you and your credit counselor determine that bankruptcy is your best option, it’s time to find a good lawyer who specializes in bankruptcy in your state. Although they can be a bit pricey, especially for someone who is already in debt, their services are vital to ensure that the process goes smoothly and is handled properly. Bankruptcy laws can be very different from state to state with mounds of legal paperwork t complete, so be sure that the lawyer you choose is an expert in this field. Remember, attorney fees cannot be included in your bankruptcy debt, so you’ll need to pay these fees upfront.

Pre-Filing Services:
Maybe the most important bankruptcy service you’ll need is a pre-filing service that is capable of stopping any home foreclosures ad repossessions during the bankruptcy process.

Whatever bankruptcy service you choose to help you through this tedious and often confusing process, make sure the are qualified to help you determine which type of bankruptcy you qualify for and move the process along as quickly as possible.

It’s important to have all of your paperwork filed out correctly before filing with the court. That’s what your bankruptcy service is for. What else should your service or lawyer do?

Here’s a sample of what to expect:

-The service you choose should help you work out an affordable repayment plan.
-They should help you work out an after bankruptcy plan in order to maintain your payments.
-They should help you determine what assets you can legally retain and which must be sold.

While you may be able to get the insurance you want and need, even at discount prices by working with a single carrier or agency, brokers have the ability to shop around for individual policies that best suit you needs and budget. They are especially beneficial to small business owners who may need a variety of insurance coverage that the regular consumer does not.

What is an insurance broker?
They are independent insurance dealers able to represent a variety of different carriers in order to give their clients the best - and cheapest - coverage options. Since they aren’t pegged into one specific company, they are free to deal with one carrier for your health insurance, and another for your automobile insurance. And, since they work with these companies on a daily basis, they are often able to negotiate a much better deal than an individual customer cannot.

Like insurance agents, they don’t charge for their services, but receive payment through commissions from the carriers themselves. This, however, can be a downside to using a broker, since many will push the carrier that gives them the highest commission regardless of the service they provide.

The key to finding a good broker is figuring out whether they work for only a handful of carriers, or whether they offer policies from a larger carrier base, which can mean a better deal for you.

Watch out for brokers who constantly switch your insurance to new carriers. This can be dangerous for you since the company sees no customer loyalty when reviewing claims. So, unless you’re policy has been dropped, or your broker finds a deal that you can’t pass up, insist that he leave your policies alone once you’ve established a relationship with a certain insurance carrier.

What types of insurance brokers are available?
Generally two: those that specialize in property and casualty and the other who specializes in health coverage. Small business owners will also need to consider finding a broker that handles employee benefits such as disability, workman’s compensation and unemployment benefits.

In general, it’s a good idea to find a broker that specializes in one thing in order to ensure that he completely understands the nuances of those particular insurances. Brokers who offer services in all areas generally understand very little about what they’re actually selling, which can be dangerous for buyers who depend on their experience to guide their decisions.

Credit Counseling:
Under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act ("BAPCPA") of 2005, every person filing bankruptcy in the United States must first undergo extensive credit counseling with a court-approved counseling service.

A Big Decision:
You may have thought that deciding to file for bankruptcy was the biggest decision you’d have to make. Wrong! Next, you must decide which type of bankruptcy to file: Chapter 7 (which is a straight or liquidation bankruptcy that clears you of all your debt), or Chapter 13 (which is a repayment plan). Those wishing to file Chapter 7, must prove to the courts that they make under the average income in their state and can not repay their debt, regardless of any repayment plans devised by the courts.

Hiring a Lawyer:
It may seem stupid to pay high legal fees at a time when you’re trying to get rid of your debt, not take on even more, but most financial experts agree that a good bankruptcy lawyer can save you even more in time and money. They know the laws in your state better than anyone and may be able to advise you to things you would have never known about otherwise. Besides, once you retain a lawyer, all creditors must go through his office. They are no longer permitted by law to contact you regarding unpaid debt.

A Meeting with Your Creditors:
Once your lawyer submits your bankruptcy petition to the courts, you will be notified of your date for a meeting of creditors (or a "341 meeting," named after the section of the Bankruptcy Code requiring it). This meeting is a way for you to prove to your creditors that you have answered honestly to all of their inquiries and that you completely understand the entire bankruptcy procedure and how it may affect you in the future. Your lawyer will ask you to list all of your assets for your creditors to review.

The Inability to Use Your Credit Cards:
If you are thinking about filing a bankruptcy case, stop using your credits cards immediately! If you continue to charge items even though you intend to file for bankruptcy, a creditor can challenge the discharge of the debt owed or even your right to discharge any debt.

Liquidating Assets:
In a chapter 7 case, the trustee will determine whether or not there are assets that can be liquidated and used to repay your creditors. If you’re filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy you may be allowed to retain ownership of your assets, as long as you can devise a 3 to 5 year repayment plan to repay your debt.

Waiting For Your Creditors to Respond:
Your creditors have 60 days after your meeting to challenge the discharge of a particular debt or your entire discharge. If no such lawsuits are filed, shortly after that 60th day you will receive notification of a discharge of debt if you filed chapter 7. If you filed chapter 13 bankruptcy, discharge notice will be given about two months after you make your final payment.

Remember, not all debt is excused under either form of bankruptcy including student loans and certain taxes, so you may not be completely relieved of the obligation to repay all debt. So be certain that filing bankruptcy truly is the right decision.

Choose a tree lot that will either let you cut down the tree you choose yourself, or will let you watch them cut it to ensure its freshness. In the event you must purchase a pre-cut tree, be sure to ask where it was shipped from and when it was cut.

When searching the lot for a good tree, don’t disregard ones with flattened or ill-shaped sides. Mother Nature tends to leave one side very full and the other flat. Put your tree in a corner or against a wall to hide any imperfections.

Remember, trees always look bigger out of doors with the sky as their ceiling. Be sure to measure your ceiling height correctly before leaving home, as well as door widths and room sizes to ensure that the size and width tree you choose will actually fit once you get it home!

Look for trees with pliable needles. If they snap or bend easily or pull off the branch with little effort, the tree may have been picked days or weeks earlier and won’t hold up to the heat indoors and lose its needles quickly once its decorated.

All evergreens shed needles from the inner branches on a regular basis, so don’t worry if a few fall off when you pick up the tree or shake it. Check to see if your tree retailer offers shaking service to help clear these loose needles from the inside of your tree before taking it into the house.

If possible, have your tree baled in plastic tree netting to make it easier to get home and set up.

Once you’ve chosen your tree and got it home, it’s time to take proper care of it to ensure that it will last throughout the entire holiday season.

Here area few tips on how to care for your family’s new Christmas Tree:

If you are not planning on putting your tree up immediately, cut about a half inch off of the trunk and set it in a bucket of water until you’re ready to take it inside.

When you’re ready to bring your tree inside, cut another inch off of the bottom of the tree trunk, then place it in the tree stand with enough water to cover the entire diameter of the tree - about one quart of water for each inch of diameter stem. Be sure to keep the water at this level to ensure freshness. A trunk that is allowed to seal over will dry quickly and lose its needles before Christmas ever arrives.

Be sure that you check the label on your tree stand to make sure it can accommodate the size tree you have chosen.

The best tree preservative is plain water. No need for added chemicals.

Keep your tree away from all heat sources. Turn down the heat in that room if at all possible t keep your tree moist and fresh.

FACT #1:
Your dentist can’t make them pay. Your dental insurance (and the procedures it covers) is determined by a contract made between your employer and your insurance company. When questions arise, your best course of action is to call your human resources department or insurance carrier yourself.

FACT #2:
Dental insurance isn’t a pay-all, but rather an aid. With most policies now capping at $1,000 a year per patient, dental insurance isn’t meant to cover all of your costs like health insurance, but to ease the burden of dental care a bit.

FACT #3:
Even if you have 100% coverage, your dentist may not get 100% of his fee, leaving you in some cases, to pay the difference. Most insurance companies survey the area in which your dentist is in practice, calculates an average fee for all service providers in that area including discount dental clinics, take 80% of that fee and consider that the appropriate fee, paying only that amount.

FACT #4:
If you and your spouse have policies through your own employer (but with the same carrier), the insurance company is not required to use the second policy to pay for uncovered costs, as is the case if you have coverage from two different carriers. Sad but true, insurance companies can accept payment from two different employers for coverage, but still only give the employee and his/her family members the $1,000 spending limit according to many state’s laws. I, however, you and your spouse have different carriers; you can use both insurances to cover most, if not all, of your dental fees.

FACT #5:
Many routine dental services are NOT covered by insurance companies.

FACT #6:
Your insurance carrier is not responsible for paying for dental work that has not been preauthorized - even if it’s an emergency! Be sure that your dentist’s office files for any preauthorization are necessary before agreeing to any procedure.

With so much misunderstanding regarding dental insurance coverage out there, it is very important for every patient to carefully discuss their policy and its requirements with their dentist’s business manager before agreeing to any expensive procedures to insure that they won’t be left paying for the entire bill.