Family

By Dr. CHRISTOPHER J. MORGAN

How are those New Year's Resolutions going? Did any involve exercising more? If they did (or didn't) keep reading. Last week, a patient of mine told me she just took her exercise regiment to a new level - it now involves two resistance training and two Zumba classes per week. I asked why? She said she and her boyfriend had gained nearly 10 pounds over the Christmas holidays and they were now engaged in a "Couples Challenge" to see who could lower their BMI (body mass index) over the next several weeks. She went on to say they are using BMI instead of pounds because "men lose weight more easily than women".

By EILEEN WACKER and JENNIFER LAU

Holiday celebrations have become powerful family traditions.

Somehow, Saint Nicholas and Christmas trees found popular support and gained traction here in North America.

The legend and lore of Saint Nicolas came with Dutch immigrants. Saint Nicholas was a patron saint of children who lived in Turkey in the 4th century and became one of Europe's favourite saints due to his benevolence toward children. In the U.S., the first appearance of Santa Claus was dressed in bishops' robes. After solidifying his fan base, in 1860 Harper's Magazine started running illustrations of Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus and he gained meteoric popularity with families; especially children.

By MELISSA CASSAR

One interesting - albeit non-scientific - way to gauge someone's comfort level with the state of the economy is to ask how much they plan to spend on holiday gifts. In good times, people tend to spend more generously; during rough periods, they scale back.

If you're among those looking for ways to manage your holiday spending while still finding meaningful gifts for your loved ones, here's some advice.

First, consider your overall finances. Before spending a dime on gifts, step back and calculate how much you can afford as a portion of your overall budget. Consider questions such as:

By Dr. CHRISTOPHER J. MORGAN

November is increasingly becoming known as Movember. If you have noticed thicker, longer, perhaps more scruffy-looking moustaches and goatees on the faces of the men around you, they may be participating in Movember, a month dedicated to increasing awareness of men's health, specifically prostate cancer, in part by men committing to grow their moustaches for the month of November.

Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC) and The Movember Foundation (TMF) are the men's health partners of Movember in Canada.