It's hard to believe it, but another holiday season will upon us shortly. Retail forecasters are predicting that this will be the worst shopping season in recent years for popular stores. Because of the economy, shoppers will be spending much less than they usually would on gifts for family and friends. I understand that this is bad for stores, but it's always been my opinion that Americans spend WAY too much money on holiday gifts and forget what the holiday season is really all about. With that said, I remember too fondly being eight years old and flipping through the JCPenney Christmas catalog, circling all of the toys that I hoped Santa would bring me that year. How are you budgeting for holiday gifts this year in light of the unstable economy? What do you hope Santa brings you?

This article is for all of us who are kids at heart and wish that we still had a tree house in our backyard. Really, how completely amazing would this be? I'd have a bean bag chair room in mine. And a candy room. And a jungle playroom for my cats. And a room decorated all in polka dots. And a room with a glass ceiling so you could lay down and look up at the stars at night.

What cool stuff would you have in your dream tree house???