In the rural Peosta, Iowa, home of Stephanie Failmezger this time of year, you’re not likely to find garland draped from archways, elves on shelves or stockings hung by the chimney with care. Instead, she reserves most of her merry energy for one thing: Her Christmas tree. “It’s just always something I’ve done,” Failmezger said....

Homemade gifts are the best. However, I did not always appreciate this present. My mom has a talent for crocheting, and I didn’t respect her talent until I was older and understood the value of money and the love that shows in the effort of a homemade gift. My friend, Marilyn, taught me this lesson...

As we bid farewell to another year, many of us are beginning to set new intentions and embrace the promise of a fresh start. New Year’s resolutions are a popular tradition, but they often fade away as the year progresses. So this new year, I invite you to switch up the usual “workout x amount...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the tri-state area as myriad nonprofits, community organizations and musical groups begin to prepare for the holiday season. From concerts to community dinners and a scuba-diving Santa, there’s a wide variety of merry and bright celebrations set to take place through the end of the year....

One of the hardest, most fraught parts of the holidays is that age-old tradition of gift giving. Few things stress in quite the same way as nervously shuffling through a store on Dec. 23 looking for a present that’s not going to look like you bought it nervously on Dec. 23. That’s why Her Hacks...