Sears just released a new survey about family traditions at the holidays. Its sentiment was really sweet, which is why I’m highlighting some of its findings in this blog posting:

• During challenging economic times, 90 percent of Americans become more focused on celebrating family traditions as well as creating new ones
• 18 percent of Americans plan to develop new traditions, such as using a grab bag or secret Santa approach to gift giving (I would love it if my family embraced this idea.)
• 25 percent are buying an artificial tree rather than a real one. (We made this decision two years ago when we came to realize how much money a live tree costs. Plus, if your town doesn’t have a Christmas tree recycling program–and you have no place to mulch the tree–it just ends up in a landfill.)
• 43 percent are asking their guests to bring food to the festivities so costs are shared (love the potluck approach)
• 63 percent are setting spending limits on gift giving.

What about you? What kind of traditions are you creating or keeping this holiday season?