Enjoy complimentary admission to Kohl Children’s Museum and help support NSSRA Summer Camps.

The holiday season brings a lot of excitement and joy to people, but for many, it's also a season of financial stress. Budgets run at all levels when it comes to buying gifts and preparing holiday feasts. But what about the basics? What is the bottom line cost of preparing your home for Christmas? What's the least that a Nuclear Family can expect to spend?

NeighborhoodCircle.com staffer Joseph Askins went out to Oswego on Dec. 18 to check out Jim East's choreographed Christmas lights show. East synchronized approximately 55,000 lights with Christmas music to create the show. Visitors who pull up next to his house on Fox Chase Drive North can tune their car radios to 88.5 FM to listen to holiday classics while East's lights blink in time. East has also placed a drop box on his property where onlookers can donate money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

When it comes to renting videos for holiday viewing, there are many titles to choose from. But choosing from the hundreds available can be daunting. Recently, Center Video of Lake Bluff came to the rescue with a list of recommended Christmas titles.

Christmas is a week away, and if you're like many people, you're still having trouble finding the right gift for at least one friend or relative. If you've exhausted the usual ideas -- namely, electronics and neckties -- then consider some of these suggestions.