The Year in Photos: Instead of just having photo albums for special trips and occasions, why not just celebrate the everyday life as well. Start taking photos now of you shopping at the supermarket, or taking out the trash, or having your hair in curlers. Take some humorous photos of each of your family members. Put them in some montage form or in a photo album. Have each family member come up with a funny caption to go along with their photo. I did this years ago. Had a picture of my son when he was little holding up 4 toy phones to his ear yelling, "Help! Work is a @!#*””!". Cost nothing, memory - priceless. Mastercard watch out.

The Comic Strip: Is there a running joke in your family? You know… the uncle that always farts at the table? The person who can't pronounce a word (ie: Bush and nuclear) If so, have members of your family pose in a 'cartoon' fashion, like characters in a comic strip, or do some animation on your computer- they have comic features in photo shop. Put three or four of these pictures in a row to tell a story. Paste them on a cardboard or wood fame and add captions.

Hire a cartoonist: Cartoonists advertise on the Internet and in local penny savers. Hire one to come to your family function and capture your family in action. Take the original and make color copies for everyone. Get a frame and tada - immediate fun memories. I actually did this for my first wedding. My comic friend, Allen Endlow drew a caricature of us and they were the place cards on the table at the reception.

Photo T-Shirts/ Cups/ Mouse Pads: Is there a casual family member amongst you? Get a photo of this person doing something silly or embarrassing (Sleeping in church, a childhood picture, him dressing up as superman while he was drunk at the last party) Put that picture on the item. Pick their favorite color as background and now you have a funny, functional gift.

I wanna be a star! Time to make the ham in your family the star of "merica's Funniest Videos". Either edit funny highlights from the year (Your kid getting knocked over in a soccer game, or him falling asleep into his food plate etc.) You can either narrate it, or call the events play-by-play like a sports event. At the end of the tape have family members do a chorus of "Happy Holidays" and add a personal message. If it's good, you can always stick it up on youtube.com or Jibjab.com. We did this tape idea for years with the grandparents who live in South Carolina.

The Mini Series: Write a short play, skit or screenplay about your family or as a take off from your favorite TV show or movie. Each person plays a part, dresses up, hams it up, you can call it, "All in the Family comes to Brooklyn, Queens, Suffolk County" …you get the idea. My friend Martha does this every year. She records it and edits it on her Mac. She calls it the "Great Martini Productions." Her family has a seventeen year archive of tapes.

Karaoke: Don't like to act? Sing instead. Take the family to a karaoke recording studio or club. Sing your favorite rendition of a holiday song. You can add sound effects like dogs barking in the background if you like.

Switch Heads: Take photos of all your family members, then cut and switch heads on the bodies. Mix and match, or cut out magazine pictures with fabulous bodies, cars or homes. Stick your family in front of them. Gift catalogs have places that do these things.

Puzzle me this: Get a favorite picture, then blow it up. Paste it on a thick board then cut out puzzle pieces. CVS and some catalogs do this as well.

Big Spender: Buy a whole bunch of lottery tickets. Put them in a card. Have the caption, "Here's to your success! Now can I borrow ten dollars?" Remember, the family that wins together stays together. If nothing more, they want the inheritance.!

The purpose of holidays is families, fun and love. It's time to give thanks for all we have and to celebrate life. These ideas will bring the family together, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Happy Holidays from me and the Capo clan.