"Yours, mine and ours" means more than the name of a hit movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. The term also refers to the compromises a new family makes during the holidays when the calendar of events includes combining the holiday traditions of one family with another. Two really shall become one, whether the new family is combined by marriage or the addition of a new family member.

The creation of a new family can be a good time to start a new tradition. Bea Sheftel and her husband started a new tradition on their first Christmas Eve as a married pair. They each opened one gift from the other and saved the rest for Christmas day. This tradition has been carried on through their marriage, and now involves their son.

Ray Ritchey from Picayune, Miss., works offshore for seven consecutive days, then returns home for seven days. He hasn't been home for Christmas since this work schedule was initiated seven years ago. Ritchey's family is accustomed to scheduling Christmas festivities around Ritchey's work schedule, and his wife's family now does the same. Both families continue to have their normal Christmas events on Christmas day.

Once Ritchey's daughter was born, Santa scheduled visits to the Ritchey residence on a Saturday morning when Ray Ritchey is home. Ritchey and his wife explain to their daughter that Santa knows that Daddy works offshore and decided to bring their Christmas while Ritchey is at home. "That's Christmas day for the year between the three of us," says Ritchey.

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