Ruth Fallgatter News Today

The holidays are about family, friends, feasting, and yes, if we’re being honest, presents. Overall, holiday spending is expected to reach record levels in the 2023 season, up to $966.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s holiday forecast. (That’s $37 billion more than in 2022.) The number is inclusive of gifts, food, decor, and […]

Now that I have a 10-month-old grandson I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas toys.

Join Of the thousands of toys given to American girls and boys over time, what are the greatest? This writer, a lifelong toy collector and longtime toy columnist, decided to tackle that massive question. We’ll start at the year 1900, we’ll exclude board and card games (surely worthy of their own list), and we’ll exclude athletic equipment. Not every selection may be your particular cup of pretend tea, but each one was chosen according to The Tom Morello Scale of “impact, influence, and...