DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently moved across the country for a job. I’m excited about this opportunity, and things are working out pretty well so far. My issue is that I cannot travel home for Christmas. It’s too expensive, plus I am new to the job and get only two days off. It makes no sense to travel 3,000 miles for two days.

I don’t know many people in my new city, because I’ve just been working. Now I am in a predicament. I usually spend a week with my family wrapping presents, putting up decorations, cooking, everything that families do. I have no idea what to do this year. I don’t know where to begin. Can you give me some ideas? -- Alone at Christmas, San Diego

DEAR HARRIETTE: It can be lonely to be so far away from your family during the holidays. The good news is that there are options everywhere.

I recommend volunteering at an organization that helps others. This will make you happy for sure! You just need to do a little research. Most churches offer meals to homeless and low-income people. They always need help serving food and sometimes in food preparation. Check with your local chamber of commerce for volunteer opportunities. Same goes for libraries, shopping centers and food kitchens.

One more thing: Use Skype, FaceTime or another video-conferencing tool to connect with your family each day of the holiday season.

DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister is super generous, so much so that I feel like I need to tell her to slow down. Whenever she crosses paths with a homeless person, she gives them money. During the holiday season, she ramps it up even more and gives more money to individuals she runs into as well as to charity. I know she has a great heart, but I worry about her finances. She has a low-paying job, and she will be retiring soon. I keep telling her she needs to keep some money for herself, but she won’t listen to me. I would never want her to stop being generous, but how can I get her to pay attention to herself, too? Nobody in our family has a lot of money. If she retires without enough to care for herself, I am afraid she might hit hard times. That would be too ironic, given how generous she has been her whole life. -- Taking Care of Sis, Little Rock, Arkansas

DEAR TAKING CARE OF SIS: Your sister has tremendous faith as well as a generous heart. Her faith tells her that she will be OK. Your practical concern about her well-being may be the perfect support to her somewhat blind faith. Ask your sister if she will allow you to review her finances -- for the purpose of helping her plan for retirement. Do not talk directly about her generosity. Focus on her personal finances. Point out that she is always giving to others, and you want to make sure that she gives to herself, too.

Suggest that she get a personal financial adviser who can assist her in reviewing her retirement funds and strategy. Your job is to point her in the right direction.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister just told me that she has diabetes. Her numbers were off the charts when she last went to the doctor for an appointment. I just went to the doctor for a physical and was told that I am prediabetic. I am devastated. I have known for years that my father’s family is prone to diabetes early in life, but I was determined that it wouldn’t happen to me. So far, it seems that it has. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to give in to this disease. Any ideas? -- Family Death Sentence, Washington, D.C.

DEAR FAMILY DEATH SENTENCE: Get proactive. Given that this disease runs in your family, you must be extra vigilant to ensure that you do not succumb to it. Start by getting clear directions from your doctor about what you should and should not eat. Typically, this means that you must dramatically reduce or eliminate sugar from your diet. This is not easy to do, especially if you eat out a lot or eat canned or prepared foods. Do your best to prepare your own meals from scratch. This way, you will know exactly what ingredients you are consuming.

Start an exercise regimen. Many people become diabetic due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Move your body daily. Get your heart rate up and lose weight. You may be able to reverse your prediabetes by taking strident steps today. For ideas on good food choices go to: besthealthmag.ca/best-you/diabetes/the-top-20-foods-for-beating-diabetes/.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Every year for Christmas, my mother makes cookies for all of our family and friends. She has been doing this forever, and it’s a lot of fun. My siblings and I are grown and have families of our own, but she still makes cookies for us. I’m worried that she is overextending herself, though. She is getting up in age and has arthritis. I have told her that it’s OK to make fewer cookies, but she won’t entertain that idea. How can I help her to see that it’s OK to slow down? -- No More Cookies, Savannah, Georgia

DEAR NO MORE COOKIES: Don’t steal your mother’s joy. She loves her tradition and should not be discouraged from contributing to the holidays in a way that is meaningful for her. Depending on your schedule and those of your siblings, you can offer to make cookies with your mother. Rather than her laboring alone at home, you can turn the cookie-making ritual into a shared family experience. Figure out who can be present with your mother leading up to the holidays. Then present the idea to your mother so that she welcomes the family in to participate in the baking. Ask her to teach you how to make her delicious cookies. Make it clear that you want to spend more time together as you also help her keep her holiday tradition going. You can also offer to make personal deliveries of the cookies when they are packaged and ready to go. This could create a new bonding experience for all of you.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: All my friends are having babies these days. A few years ago, most of them were getting married. I feel like I am in a time warp. I am stuck somewhere different from my closest friends, and I am lonely. Don’t get me wrong -- I am happy for them, but it seems like we are growing further apart.

I don’t have a boyfriend, let alone a husband. There is no baby on the way, either. I suppose I’m not a traditional girl, but my friends kind of are. Does this mean it’s time for me to get new friends? How do I stay close to my oldest friends and find a comfortable place for myself? -- Left Behind, Philadelphia

DEAR LEFT BEHIND: There is no right answer here. You should stay close to your friends to the extent that you are comfortable. As “auntie,” you can grow close to them and be of help if you choose to baby-sit when the parents want to get away.

Beyond the friends with babies, though, you do have to expand your friend base. You need people who share your life experiences so that you can feel fulfilled and not inadequate because your life choices have been different from theirs. Do you have a hobby? Pursue one that involves other people, like salsa dancing, drawing, museum hopping or bowling. Think of something that interests you and explore. By doing so, you will naturally meet other people. In time, you should be able to include one or two others into your social circle, which should help to ease any discomfort that you may have in your core group.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am the black sheep of my family, or at least it feels that way. I am my mom's first child, and she never married my dad. She married my stepdad six years later, and they had three more kids who are all completely different from me.

My frame is large, even though I’m not tall. The other kids are small-boned and skinny. I don’t fault them, but they do fault me. Whenever I gain a pound, somebody from my stepdad’s family is always commenting about how they can eat a burger or a pint of ice cream and be cool. Me, if I eat a spoonful of ice cream, I blow up. They laugh at me. It’s awful. I don’t want to hang out with them anymore because I’m going through a rough patch, and I don’t want to be criticized. I love my family, and I would love to be with them. Can you tell me something to tell my family so they will be kinder? -- Feeling Sensitive, Jackson, Mississippi

DEAR FEELING SENSITIVE: The best thing you can do is tell them how you feel. They may not realize what they are doing. Speak to the person you feel closest to, and explain that it hurts your feelings when your family is insensitive to you and your issues. Point out that you know that you do not have the same body size, and it makes you uncomfortable when they pick at you for being larger than they are. Ask them to stop.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)