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Released: December 22, 2010

Jobless couples manage to find holiday spirit

Source: Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today

Brian and Salena Smith and their two toddlers had an awesome Christmas last year.

Two good jobs, a sweet house in a new Southern California suburb, and bright dreams for 2010 made it so. He strung lights on the roof. On the front lawn, he stood wooden soldiers that he had made. She made a festive meal, including honey-baked ham and pumpkin pie.

This year, it’s nearly all gone.

The Smiths are among nearly 300,000 married couples across the nation who both used to have jobs, but now are unemployed. That’s almost four times as many unemployed couples as there were in 2007, just before the recession hit, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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