Remember when you were a kid and the teacher assigned you all those literary short stories from the 19^th century when you really just wanted to read the latest adventures of the X-Men? Well, it turns out you may have had the right idea after all.

In the classic 1906 O. Henry short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” Jim and his wife Della have fallen on hard economic times but are anxious to give each other meaningful Christmas gifts despite their limited means. Della wants to give her beloved husband a chain for the treasured pocket watch given to him by his father. Jim wants to give his dear wife a set of jeweled tortoiseshell combs for her lovely knee-length hair.

It seems to be a favorite line that celebrities toss out in interviews: I live a life without regrets.

It doesn’t really surprise me when there’s trouble in a professional sports locker room, when some egomaniac decides to dump on the coach or a teammate in front of the cameras. What shocks me is that it doesn’t happen that often. For the most part, the rich and supposedly spoiled elite athletes of the world manage to bring their diverse, cocksure personalities together and function as a perfect unit.

If my friend Diane and I were little girls and someone wanted to test our temperaments, a good way would be to give us each a wooden puzzle with a piece that’s cut too large. After trying it several times, Diane would probably hand the puzzle back to the proctor and say, “One of the pieces is too large.” I, on the other hand, would be determined to make the pieces fit if it meant taking off my shoe and hammering them together.

We all go through rough patches. But for whatever reason, the journey through life is much tougher for some people than others. If you’ve had to travel over a lot of rocky ground, you’ve probably found that the people who’ve tried to give you a hard time along the way never had to endure the same kind of difficulties you did. So since they didn’t have to fight those tough battles, they have plenty of excess energy to spend trying to make themselves feel important at your expense.

If you’re hoping to keep from gaining weight this holiday season, here’s a suggestion: Get plenty of sleep.

When my niece turned six this year, she came up with a somewhat unusual idea for the theme of her birthday party—well, at least it was unusual for someone her age. She decided that instead of the typical celebration where guests come bearing gifts for the birthday girl, she wanted them to bring donations for the local soup kitchen where her parents volunteer.

This hasn’t been the best year for many of us. Gas prices are up. Wages are down. Bank fees are up. Housing values are down. Expenses are up. Employment opportunities are down. If you have a job, no matter how unpleasant, you’re pretty much stuck with it until times improve. If you don’t … well, best of luck to you. And when we look for answers what’s the best anyone seems to provide?