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?

Like most people, I sometimes get caught up in politics and want my voice to be heard. That was the case a few years ago when the U.S. Senate was preparing to vote on a controversial measure. I’d had some personal experience with the issue, and since one of our senators was still undecided, I wanted to tell him my story. Fortunately, I worked for an association that had a lobbying presence in Washington. With some well-placed phone calls, a few like-minded colleagues and I were able to arrange for our faxed letters to be hand-delivered to the senator prior to the vote. We confirmed that he received and read them before leaving his office for the Senate chambers. Then we anxiously huddled around a television in a conference room and waited for the outcome.