I want, I want

This time of years tends to bring out a part of me that wants to buy buy buy. Maybe it goes back to childhood, and years of "What do you want for Christmas" from loved ones.

Advertisers are doing a great job of course, cranking up the Christmas Purchasing Power Machine. The sales are everywhere, and it's tough to resist some of the deals.

Black Friday ... Cyber Monday ... Christmas Sales, Clearance Sales, Deal of The Day... There are bargains to be had. The challenge is not getting sucked into that Holiday consumerism vortex ...

I think most of the time, I'm a fairly savvy consumer. I usually look for sales, know my prices, use coupons and reward programs. This time of year, it's tough to not want to spend money on some of those nicer goodies.

I want a new computer - a Mac; I want a new camera - around the $500 range; I'd like a new TV, a new stereo ... I want, I want ...

Do I really need any of those things? Of course not. I can make do with the stuff I have now. I will exercise self - discipline and be good.

Janice and I have agreed to skip the exchanging of the gift thing at this time of year, and instead - our gift to each other is our Christmas Vacation. We've agreed that travel for us is more of a priority than "stuff", and it's nice not to have worry about what to buy for the other person. If we need something we buy it.

Christmas had become a stressful, pressure filled shopping, gift exchanging thing a while back for both of us, with the crowded malls and the crazy traffic ... this works much better for us right now.

Christmas is not about gifts ... not the material ones, anyway
; )