I”m just back from a last-minute shopping run, and I’ve decided that one of the less-appreciated but most important presents we can (not) buy is … the gift of restraint.

Yes, I did pick up a few extra items, but there were many, many more that I did not. I avoided the games section, refuge of the lost and frantic. And the jewelry and toiletries, ditto. Doing this not only saves me money, but it saves my loved ones time because they will have fewer gifts to return this year.

This is not to say they won’t find many gifts underneath the tree. They will! But there are some they will not find … and they will thank me for that!