With all the Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday hype dying down, we now have a chance to let the Thanksgiving dinners digest while we catch our breath. But Christmas is coming fast! If you haven’t felt the pressure yet, it’s coming soon.

The not-so-subtle hints and wish lists, if you’re not careful, can cause you to spend more than you planned and put you in a bad spot, financially, going into next year.

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy, my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents. I should be incapable of drawing a single stroke at the present moment; and yet I feel that I never was a greater artist than now. When.