It may be hard to find the silver lining in the current economic downturn, but the recession has given me at least one important gift: It has cured me of my shameful habit of overspending at Christmas. For years, I vowed to cut back and spend less and, for years, I failed. Despite my modest, carefully constructed lists of presents, I would invariably fall prey to a last-minute shopping frenzy, fueled by the sudden fear that my children were going to find my gifts meager or lacking. Haunted by an image of their disappointed faces on Christmas morning, I would forget my firm resolutions and find myself randomly snatching up every train set, stuffed animal or fairy princess wand that caught my eye. See full article from DailyFinance: