Now that the holidays are here, everyone's first order of business outside of work is to buy their loved ones presents. In some people's minds, the bigger and more expensive the item, the better.  But let's face it: Even though we have good intentions, love -- at the end of the day -- isn't measured in gifts. It's measured in the little things we do every day (not just during Christmas) to show people we love them, such as  Surprising them with a hot cup of coffee on a frigid morning Creating a scrapbook with pictures that capture special memories  Sending texts throughout the day just to let the other know they are thinking of them Taking them to a museum to see a popular exhibit he or she never experienced as a kid  Chatting poolside over coffee into the wee hours  Cooking his or her favorite meal on any ordinary day -- as a way of saying "you're special and deserve this" True love is priceless - it cannot be quantified. If a man can't afford to ...

Though some people may be struggling to pay pills amid a recession sparked by a global pandemic, it doesn't mean those in a stronger financial position (or not) won't be running up their credit cards and breaking their piggy banks -- whether online or at the mall. And, ironically, it's all in the name of scoring holiday deals.  Here's what many shoppers fail to realize: Sales are just ploys to get us to buy stuff we may not necessarily want or need.  We go into a store intending to buy or two things and end up coming out with well over five.  We set a maximum holiday budget, but end up blowing right through it as we aim to take advantage of as many "bargains" as we possibly can. Now, that's not to say we shouldn't seize a good deal for stuff that we use regularly. But if you know it's an item you'll stuff in a drawer or closet -- one you might not even remember you have in six months' time -- you should pass on it. Here are four valuable ho...

It's hard to believe today is the day after Thanksgiving! I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday replete with delicious food, big smiles, and countless laughs. Now that Turkey Day is behind us, it can only mean a couple of things. For one, we can expect a myriad of families to put up their holiday decorations today. Secondly, there's no denying that, arguably until after New Year's, retailers from Macy's to Victoria's Secret will be barraging us with holiday ads, whether on TV, in the newspaper, or online. It's really a shame that the holidays have become so highly commercialized. My coworkers and I were fretting the other day over the fact that many stores now sell Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff alongside their Halloween items. That means you can stock up on Christmas decorations as early as October. While doing so may save one money in the long run, coupling all three occasions does little to build anticipation for the latter holidays...

Tis the season to be jolly! Here are a few fun facts regarding the holiday season in the U.S. that you may not know: 1. Nine in 10 Americans say they celebrate Christmas while 32% view it as more of a cultural holiday than a religious one. 2. USPS will deliver 16 billion holiday letters, packages, and cards. 3. Over 100 million Americans will travel for the holidays this year. 4. 86% of Americans say they buy holiday gifts for family or friends. 5. Americans aim to spend an average of $935.58 each during the holiday shopping season this year. 6. Total holiday sales are expected to be over $655 billion. 7. 85% of Americans say they will probably give someone candy as a gift. 8. Americans eat about 3,000 calories worth of food during a typical holiday dinner. 9. 22 million turkeys are eaten for Christmas. 10. Americans bought nearly 26 million real Christmas trees last year and more than 13 billion fake ones. The facts I found most surprising were #7 and #8 abov...

To all my readers in the United States and around the world, I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Let me start off by saying that I'm grateful for the people for whom I passionately churn out content every day: you . This two-year-old blog -- nearly 1,100 posts and 212,000 views later -- wouldn't be what it is today without your support; I'll forever be indebted to everyone who takes the time to read, comment on, and/or share my posts. I look forward to writing more content in the coming days, months, and years that will continue to stimulate the substantive conversations my readers and I have on Google+, Facebook, and within the comments section of each individual post. It's obvious that many of you share my passion for so many of the topics I cover on this blog -- from psychology and human behavior to politics and history -- which is a real treat for someone like myself who has an insatiable appetite for learning. That sa...

It's Halloween today. That means a few things are certain: (1) Costumed children (2) Lots of candy (3) Election Day looms ahead  -- finally!  (4) The end of the year draws near. Once we hit the end of October, it really feels like the end of the year is just around the corner. On Sunday, we'll be turning the clocks back an hour. Before we know it, we'll find ourselves working on holiday shopping lists and itineraries.  Halloween falls on a Monday this year, which seems rather odd, doesn't it? Many people opted to attend Halloween parties over the weekend in lieu of trick-or-treating on a school night. I see Halloween as officially kicking off the holiday season. You'll notice that many retailers have been stocking their shelves not only with Halloween merchandise, but Christmas ornaments and decorations as well. Their strategy is obvious: Market all the holidays in one fell swoop.  To be sure, it's a smart move on the part of these merchants, as...

Which month of the year do you think sees the most divorces being filed? If you said January, you're correct. What an awful way to start the year, right? I can only surmise that married couples refrain from filing for divorce in November or December so as to avoid disrupting the holidays for their family. You can only imagine how painful that would be for them, especially if kids are in the picture. I, myself, witnessed my parents getting divorced when I was only 3. The whole child support/visitation thing was really rough. Sometimes I felt like a piece of property being sent back and forth between two households via FedEx. Though I'm not sure whether they officially got divorced in January, I'm certain it didn't take place over the holidays. I suppose some couples who take this huge step in January see it as paving the way for a great year instead of a bad one, especially if the marriage is so tumultuous that both parties couldn't get out of it fast e...

It's hard to believe today marks the start of autumn. This conjures up images of yellow and orange leaves blanketing yards and streets, oversized pumpkins, smiling scarecrows, costumed trick-or-treaters, and, though a little further into fall, scrumptious turkey and stuffing. Late September also signals the time of year I find to go by the quickest -- hands down. Between holidays, end-of-year celebrations, and other special occasions, these final three months fly by in a heartbeat. And that's to be expected. We're busier than we would be earlier in the year, doing everything from shopping for decorations and cooking holiday meals to taking vacations and closing out year-end budgets at work. Whether you welcome such hustle and bustle depends largely on your personality, lifestyle, and temperament. Though I love spending time with the family, I prefer the slower, more relaxed pace characteristic of the times of year that don't see as many holidays. You're ...

I know people who are too busy to visit their parents -- that is, except for Mother's Day and Father's Day. Then there are those who have lost one or both parents and become especially sorrowful on these days. One thing I always tell both camps is that Mother's Day and Father's Day are not once a year -- they're every day. I remind the first group that we should think about and reach out to our parents every day. If that's not feasible, it should be at least once a week. I know life gets in the way. We're busy with work, our kids, and so much else. But the fact of the matter is that our parents won't be here forever. We must strive to spend as much time with them as we possibly can while they're still alive. As for the second group, while it's normal to become more melancholy on these days -- who wouldn't with copious Facebook posts and commercials centering on these occasions? -- they should keep one thing in mind. Like all other...

Happy June, all! It's hard to believe we've reached the halfway point of the year. Six months are in the books, with just as many to go before we bid adieu to 2016. Doesn't it feel as though we were celebrating the holidays just yesterday? A new month marks an opportunity to move on from the problems and challenges of yesterday and look forward to better, more joyful days. May was a tough month for my wife and I. Not only did my father-in-law pass away, but I battled a pesky infection and fever in the closing days of the month. Thankfully, though, our strength, faith, and support from loved ones got us through it. The arrival of a new month allows us to press the proverbial reset button and start fresh. It gives us the ability to approach goals -- ones that may have seemed impossible to achieve last week -- with a sense of renewed optimism. It's like cleansing or purging ourselves of festering negativity and doubt. Whether you're aiming to lose weight, g...

Who else finds it hard to believe that we're in the middle of April already? It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating the holidays and ringing in the New Year. Summer will be here before we know it. I've noticed that once September ends, the final quarter of the year goes by at blazing speed, probably because of all the holidays that fall in those months. Remember how different things were when we were kids? Summer vacation couldn't come soon enough. The school year felt neverending. We would do anything back then to make time go a little faster. As adults, though, time feels scarce, and we only wish we had a way to stop or slow down the clock. The days seemingly blur into one another, and the months go by in the blink of an eye. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Time is without a doubt the most precious commodity we have. Unlike money, it's the one thing that we can't get back. Thus, it's no wonder why human beings strive to ...

Time flies! Can you believe that it's January 21st already? Weren't we just celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year? It seems like it was merely days ago that I was vacationing in sun-drenched Orlando. Indeed, time waits for no one, especially as we get older. Before we know it, the holidays will be right around the corner once again. If you use Facebook, you've probably noticed its nifty "On This Day" feature, which lets you view posts you submitted or were tagged on one, two, even four years ago. You see some of these and ask in sheer disbelief, "Was this really posted THAT long ago?" Some of the alerts I've received include posts about items we checked off our To-do List for our wedding, which took place almost two years ago. February should go by even faster, considering the month has fewer than 30 days. The time of year that flies by the quickest is undoubtedly the holidays. Once Halloween arrives, the final two months of t...

What would you do if someone gave you a cheap gift ?  With Christmas just a few weeks away, people are hitting the malls in full force, snagging everything from clothing to electronics. For some people, their holiday shopping list includes a few less expensive items they may plan to give to acquaintances or people they don't know all too well, like their kids' teachers, the cleaning lady at work, and so on. But sometimes we receive what we'd consider cheap gifts even from friends or relatives. This especially throws us for a loop when we've always given the other person higher-quality stuff. Would you feel the gift is a reflection of how much (or little) that individual values you? The first thing one has to determine is whether the person is strapped for cash. If he or she bought you something cheap because they really can't do any better at this time, then it's understandable. Most of us would probably do the same if we were in their shoes. The mere ...

I am firmly convinced that most stores now regard October 1 as the official kick-off date for the holiday season. Yesterday, my wife and I went to Denny's for dinner. I looked at the menu and couldn't help but notice that they've already made available holiday dishes and desserts -- and we haven't even celebrated Halloween yet! I find it jarring to spot wreaths, turkey ornaments, and Christmas lights on display at stores like Walmart and Walgreens so early in the year. Retailers have coupled Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas together -- it's as if they comprise a "holiday quarter" that begins in October and ends in December. I see both pros and cons to this approach. For one, consumers might find it convenient to purchase all their holiday decorations in one shot. What's more, they likely can take advantage of special offers that might otherwise not be available to them if the items were rolled out in separate months. However, this speaks ...

Today is July 1st, which means we're halfway through the year! Doesn't time fly? Feels like we were just celebrating the holidays. I'd like to think of the first day of the month as affording us another opportunity to start fresh -- to press the reset button, if you will. If you have any goals you've been putting off -- whether it's to go on a diet, write a book, earn a promotion, spend more time with your kids, or go skydiving -- July makes a great month to begin working toward them. That way, when the holidays come rolling around, you'll be able to assess your progress after 6 months. I've lost 5 pounds in recent weeks and aim to lose another 15 by year's end. What's more, another goal of mine is to write and read more with each passing month. What do you hope to achieve in July and before the end of the year? Share your thoughts and goals -- we'd love to read and comment on them! For earlier posts, please click here:  How to Unders...