Christmas has always been a challenging time of the year for me. During various years, within a week or two on either side of Christmas, my grandfather (who I cherished ) died of cancer, a great uncle that I was very close to also died of cancer, and one of my cousins who was exactly the same age as me committed suicide. The Christmas season is thus bittersweet for me. There are so many positive feelings and memories I have about this season, but the memories of the final days of loved ones and of funerals and of people I dearly miss also fill the season. There are a few Christmas carols that, when I first hear them during the Christmas season, whack me in the stomach like a two by four. Because of all of this, I often get really obsessive about trying to ensure that the Christmas season is really great for all of those around me – my parents, my children, my wife. The emotional mix of the Christmas season, for me, often results in me making spending choices that I wouldn’t otherwise make. I’ll choose wonderfully frugal gifts for some people, then I’ll spend far too much on a gift for someone else. By the time Christmas finally rolls around, I almost feel relieved that it’s all over for another year. I also feel a lot of guilt and shame because I feel as though I spent far too much on gifts for others during the season.

Read more here – Spending Choices and Deeper Psychology