Random Thoughts: Twas the Night before Christmas

Happy Yuletide!

Christmas is pretty much upon us, and there is only today left to get all your shopping done, but luckily you can enjoy the Boxing Day sales today as well (?!?!). Santa seems to have put some nice presents under the tree for investors, with the Markets now recovering to levels above where we were 2 years ago (wasn’t the recovery supposed to take a decade to recover from), so for those brave enough to stay in the markets or get back into it, you must be celebrating a little more this Holiday season.

The stores seem to look busy (at least the parking lots do), but when I go in, it doesn’t seem any worse than any other Christmas, if anything it seems a little more laid back than usual, but I also don’t do much of the shopping in my house either, maybe I am missing the Flash Mobs of shoppers.

What Did I Write?

Lots of curmudgeonly commentary by me this week in preparation for the holiday season.

• Sunday Thoughts on MicroLoans is a video by one of Kiva’s founders about how microloans to 3rd world nations could be the right way to help your fellow person.
• Santa does love his points is me gloating that I managed to build up a very large amount of PC Points which I am now using to buy Christmas gifts.
• Even in this holiday season being safe is important as I pointed out in Christmas Security. Don’t leave those gifts in the car where everyone can see them.
• If you are planning on getting some end of year banking done remember Holiday Hours at the Bank and plan accordingly. Even on line note the dates when transactions will go through.
• After getting yet another early Boxing Day Sale e-mail I ranted Boxing Day Sales and What is the Price?. Given the airlines are making huge profits with all these surcharges, it’s getting a little silly about the hidden price trick.
• Random Thoughts: Christmas is Coming is a recap of the previous week’s best posts with the Yuletide coming.

The Santa Rally has some folks giddy about investing, but remember with the highs will come the lows, and make your profits stick too (i.e. maybe it’s time to sell?):

• YesIamCheap confirms again to me I made a wise choice staying out of being a Landlord with the post Finance 101: How to Avoid Bad Tenants. I have neither the patience nor the ability to deal with this stuff, so I am staying out of being a Landlord!
• Michael James writes of the importance of Stress Testing Your Retirement Plan, and don’t just use current data as your baseline, try different scenarios and see how things end up.
• Tom at CanadianPersonalFinanceBlog has a great sentiment with A Great New Year’s Resolution: Sell Your Crap!, which I really like. Stop cluttering your house up with crap, get rid of it, if you can make money doing it, even better.
• Larry MacDonald wonders if Higher Prices for Natual Gas might be an opportunity to short shell? I don’t delve into those areas, but I hope there are few spikes in the price, as I still heat with it!
• 2Cents at BalanceJunkie has a lovely holiday spirit with the post Get Me Through December, which is a sentiment many of us have, but after December, we miss it.
• Preet who is also busy this holiday season made an Appearance with Peter Mandsbridge so you can see what the man himself looks like. He is a very snappy dresser that is for sure.

Holiday Hours

There will be some posts next week, but they may not be on every day. It will mostly be some best of posts, so enjoy these retrospectives on the year 2010, and a final Rant of the Year Post (a Top 10). Watch for that one.

Enjoy your Holidays and a Merry Christmas to you all.

Remember

“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.“

Author: Charles Schulz