  GOOD GIFT I had actually grown so sick of expensive presents that I instructed my family to go easy on me this Christmas; the volume of presents I got plummeted from 15 to 2, which meant that they were more thoughtful.
I got one article of clothing and one DVD, Seabiscuit, which is one of my favorite movies because it is a true, inspriational story of historical importance with compelling characters. I think it is amazing that a small horse ridden by a big jockey previously discarded as useless can win the heart of a country dispirted by the Great Depression, and, later, when the horse and jockey are both crippled, can come back to win again. That is the kind of thing that ends malaise. Right now the vast majority of my family have gone to Naples, Florida, on a one-week golf vacation. I don't like golf, so I thought going would be fruitless. I do wish things were open and there were things to do, but I still understand the value of having Holidays like this. 
