The Christmas fervour of shopping malls and Dundas Square is partly a good thing. It creates a sense of community and happiness. And it's a way to brighten up the cold, overcast dullness of winter. But people really do need to control their spending and remember that they are not the Great Gatsby.

This is a cautionary tale of what happens all over Canada during the previous holiday season and throughout the year: People opted to use credit cards to make purchases they could not afford, which ended up costing them more due to interest charges than they had anticipated and left them with bills they reluctantly had to pay.

As the holiday season draws near, now is the perfect time to give you fine readers some random facts that you might not know about Christmas, December, and the holiday season in general. Grab a cup of egg nog and enjoy!