In a consumer-driven society, the power of creativity is often overlooked. But it’s key, especially in hardscrabble times. Here are a few resolutions to get your artistic engines running in 09.

I’m a compulsive planner when it comes to food. I can wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the week’s grocery shopping and nudge my partner to ask, “How do you feel about halibut this weekend?”

A few minutes on the Internet can easily turn into hours. For me, they turned into all of 2008.

You know you’re going to make promises you won’t keep: to eat less, spend less, exercise more, start something, quit something, be better at something, spend less money, etc.

But what if you went super-fundamental and vowed simply to enjoy life more? Now, there’s something that might be doable. 

A lot of restaurants are going under next year, and I blame reality TV.

Frank and April meet at a party. He’s gorgeous; she’s radiant. Of course, they end up together. He tells her he wants to travel the world, do great things – write a great novel, or maybe paint. She tells him she’s going to be a Broadway star. None of those things will happen.

We resolve to tune out our stubborn fashion sense and invest in a practical winter coat. All down coats aren’t cut the same, though, and svelte picks, from Joe Fresh’s cinched-waist topper to Canada Goose’s classic parka, cozily cover every price point.