This
year I want to challenge you to think outside the box a bit when it comes to celebrating
Christmas so you don’t break the bank and end up with a giant credit card bill
come January. In my opinion, a huge bill
is no way to start out a new year.
Instead, let’s get excited about the holidays with no buyer’s remorse.
Have The Talk!
Have a discussion with your family (the Thanksgiving table may be the perfect venue) about scaling back on the gift giving, not just on how much one should be spending, but also on the quantity of gifts you are giving. Explain your “why”. Let everyone know that times are tough right now (no one will argue that point) and that you are paying off debt or you are saving for something important.
Instead
focus on experiences, traditions and of course, the food. As we have looked back over the years at
previous holidays we never seem to remember the gifts we were given, but we
always remember wonderful food we ate and the fun things we did. When it comes to the gifts we give our
children set a modest budget and stick to it.
I also love this idea – Something you
want, something you need, something to wear & something to read. Simple, easy and more than plenty.
Make It A Challenge!
Nothing
fires people up and gets them excited more than a good ol’ challenge. Whether the challenge is homemade gifts only,
food gifts only, experience gifts only, $5 gifts, $10 gifts, white elephant
gifts or whatever you decide a challenge can be a fun and exciting part of your
holidays this year. Instead of giving a
gift to everybody outside of your immediate family consider drawing names
instead or host a gift exchange where everyone brings a single gift. Rules can vary and “stealing” may or may not
be allowed.
Shop Your Home First!
Before
you go shopping for baking ingredients or food for holiday meals go through the
freezer, fridge and pantry and pull out everything you already have. Then make a list and fill in the blanks. Pull out all of the crafts supplies you have
squirreled away in drawers and closets and finally put them to good use. Look at items around your house, even in the
garage, and consider re-gifting them to someone you know would enjoy them. Or, finally get some of those photos on your
phone printed up and give them to your loved ones.
Decorate!
Pull
out all of that holiday décor and get busy decorating your home. Most of us will agree that we have way too many
holiday decorations and tangled strings of lights. Challenge yourself to use only what you
already have instead of buying new things this year. Maybe now is a good time to downsize and
consolidate what you have and share some of the overflow with others. Trade your extra string of lights or box of
ornaments for a “new” (to you) wreath for your front door. Make
trimming the tree a party event
this year. Consider playing holiday music
or streaming a favorite Christmas movie while you decorate. Kevin!!!!
Wrap It Up!
Chances are pretty good you already have everything you need to wrap gifts, make your own cards or give away homemade cookie plates on a plain paper plate covered in Saran wrap with bow on top. Every year my next door neighbor gives me a loaf of her delicious pumpkin bread wrapped in foil with a bow on top. I love it! One year we received an assortment of cookies on a tray that was made out of a shoe box lid. Clever! If you’ve been saving cookie or popcorn tins over the years now is the time to use them up and give them away.
When it
comes to gift wrapping you don’t necessarily need it to be Christmas specific
either. Plain paper will work just
fine. I personally love the look of brown
paper with red ribbon so go ahead and cut up that paper grocery bag taking up
residence in the bottom of your pantry and put it to work. Use aluminum foil or colorful tissue paper to
wrap small gifts and tie with a ribbon or length of yarn. Make your own gift tags too.
Keep It Simple!
Keeping
it all very simple and basic not only reduces stress, but it also makes the
holidays much more enjoyable. One of our
traditions is to drive around on Christmas Eve and look at the lights people
have put up on their houses. One year it
was a full moon out so we just bundled up and walked our neighborhood. It was so quiet and beautiful, downright
enchanting. When we got home I made hot
cocoa for everyone and then we scuttled off to bed before Santa arrived.
Scaling
back and keeping things simple won’t put a damper on the festivities in fact it
may be quite the opposite. You will mostly
likely introduce new experiences, new traditions and make a lot of memories
along the way. Your bonus is that there
won’t be a big bill waiting for you in January.
