I have always wanted to keep Christmas an inexpensive, low-key, spiritually centered holiday
IT IS SO HARD! To NOT get caught up in the hype!
What do you tell your kids if you are not emphasizing Santa?
I think Santa is fun and relatively harmless but doesn’t really mix too well with spirituality, Christ and not spending a lot of money.
What do you tell them, Santa ran out of money, or Santa is on a budget this year?
I think it is all silly!!!!!
So looking back to our first Christmas Married – 1996
Matt was just coming home from the Army and we were broke, no actually screwed was more like it (long story)We scrimped and saved to come up with 1 much needed present for ourselves, a vacuum. It was as tall as our Christmas Tree! The years following the Christmas consumer spirit has seeped into our hearts and home.
This year I vowed to make it different.
NOW Suddenly by circumstances of life and a fair amount of accompanying stupidity we are forced into sticking by that choice. It is easy to allow yourself to become saddened. Woe is me – I feel so sad for myself – how silly!
So today I am reading about ideas on the web and can you believe that there are tons of other people out there who are doing the same thing! There are whole websites dedicated to ideas for having a spending free Christmas
Home made gifts
Thoughtful Acts of kindness and services
Recycling fabric, paper, containers, clothing for wrapping gifts
New attitudes and ways of thinking about Christmas altogether
Did you know there are websites where you can buy a chicken or a goat for a family in a 3rd world country? I’m sure there are some that are good and ligitiment.
The after Christmas sales are better than anything else all year if you are looking for toys or things for the kiddos – and its not like toys are what we need around these parts anyway.
It is all a thought and feeling in progress.
AND – I absolutely do not buy into the idea of buying a gift for every person who I consider a friend! If we did that -say we each pick our top 5 people – that’s 20 more people!!!! At $5.00 a pop your looking at another $100.00 in useless stuff that will probably just get thrown out or stuffed under a bed.
Crazy, Crazy world we live in. Or, is it just me?
I agree. It is hard to say that Santa is broke. I am really glad that I did my shopping at garage sales and that way we can still have a Christmas but for like $10 total. (Ok, I did get the girls one new thing at the store, but they were cheap.) And as far as the friend thing goes- goodie plates!
ReplyDeleteHere is a story I came across from the kids dumping the old ensigns all over the floor.... http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=098349f833f3f010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1
ReplyDeleteThat has great ideas.
also... I am trying to find a way for the little ones to understand that christmas is about giving. They should find things or ways that they can give to each other or to others without it being a bought present. like an act of service for each other. Write it down and wrap that to give on christmas.
I have had some small things stashed I just remembered having and I only want them to have 1 toy each. I don't think they will care so much at a young age what they get.
I remember Brandon's first Christmas, we went so overboard! It was exciting and WE wanted him to have everything because he had no toys yet. ( he was 10 months!) crazy!
Hey I am feeling the same way! What to get? And spend little on it? Well, I have to say that I have been looking at Craig's List and KSL.com classifieds. I found the cutest princess vanity that retails for $50+ and it cost me $20 and it looks brand new. I am guessing that you probably have better stuff like that there cause everyone is probably not so darn cheap like they are here! HAHA As far as the other stuff goes, I am not sure but Ethan is only 4 and is just barely even grasping the concept of Santa, so I just figure, if he does not get a lot, he definitely has nothing to compare it to! ;) yet anyway...
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