Christmas Holiday Giving

It is almost Christmas! Where has this year gone? We have less than 14 days until Christmas. Do you have all your shopping done yet? Am I scaring you yet? Christmas is a busy time of year for everybody and the most expensive time of the year. So today I thought I would give you some alternatives to spending way too much money on Christmas gifts. Do you really have to spend a lot of money, to make everybody happy at Christmas time? I would hope the answer would be no.

We as a family decided that Christmas is not about what we get or how much we spend that counts. So Christmas is a little different but still just as rewarding as any other holiday. We decided not to spend over $50 on a Christmas tree that is only up for about 3 weeks. We use our fern as our Christmas tree and we put lights, candy canes, bows, and a lighted angel near the bottom of the tree. This has been our Christmas tree for the last 3 years and everybody loves it. It still looks special decorated up each year. My youngest daughter likes to decorate so we spent an afternoon putting up lights and decorations around the whole house. No Christmas tree expense saves a lot of money each year.

Gift Giving

This is where the money goes really quickly if you do not watch what you spend. My children are a little older so they know how much mom and dad are willing to spend. Learning to be a little more frugal and spending less will not make Christmas any different. Our children just want to spend time with family and friends. Our children don’t want a lot of stuff they cannot use, they want quality time spent together as a family. We have a Christmas meal at the in-laws and visit with the cousins.

Last year my husband’s parents gave a unique gift to everybody, instead of getting something you did not want or need she gave each person a cookbook that everybody liked and a gift card.  This was simple easy with no complaints from anybody, and no gift returns necessary. Everyone got a gift they could use and wanted. Ask people what they want or get a gift list from everybody. Keep it simple and set a price limit so nobody goes overboard.

Another great way to give is by checking out your local homeless shelter or united way. We as a family use gifts from the past that are not being used or wanted anymore and pack them up for a much-needed family in our community. Clothes, toys, blankets, and even food are much appreciated by these families. Christmas is a time for giving, so why not help out a family in need of a little Christmas cheer.

If you are religious, go see a Christmas program done by the little kids. Just listening to them singing all those Christmas songs will put you in the Christmas spirit. Join a choir or group and go Christmas caroling to nursing homes or around your town. Giving your time and your voice will brighten and cheer up their day.  Check if you can do some bell ringing at a store to help the less fortunate.

As you have seen my oldest daughter makes all of her own Christmas gifts to save money. Here are a few more things she made. All her projects she made cost under $6 dollars a piece.

Quality Time Spent Together

When I was growing up, around Christmas it was a time for Christmas TV shows. Every year we looked forward to Frosty the Snowman, Rouduff The Red Nose Reindeer, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. As I grew up watching the black and white version of Scrooge and A Christmas Carol were some of my favorites.  A new favorite of mine is the movie called Christmas Shoes. This movie shows the real meaning of Christmas, plus there is a song called Christmas Shoes. I recommend watching this movie and listening to this song, it will make you cry and learn the real meaning of Christmas. My mother used to make a Birthday cake for Jesus to celebrate his birth.

Making Christmas special doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Why have all those bills to worry about, start your own holiday traditions and make it special in your own way!. Merry Christmas from Suzie Homemaker.

Christmas Trees

Christmas Trees! Should I buy a real one or an artificial tree? When we were first married money was very tight so we decided to buy an artificial tree. This way you could use it over for the next year. Then my husband’s parents said we needed to buy a real tree when the children came around. Now that my children are almost grown up, do I need to have a tree at all? Every family has traditions, but depending on where you are in your life you can  decorate for Christmas any way you like. Today I will tell you all the ways that we have decorated for Christmas over the years.

When I first met my husband he never had a tree so I surprised him the next year with an artificial tree. This is where I saved a lot of money.  I bought the tree after Christmas on a clearance sale. I waited until almost all the trees were gone and then bought my tree at 75% off. I also bought all my decorations and garland at 75% off. This tree was used for over 6 years before we decided it was time to sell it at a rummage sale.

When the children came we were told they needed a real tree. As you know real Christmas trees are very expensive. They can range from $30.00 dollars and up. This gets very expensive when they are only up for a few weeks. To save on a real trees try cutting down your own. What we did as a family was find a tree place that sells trees cheaper if you have the whole family buy their trees there. We had over 6 families buying a tree at the same place and they gave us a discount.

Now that my children are grown up we decided not to have a Christmas tree. 21 years ago I received a fern as a gift, and it was only 6 inches tall. Today my fern is over 8 feet tall and is now my Christmas tree. I put an angel on top and bows and candy canes on for decorations. This has become my Christmas tree now for the last 3 years.

Have a very Merry Christmas from Suzie Homemaker.