Christmas, Out of the Box
With my mom and her brain tumor and me being over 500 miles away from home this holiday season, how we usually celebrate November through January is out the window. Although I encouraged the kids to collect and put away the pumpkins and autumn-colored silk leaves and hang the red bows on the light posts that line our driveway, I know that orange ribbons, felt pumpkins and little signs that declare, "Happy Autumn!" will be waiting for me when I get home late next week.
So, I guess I could say that my best out of the box frugal idea for Christmas is to just not celebrate it. {insert gasps here} Well, think about it. It would save a lot of money, time and hassle for everyone. But! Suggesting that might earn me the reputation of Grinch. Although my family doesn't celebrate Jesus' birth in the typical way with trees, presents and such, I am certainly not the Grinch! {breathe again please!} (Remember? I warned you that I'm an outside the box thinker...)
As with any holiday we celebrate, I think we should strive to give and make priceless memories that everyone will cherish from year to year, not just gifts that will long be forgotten by next year this time. I know the things that I cherish most didn't come with a price tag. With that, I offer some frugal ideas for the holiday season...
- Decide what memories you would like your family to have this holiday season and then work to create them. Some of us always talk about "creating memories," but sometimes they never happen. Sometimes we have to plan a bit to make them happen. Although we can't make anyone have happy memories, we can work to encourage happy memories. Decide on what you would like and then break it down into smaller chunks. Plan and execute, but don't stress. Mom, stress ruins it for EVERYONE. Relax. If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Remember? Prep in such a way that you can enjoy yourself, and BE HAPPY, "during" as well. You'll have to consciously practice some of the "happy details" with trial and error, but remember, it doesn't have to be perfect and each year it will get easier!
- Create low or no cost traditions. We do this all year long, for every holiday. The kids' favorite winter tradition is that we make gingerbread houses on the day of the first snow in December. We've done it for the last five years. They were so bummed when we couldn't this year. So although delayed, four of the most adorable kids in a world are going to bake gingerbread houses the first snow after I'm home. The trick to pulling it off is that I lay in a stash of candy after Halloween or the end of November (or Valentine's Day and on clearance of course! I keep it in the freezer.)
We read prophecies of Christ's birth on Christmas Eve and the story of his birth on Christmas Day. I put the creche out in October, when it would have likely been tax season in Gospel times. Some years I hold a Christmas tea where I have the ladies read Scripture, poems celebrating the birth of Christ and sing traditional carols while we have tea. Everyone brings a dish from a well planned menu and comes dressed in hat and gloves. It's such a lovely time.
If you would like to explore more holiday traditions, head to you local library and pick up books like Creating Family Traditions: Making Memories in Festive Seasons by Gloria Gaither & Shirley Dobson; A Time to Keep: The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays; Together: Creating Family Traditions by Rondi Hillstrom Davis & Janell Sewall Oakes; or Sarah Ban Breathnach's Mrs. Sharp's Traditions. - Pick winter themed decorations that you love and leave them up all winter. I love snowmen and snowflakes and greens with red berries! Picking more generic winter themed decorations gives you more bang for your decorating buck. The part I miss most about not celebrating Christmas in a more traditional way, is the lights. I love the lights. As a child, I was always disappointed when we had to take down the tree. I fix that problem by purchasing multiple boxes of lights on clearance after Christmas (most for 25¢ or 50¢ a set). I put them up the next November when the nights start getting longer. I take most of them down in February, although I have several strings that stay up all year long.
- Get the real stuff, the old fashioned way. Unless you live on the edge of an evergreen forest (that you happen to own), you probably don't want to start cutting down wild evergreens and dragging them home. The neighbors might frown. Although, gathering cuttings of greens and branches with red berries from a neighbor's woods or your "back 40" is a great way to bring the smell of Christmas inside for very little. White birch branches, pine cones and evergreen sprigs make a great centerpiece. Google for ways to make your own wreaths and swags.
- Decide on reasonable gifts and stick to your decision. Whether it is a set price or set number of gifts for each person, stick to it. I have friends that give their children only three gifts each. One represents gold, another frankincense and a third for myrrh. Each gift has spiritual significance in the child's life. They also limit spending to $50 per person. They never overspend and know that Christmas will cost less than $300 for their family of five. They budget a bit each month all year long. Coupling the three gifts with yearly traditions of friends and family, they have some of the best Christmases I know.
- Stock up on next year's decorations, gift wrap and cards on December 26th and 27th. No, you won't have first pick or get the hot looks of "the season," but if you choose well, you can get classic pieces and things that will last for years. I even look for more neutral wrapping papers to use all throughout the year. I also stock up on cards. This year I would like to try to expand my snowflake collection. If I can find some I like, I'll be able to put them out and enjoy them until February or March - not just for Christmas.
- Get organized. Being organized is as important to me as being frugal. Actually, I think they are sisters, close sisters. Being organized promotes frugality. Try using websites like Organized Christmas to help with cleaning schedules and gift lists so you can spend more time enjoying the holidays and less time stressing over them.
What are some of your favorite not so normal, but frugal, traditions?
However you choose to celebrate, or not, may you and your family enjoy the season!
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5 Responses to “Christmas, Out of the Box”
December 12th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Some folks in a nearby office get together and practice Christmas carols in four-part harmony, which they then sing during lunchtime on two consecutive Wednesdays in the stairwell of our building. I bring my lunch to the stairwell those days.
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I like to go for a walk on our local hike-and-bike trail on Christmas morning. It’s usually very quiet and beautiful, and we tend to have nice walking weather here in the south.
December 13th, 2007 at 8:15 am
This year I made the choice to spend less. I declared a “Crafted, thrifted or regifted Christmas.” I am regifting to my mom a set of china that I rarely use and I know she would love. The men are getting cookies w/ charity donations and the women are getting aprons, place mats and tote bags that I made. I haven’t been to the mall yet. Not going there at all means I haven’t seen all the latest decorations to covet. I haven’t seen all the gifts I’d like to give, and I haven’t bought myself any of the usual presents that somehow jump into my bags. So, not only have I saved some money, I have spared myself any feelings of lack that sometimes come with shopping.
Also, I only put out half of my decorations. I’m looking forward to putting away less and I am looking forward to seeing the other half of the decorations with fresh eyes when I open those boxes next year.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Could you follow this up with an example from the family of 3 gifts. What sort of things would represent each of those three gifts?
I’ve been trying to track down something I remember about a family that gave 7 (I think) gifts each year but I can’t remember the reason behind each gift. So I’ve started a small collection of reasons for X gifts! I have three or four so far is all.
thanks!
December 13th, 2007 at 9:08 am
[...] writes in Christmas, out of the box about friends who give their kids 3 gifts each year: “One represents gold, another [...]
December 13th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Gee Debbie, can I come to lunch with you the weeks the quartet sings? That sounds like great fun!
Jane, I love the idea about only putting out half your decorations. I did that with my autumn ones this year.
AnnMarie, I considered adding a bit more detail about my friend, but the piece was getting too long already. I’ll be happy elaborate though, since you asked.
Although you could pick any number you like for the total amount of gifts, both my friend and I like the Biblical significance of 3 – taken from the number of gifts the wise men brought the Christ Child. And like I said above, one represents gold, another frankincense and a third for myrrh.
Essentially they give a gift of “worldly” significance to represent the gold. The gift would be one thing the child just wants. It might be a football, inline skates, a doll, a board game or something similar.
I always mix up the frankincense and myrrh. One represents practical and the other spiritual. For the spiritual, it could be a devotional, a new Bible, a worship CD or a biblically inspired movie. The practical is just that, something they need that would be purchased new instead of being thrifted or secondhand. It could be shoes, a dress, backpack or whatever.
Although my friends have chosen a $50 gift cap per person because of their limited budget, you could easily play with that number and lower it or raise it to suit your needs.
To stretch the budget, you also could buy one larger, more expensive present for everybody. So it would be one large gift to share with everyone and two smaller individual ones for each. My friend has done that with great success in past years as well.
HTH
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