So, we have already made it through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. My email box is being flooded with internet offers to the tune of 30-50 a day. The adds are taking up more space than the news these days. Spend, spend, spend. Rock bottom prices, unheard of deals. How can we resist? The pull is great, isn't it?
Then there are the kids. Kaleb started his wish list months ago. Joshua got savvy this year and cut and pasted pictures into a word document just so we know exactly what he wants. His own mini Christmas catalog if you will, complete with prices and descriptions. The commercialism has our kids very hyped up. I can already feel the anticipation growing. I get daily reminders of how many days are left until the "big day". Oh the pressure and guilt that creeps in at the mere thought of disappointing them.
The statistics are staggering. The billions spent on gifts. The months spent paying off the bills. You know that finances are one of the biggest stressors in life, right? Bad finances lead many into divorce. I never completely shake the stress of finances, and it is not for lack of trying...really hard. Sometimes debt is unavoidable despite our best efforts. Christmas overspending however is completely avoidable. Don't do it! Commit yourself to spending less this year. Commit to staying within your means.
This year I took out my Christmas money in cash. No credit cards. It is helping me not to overspend. I know what I have and when it is gone.
One of my good friends from high school has 6 daughters and lives on a modest budget. Several years ago I asked her how they handle Christmas. What she told me has stuck with me ever since, though I can not say I have been able to follow her lead. She said that Jesus received 3 gifts according to scripture...gold, frankincense and myrrh. If 3 gifts were good enough for the baby Jesus, then 3 gifts were good enough for her girls. Each one received one large, one medium and one small gift. Period. Imagine if our kids knew that in advance. That would take care of a lot of the expectation end of things. And I imagine we would find fewer gifts tossed in the corner just days after Christmas. I love the connection to the nativity as well.
Another mom I spoke with only allows her kids to have 5 items at a time on their wish lists. That is a great idea! If you want to add something new, something else needs to come off the list. WOW! Decisions, decisions.
It is not just about spending less. It is about not getting eaten up by the greed monster. That ugly greed and stuff monster that clouds our ability to embrace the real Christmas. The real Jesus. Gifts are not bad. I really enjoy giving gifts. And receiving them too, who doesn't?? Just make them a part of your Christmas, not THE focus of it. Chose to spend less, stress less, in order that you can focus more on having a meaningful Christmas.
Kind of ironically, the next tip will be on giving more. Huh? Stay tuned.
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