Saturday, December 6, 2008
Cutting Back
J and I have been having some pretty DEEP conversations on cutting back. Another post for another day. Tonight I got to thinking about if the economy is forcing readers of this blog to cut back this Christmas? Or are you just wanting to get back to the spirit of Christmas and that's why you're cutting back? OR are you not cutting back simply because it's Christmas and you want it to be as fun as possible? AND on that note, do you have a certain number of gifts you give your children? A certain tradition? I want to hear all about it, so give me some scoop in the comment section!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Mike & I are all in a "cut back" mode. But, that's because we seem to always have just enough. Which is fine, God always provides what we need.
We have made efforts to always make Christmas about Christ, not gifts. We give modest gifts to the kids in our family. Now that we have Nathan, we will make sure he looks forward to the Christmas season and Day for the right reasons.
We have always let the kids ask for 3 things from Santa (who I am so wishing I had never started) because the Wise Men brought 3 gifts ( it makes practical sense to them corralates back to the birth story of christ.) it helps to keep things practical around here. This year has been harder but i have enjoyed it more because my kids really GET it. They understand that they receive gifts to honor Jesus Birth and not just for something random. We did not even put up the outside garb this year because the kids wanted it to be about Jesus and not who has the most lights. Does that keep Wes from asking EVERY 5 SECONDS if he can open a gift? NO because they are kids. I did something new this year and I am about to post about it today or tommorrow so check it out.
I was raised from birth in 'cut back' mode. We always only received 3 small gifts for a cost of $50-$100 total. No Ipods, gaming system, Nike tennis shoes were ever under our tree. With out kids so far we have only bought little stuff. I watch sells, espcecially lifeway.com and can get kids DVD's for $5. This year we have been graced with a used playset and playhouse so we are spending only about $25. In other cutting back we have cut out junk food because it is just too expensive and we are loosing weight! Plus we don't eat out much and that has a seen a reduction in weight. I also clip coupons, yard sale, ad match and go without.
I have not been short on my thoughts on the consumerism of Christmas. I am not a fan of the holiday as it is. I appreciate the thought in it, but hate when people feel obligated to give something they can ill afford to do. And i hate how people feel if they "don't get something they like." It was a GIFT for crying out loud!
That said, I was captivated by my daughters words the other day. I make a point to hug them each day and thank Jesus for the gift of another day with them. My 5 yr old said to me:
"Dad, if everyday is a gift, then is everyday Christmas?"
Out of the mouth of babes comes great wisdom.
We started last year doing very little in the way of gifts around the house, (we do that all year long anyway), and have started looking into places like World Vision or local mission groups to help those who have real need.
My 2 cents!
This year has been a huge blessing for us in more ways than we can count. Normally we do keep it very simple, especially since all of our family is local so the kids get bombarded with gifts, however this year we've decided to splurge some. Nothing too astronomical but more than normal. The biggest thing they will get is a DVD player for the van which is for all 3 of them and I got a great deal on. We really don't buy the kids much throughout the year and up until this year things have always been VERY tight that it's kind of nice to not be as stressed about the $$ and find things they will really enjoy...not necessarily meaning toys. I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way, for those of you who know me know what I'm trying to say, but I like the idea of somewhat finally being able to "spoil" over kids even if it is for only 1 year.
We will be giving the kids 4 gifts each, 3 from Santa (like the 3 gifts the wise men gave to Jesus), and 1 gift to open from Mommy and Daddy on Christmas Eve. This will be new to us, so we are busy "prepping" the kids, so they don't expect a dozen presents under the tree, as in past years. I anticipate that we will spend about $60-$75 per child.
I'm glad to be cutting back - it seems like with all the other gifts our kids get, from friends and family, it's just way too much.
Yes we are cutting back. I still haven not bought a single Christmas gift. This year more than any (with Aiden's adoption) I am asking the Lord to show me exactly what to get my children that will be meaningful and economical. I want to be creative. I don't want just STUFF under the tree for the sake of a "big pile".
What I really want is a precious little tow headed boy to be home safe and loved forever.
Post a Comment