Christmas time is here again! Or at least, that’s what I’m told every time I walk into a mall, turn on the radio, or step outside to see the twinkling Christmas lights.
I remember growing up in Winnipeg when the malls this time of year were packed. Maybe the people seemed twice their size with all the big winter jackets, snow boots and toques. Santa hasn’t eaten too many Christmas cookies, he’s just well prepared for the Winnipeg winter. But everyone (Santa included) is there to shop. While some will make their case against the consumer mentality that has highjacked the Christmas season, I will say this:
Life is hard. It gets tedious sometime. We can find ourselves in a seemingly never ending routine and need something to brighten it up. That’s why I love the holidays. Across the board, on mass, here we all are. Filling the streets and decorating houses with twinkling Christmas lights, setting up public displays in the malls with Santa and his elves, and playing with the rolls of beautiful bright shiny gift wrap, tied with a bow. The Christmas carols play – and we get a break from the norm. A reminder that life should be celebrated.
As a kid, we all remember the wide-eyed wonder and rushing down the stairs first thing on Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought us. As an adult, the joy is in the giving. There is nothing quite like the way a love one’s face brightens when you’ve been able to give a good gift.
But we can go overboard. Christmas has the ability create incredible financial stress, and instead of being a time of joy, can create a financial hangover that lasts well into the New Year.For those with young children, or even large families or groups of friends, the volume of gifts and gatherings can add up. Here are some tips to help.
1. Have a spending budget for the season
Our Christmas shopping list is broken down by person and by dollar amount. Over the years, we’ve cut down that list as much as possible. It’s not to say that some people are less important than others, but more to say that we only have a finite amount of money and need to set guidelines about how much we actually have to spend. This year, because we have less money available, the per person amount has gone down. That doesn’t mean that we love them any less, it just means that with all of our other bills and Cam’s schooling costs, we don’t want to end the holiday season in debt.
2. Determine what is important and set expectations
Because of this we’ve had to think through our gift giving process. Do our family and friends really want a gift card in the mail so that they can turn around and send us one of equal value in return? Is that really what that person wanted, or have we reduced it to just one more item that we can check off our own Christmas list? I think there is sometimes a disconnect that can be created from giving out of obligation instead of giving because it means something. Determine what means the most to the people left on your list and then talk to them about it. Has it been a while since you’ve seen them face to face? Maybe they just want to reconnect. What about phone call, a coffee date or a home cooked meal? A good gift doesn’t have to be something you bought in the store.
3. Give the gift they want
When I was a kid there was always that one gift that I wanted. Then, maybe a nice surprise, but everything after that was secondary. When a lot of gifts were given, they were fun to open, but many would fall by the wayside and that one prized possession would get all of the attention. By focusing on what our loved ones really want, we can cut out some of unnecessary volume or the pricier items that may just end up on a shelf.
4. Create the memories that will last a lifetime
I had the good fortune of being raised by a big family. Our immediate family was just my parents, my brother and I, but the aunts, uncles, and cousins all got together every week at my grandparent’s house for family dinner. During those cold Winnipeg winters we got into the habit of booking a sleigh ride to celebrate the season. That meant that nearly thirty people loaded up on a horse drawn sleigh, bundled up head to toe in our snow gear, pushing each other off the back of the sleigh into the feet of snow and running (waddling) after the horses until the ride was over and we could all go for hot chocolate. It’s something I’ll never forget, and far more valuable than the gifts I’ve used up or outgrown.
Materialism is not a measure of love. Spend time and make a memory with those dearest to your heart this season. Capture it, frame the photo and you’ve created a lasting reminder of a relationship that is far more meaningful than anything you could find in a store. There is joy in giving – don’t deprive yourself of that – and equal joy in receiving, but as the years past the things we have given as presents will fade while the glow of the memories we made will warm our hearts for years to come.
