Christmas option?
Wildflower Car
As Fall weather hits our area, I am enjoying the breeze, sitting out late on
the porch, and all the other things that come with Fall. Then it hits me,
Christmas is coming!
I am so sick of Christmas. Let me change that, I am sick of the Christmas
gift frenzy.
I need an option to opt out. I would rather buy the things my children want
when I can afford it and they want it. But the extended family would have a
melt down. And my kids do enjoy getting gifts from them, so maybe my
immediate family should have our own Christmas in the summer?
Does anyone have any suggestion on what I might do?
Wildflower
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the porch, and all the other things that come with Fall. Then it hits me,
Christmas is coming!
I am so sick of Christmas. Let me change that, I am sick of the Christmas
gift frenzy.
I need an option to opt out. I would rather buy the things my children want
when I can afford it and they want it. But the extended family would have a
melt down. And my kids do enjoy getting gifts from them, so maybe my
immediate family should have our own Christmas in the summer?
Does anyone have any suggestion on what I might do?
Wildflower
_________________________________________________________________
Get a FREE small business Web site and more from Microsoft� Office Live!
http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/aub0930003811mrt/direct/01/
jane doe
Wildflower, I had my Christmas meltdown years and
years and years ago, before I had kids even. The most
important thing to remember is what Christmas is all
about. We celebrate Christmas to remember God's gift
of his son to us. So, instead of running around
spending money on "things" we do other things to keep
the spirit of Christmas. We have done a number of
things over the years but with the kids we have taken
to adopting an entire family. Not from one of those
public wish trees but from a priest or social worker
or someone that can help us with our questions (sizes,
toy desires, food allergies). Christmas is a time for
wants not needs so we try to get fun things as well as
needed items and lots of food, some fun and some
necessary for the kids and adults. My kids go through
the ads looking for the best sales for what they want
to buy and spend hours going through coupons and
matching them with grocery circulars. We buy big
quantities in Costco too. It will do your heart good,
trust me.
For family we do simple things, generally consumable.
Learn how to make candy, paint chocolate, roll candles
with beeswax, make stationary, I'm sure you can think
of lots of crafts the kids would like to try. The only
exception I make is for my 85 year old mother, I use
Christmas as an excuse to buy her something she
desperately needs but can't afford, usually a house
repair type item. Let your family know that you chose
to put your resources to help a needy family. It would
be un-Christian for them to complain, wouldn't it?
Better yet, invite them to do it too!! To round out
Christmas make sure you write in stone some fun
outings. I found that once they were on the calendar
we were more likely to go than just saying we wanted
to go. Pick a night to drive around town and see
lights and a Christmas concert and whatever special
event is in your proximity. And don't forget the
Nutcracker! Make fun traditions instead of money ones.
My dh is Santa at the Y's breakfast every year, then
we go cut down our Christmas tree. Oddly, my dh is
also the one who sets up the haunted house for
Halloween! My kids know they will get what they need
and want and they honestly love what we do. Just jump
off the bandwagon- you'll be glad you did!!
ELISA
We can do no great things; only small things with great love- Mother Teresa
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years and years ago, before I had kids even. The most
important thing to remember is what Christmas is all
about. We celebrate Christmas to remember God's gift
of his son to us. So, instead of running around
spending money on "things" we do other things to keep
the spirit of Christmas. We have done a number of
things over the years but with the kids we have taken
to adopting an entire family. Not from one of those
public wish trees but from a priest or social worker
or someone that can help us with our questions (sizes,
toy desires, food allergies). Christmas is a time for
wants not needs so we try to get fun things as well as
needed items and lots of food, some fun and some
necessary for the kids and adults. My kids go through
the ads looking for the best sales for what they want
to buy and spend hours going through coupons and
matching them with grocery circulars. We buy big
quantities in Costco too. It will do your heart good,
trust me.
For family we do simple things, generally consumable.
Learn how to make candy, paint chocolate, roll candles
with beeswax, make stationary, I'm sure you can think
of lots of crafts the kids would like to try. The only
exception I make is for my 85 year old mother, I use
Christmas as an excuse to buy her something she
desperately needs but can't afford, usually a house
repair type item. Let your family know that you chose
to put your resources to help a needy family. It would
be un-Christian for them to complain, wouldn't it?
Better yet, invite them to do it too!! To round out
Christmas make sure you write in stone some fun
outings. I found that once they were on the calendar
we were more likely to go than just saying we wanted
to go. Pick a night to drive around town and see
lights and a Christmas concert and whatever special
event is in your proximity. And don't forget the
Nutcracker! Make fun traditions instead of money ones.
My dh is Santa at the Y's breakfast every year, then
we go cut down our Christmas tree. Oddly, my dh is
also the one who sets up the haunted house for
Halloween! My kids know they will get what they need
and want and they honestly love what we do. Just jump
off the bandwagon- you'll be glad you did!!
ELISA
>We have a collective responsibility to the least of us-Phil Ramone
We can do no great things; only small things with great love- Mother Teresa
____________________________________________________________________________________
Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting
Ren Allen
~~The most
important thing to remember is what Christmas is all
about.~~
Christmas is all about different things for different people here. I
prefer to tap into some of the more ancient aspects of that season by
celebrating the solstices.
http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htm
We also prefer to make a lot of handmade gifts and share our interests
and unschooling life in that way.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
important thing to remember is what Christmas is all
about.~~
Christmas is all about different things for different people here. I
prefer to tap into some of the more ancient aspects of that season by
celebrating the solstices.
http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htm
We also prefer to make a lot of handmade gifts and share our interests
and unschooling life in that way.
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Ren Allen
~~
Does anyone have any suggestion on what I might do?~~
Can you be more specific about the parts that are causing stress? We
love a big Christmas celebration here, but we've brought "chosen
family" in for celebrating with as our extended family is far away.
Can you start earlier in the year? We also try to purchase things our
kids want all year, but there are still items we get at Christmas.
Something we've done with extended family is a name drawing. That way
you can focus on purchasing one nicer gift for the person you draw,
rather than something smaller for everyone.
It's between my sisters and I. Last year we drew a family name and the
idea was a gift the whole family could enjoy (games, food etc..). I
really like to just have the cousins draw a name and do it that way,
it changes every year.:)
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
Does anyone have any suggestion on what I might do?~~
Can you be more specific about the parts that are causing stress? We
love a big Christmas celebration here, but we've brought "chosen
family" in for celebrating with as our extended family is far away.
Can you start earlier in the year? We also try to purchase things our
kids want all year, but there are still items we get at Christmas.
Something we've done with extended family is a name drawing. That way
you can focus on purchasing one nicer gift for the person you draw,
rather than something smaller for everyone.
It's between my sisters and I. Last year we drew a family name and the
idea was a gift the whole family could enjoy (games, food etc..). I
really like to just have the cousins draw a name and do it that way,
it changes every year.:)
Ren
learninginfreedom.com
The Victors
I have already been buying things through the year but I sat my dollar
limits low this year ($50 per child compared to almost $250 over the years,
yes, that is why we are in such debt) but I really want to celebrate
Christmas for what it means for our particular religion (Christian) and quit
buying so much into the commercialism of the holiday. I then suggest taking
a family cruise with the money we normally spend buying things we really
don�t need. My mother has always wanted to see Alaska and our small
weekend get-away to the �Ocean� (Corpus Christi and San Antonio) meant more
to my 6 and 2 year old than any toy gathering dust in their toy boxes. We
also gathered several �Lifepacks� from our church where we fill them with
things we think the homeless begging on the street might need and hubby
passes them out.
Melissa V.
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
No virus found in this outgoing message.
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7:54 PM
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limits low this year ($50 per child compared to almost $250 over the years,
yes, that is why we are in such debt) but I really want to celebrate
Christmas for what it means for our particular religion (Christian) and quit
buying so much into the commercialism of the holiday. I then suggest taking
a family cruise with the money we normally spend buying things we really
don�t need. My mother has always wanted to see Alaska and our small
weekend get-away to the �Ocean� (Corpus Christi and San Antonio) meant more
to my 6 and 2 year old than any toy gathering dust in their toy boxes. We
also gathered several �Lifepacks� from our church where we fill them with
things we think the homeless begging on the street might need and hubby
passes them out.
Melissa V.
The LORD replied:
"My son, my precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.21/1010 - Release Date: 9/15/2007
7:54 PM
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]