Let's Talk About Christmas

So lets talk about Christmas shall we. Let's get real about Christmas. Let's get really real about Christmas.

So I have a mother that SUCKS at giving presents, she has from day one. Tell ya socks are not Christmas presents a child can get excited over. After how many years of her Christmases I find it very hard to get excited about Christmas.

And now that it's about the kids, she still SUCKS at giving gifts. Although her gift giving has changed. She now lives at Wal Mart and loves to shop their Clearance. The odd things my kids have gotten. You just roll your eyes and wonder what the hell this lady was thinking. A year or two ago, I had one child in tears because he opened all her gifts and yeah, everything then went into the goodwill box.

We also live in a really small house, so loads of gifts just won't fly here.

So about 20 plus years ago at a Thanksgiving my Aunt Marci (yes really two Marcie's in the house) said something that really got me thinking. She said no one gives practical gifts. Like TP and paper towels. So I thought and it made sense. So guess what she got that year for Christmas? I got the biggest box I could find, I filled with all sorts of things like TP and paper towels, new kitchen towels. Kleenex. Completely shocked everyone that year and she LOVED it.

So the next year my Grandma took over and got everyone Costco TP, that tree that year, oh boy, big packages of TP under the tree. She passed and my mother did it about once and then went back to her old ways of Wal Mart clearance. Sigh. one year I got a red plastic wine bucket and a very ugly Christmas blanket. Like really?

Do you all have that one person that just sucks at giving gifts? It's like giving a gift card for coffee to someone who doesn't drink coffee? What the hell do I do with them? I finally found someone to take my stack off my hands.

So in thinking, I like to think about the person and find something that fits them. More then often I think do they have a need over a want? When someone needs something, a gift card for coffee isn't going to make someone excited. I just read about a lady, she does very well and doesn't want anything from her family. But she goes to the store and loads up on meat and takes it to her family and fills their freezers. After that takes them to fill up on pantry items. It feds them for 3-6 months and takes a load off their mind. Does someone need a hand up, a worry off their mind verses an ugly shirt?

Could someone use a big box of TP? What about the gf person in your life? Flour is pricey, could they use a big box/bag of something. Would a gas card help with a worry?

I'm not one that believes in black Fridays, or what ever Saturday is, or cyber Monday. I don't believe in spending gobs of money, well one I don't have gobs of money. I do believe in planning as early as one can. Here is my thinking, let's take canning for example. If lets say my mother on her weekly trips to Wal Mart. If she were to get 2 box of canning lids per week, one small, one Large. It would costs about 3 bucks a week. If she did that for 52 weeks. And if someone were to hand me 104 boxes of canning lids how excited I would be. And it only costs her 3 dollars a week. So think about that, can you break down your gift so it costs a little every week.

With the kids, so happy I started so early this year. We made their lego list long in advance. It allows me to saving 10 plus a week and get a set here and one there. All they are getting is Lego's.

So I'm asking you to think about the person, truly think about them before going out and spending money on something they do not need or want.

OH let me leave you with a story. So a few years back, don't even know how long. we were living without heat. We had a space heater and we were trying hard to save for another one before getting the house heater replaced. But saving for that was going to take a long time. So Christmas comes and we are cold, it doesn't dawn on my mother that we need heat or money for the heater or anything. We got Wal Mart crap that year. So we loaded in the car and took back the cart load of crap. I was grilled by the check out lady and an officer. But we got back enough money to buy a space heater. That ended up saving us that winter. It wasn't until the next winter rolled around. I made a gamble, I rarely do that unless I know it's a sure thing. Well it paid off and we got a check and oh the crying I did, after a call to think the lady, told her she just bought us a house heater., we ran up and bought a brand new house heater. Which in turns is a lot cheaper then running space heaters.

So think about the person you are giving the gift too. Don't go into debt, it's not worth it. Challenge yourself to do Christmas without debt. If you truly can't afford it, just say sorry I can't do it this year, or challenge yourself can you trade something and barter for your gifts. Can you give of yourself? There is so much you can do and give of yourself without racking up debt. And can you step away from the Wal Mart clearance so that my mother has some crap to buy.