Keeping Christmas Simple … WANT, NEED, WEAR, READ …

Keeping Christmas Simple … Want, Need, Wear, Read

 

We’re having a very simple, low-budget Christmas again this year … it’s something we’ve been doing for a while … and I love it!

 

It can be so tempting at Christmas to “go all out”, spend up big and spoil the kids, family and friends rotten … I’m guilty … I’ve done it! It’s so easy to get caught up in the frenzy with “SALE” signs, “Interest-free Offers” and fabulous Christmas displays all encouraging us to part with our hard-earned cash … yep … guilty again! But if it means having to deal with maxed out credit cards or having to nurse a “financial hangover” that lasts well into the New Year or beyond, it’s definitely not worth it!

 

In reality, the kids have never needed the mountain of beautifully wrapped presents that used to greet them on Christmas morning and could have survived quite nicely without a lot of it!

 

So many years ago, we adopted this little gift-giving tradition, which has been floating around the internet forever:

 

SOMETHING THEY WANT

SOMETHING THEY NEED

SOMETHING TO WEAR

SOMETHING TO READ

 

This method, for my family, has been a total winner and it’s had many advantages:

 

  • Buying Christmas presents is so much simpler and easier

 

  • Our Christmas spending has been reduced dramatically

 

  • It’s helped manage the kids expectations

 

  • It’s encouraged us to be really selective and buy more meaningful gifts … the emphasis is very much on quality not quantity

 

  • The kids have learned to prioritise and focus on that they would really love, limit their choices and decide what’s more meaningful to them when they create their “Wish List”

 

  • Removing the emphasis on presents has helped everyone focus more on family, friends, time spent together creating share memories and has been an opportunity to be more mindful of the true spirit and meaning of Christmas

 

  • It’s a fair system because the kids get the same number of presents hopefully reducing any sibling rivalry (okay, so that’s still going to happen but we can try!)

 

  • As parents, we have learned to be more restrained

 

  • We’ve saved a lot of money because it’s reduced the temptation to buy too much and “overshop”

 

  • It’s encouraged the kids to be really grateful for the presents they do get

 

  • The amount of “stuff”, junk and clutter that seems to magically enter the house at Christmas time is significantly reduced

 

  • It’s saved time and energy because there’s less to buy

 

  • And the greatest benefit is that this all adds up to LESS STRESS!

 

So, if you’re looking for a simple way to ease the pressure on yourself and your budget this Christmas, give it a go … you just might like it!

 

And, while we’re talking about Christmas, don’t forget to download your free Christmas Planner … but don’t be shy … share it with your family and friends … they’ll thank you for it!

 

Christmas Planner 001

 

 

Comments

  1. Great post. I love this idea. Now that our kids are older we’re very much thinking of the same thing. There’s no need to fill the stockings to bursting with things they never really wanted anyway. We’re going away for Christmas this year (first time ever) and because of that, I’m using it as an excuse to make it a much more simple and less expensive Christmas xx

  2. Also…I was going to share this post but I can’t see any share buttons on your blog???