Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. I love the sparkling, pine scented trees, the rosy cheeked, bright-eyed children that pad into my bedroom at 5 a.m. to open presents and the excuse to get together with friends and family that we either have intentionally or unintentionally been apart from all year.
Still, I’m not without my reservations when it comes to the most commercial of holidays. It seems the main theme of Christmas has turned into spending, charging and trimming your Christmas tree “with some decorations bought at Tiffany’s.” This year especially, the Christmas budget is a little smaller for us all, but that doesn’t mean that you need to turn your “fa la la”s into “bah humbug”s. Here are five ideas on how to deck the halls without breaking the bank.
1. Skip the coffee stand for festive drinks.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my peppermint mochas and my gingerbread lattes. But at almost $4 a pop, it could mean the difference between my Aunt Shari getting a gift or just a warm hug. It’s a cinch to add a few drops of peppermint extract, a splash of milk, a spoonful of cocoa powder and a couple packets of your favorite sweetener to a cup of home brew. Really, isn’t Aunt Shari worth more than a red cardboard cup?
2. Donate time with friends.
I love my friends, but I really don’t think they need another Bath and Body Works gift set. What they do need is a way to get in the holiday spirit and spend time together. Why not agree to volunteer together at a local shelter or retirement facility? It won’t cost you a penny, but really will fill your heart and someone else’s too.
3. Make homemade food gifts.
It truly is the thought that counts, and if you find the right recipe, your friends and relatives will appreciate the time it took to create a delicious gift. In the past we’ve given toasted spiced nuts in pretty bags, cocoa mixes tucked in inexpensive mugs and chocolate dipped pretzel rods in cute takeout containers. This year, we’re packing up some tasty gingerbread men, and if we’re feeling creative with the icing, we might just decorate them like the recipient. Thank goodness many of our male relatives are bald. It makes my job that much easier.
4. Go shopping…in your closet.
I’m not talking about regifting, though that isn’t a bad idea now that I think of it. I’m talking about planning an evening with your girlfriends to swap clothing, jewelry or shoes that are still great, but that you’re tired of. Pick up a bottle of wine, hold onto some extras from those food gifts you are making, and invite the girls over with their best swag in tow. You all get a new favorite item, but it won’t cost you a penny.
5. Write an obituary.
As dark as it may sound, this is the best gift I have ever given, and the only thing it cost me was a little time, thought and a few misty-eyed moments. I think in our sickest fantasies, we imagine what might be said about us at our funeral by our friends or loved ones. I think my mother in particular has spent a lot of time picturing how her “ungrateful children” will remember her. So per her request, I wrote my mother her obituary and framed it with several pictures of our family over the years. I talked about fond memories of my childhood, the traits I admire most in her and what all she has given me throughout my life. The love that filled me when writing it can’t come close to the joy she felt when she read it, and though I hadn’t spent a dime, it was priceless. Dearfoam slippers, heated throws and Susan Boyle CDs will come and go, but giving of yourself, that’s what the holidays are all about.
