Holidays: Spending

And so it begins (or not according to recent reports by economists!) - holiday shopping.

I know too many folks out there who will break the bank, charge the heck out of their cards, try to sell things etc. all to pay for their holidays to be: just so.

Don't succumb to the pressure! The pressure comes from no one other than you when you really think about it; especially when you're trying to please family and (especially little) kids. I will be forever perturbed by folks who genuinley don't have money and will go out and spend a whole bunch of it buying lots and lots of stuff for little kids!

Lets think about it folks: little kids don't "get" what Christmas is (most of the time their expectations are what you present to them...until they get into school) and so the difference between 2 gifts and 20 is lost on them: and how many pictures do you see of the kids in the box that housed the gift you probably couldn't afford anyway (instead of playing with it)? And kids go through toys and clothes like nobody's business; lets remember that too!

I'm not a religious person (by any stretch) but even I believe in enjoying the season - my reason is family, friends, a good dinner (potluck or otherwise [for Thanksgiving I am continuing a tradition with one of my best friends - dinner at my apartment, I'm buying most of the food {we'll cook it together}, she's bringing booze and the movies: we'll just hang out all day: it's great!]), watching kids open a gift or two, movie and a pizza with friends: all fairly easy to obtain: even on a tight budget!

I'm just saying: let's not overdue it with things that within days, weeks or months go by the wayside. The only Christmas gift I still have from childhood is the wooden name my dad carved and stained (for each of us) in 1983 when funds were particularly low. I couldn't remember what else I got for most of my other Christmases if you paid me...