Christmas/Holiday Gifts!

short+sassy

blondie42107 said:

In regards to shopping for our children this year (ages 5 and 3), we are looking to make some changes.  

Just after we had our oldest, I read a blog post by a blogger I follow. She commented that they were changing their focus of Christmas.  Without writing a book, it's partially religious based but it could be modified for anyone.  Basically each child gets three gifts (represents the gifts the wise men brought) but many people add stockings as the fourth gift.  From the blogs I've read, many people follow these guidelines: some you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read.  The author really wanted their family to focus on the meaning of Christmas, reducing the materialistic things, reducing financial overspending and helping others.

We've struggled a little with this.  It can be so fun to see piles of gifts for your kids under the tree and their eyes light up when they see if on Christmas morning.  I don't think we've ever really overspent on our kids but we do spoil them a little on Christmas.  They typically only get gifts for their birthdays and Christmas.  

So for the record, I don't think there's a right or  wrong to this.  Something we're going to try this year.  And next weekend when I'm shopping with my girlfriend who wraps every item individually for her kids and makes sure each has approx 25 things to open, I'll continue to fully support her because that's what their family had chosen to do.

One of the most fun sermons I have ever heard was about the "myths of Christmas".  The pastor asked the congregation the number of wise men that visited the baby Jesus.  Everyone answered three.  NO!  A myth of Christmas.  The Bible never states how many wise men there were, it could have been two, it could have been dozens.  However, the Bible does specify that there were three gifts...and hence why the wise men are usually represented as a group of three.

My H and I keep Christmas light.  We get small gifts for each other.  Usually $25 gift cards for immediate family.  I prefer giving actual presents, but they all live halfway across the country from me and I hate shipping stuff more.  I have one coworker I exchange gifts with.

Now here's my extremely out of the ordinary one.  I have a regular p/t job that involves my visiting 24 hotels, 4x/week.  They are all in areas that have no free parking anywhere.  I'm only at each hotel for about one minute, but the valets/doormen are cool with me parking my car in front to run in and run out.  Words cannot describe how much easier they make my life for allowing me to do this.  I don't tip them throughout the year, because that would be a fortune.  I wish I could give them $10 each during the holidays.  But that would also cost about $500.  So, instead, I bake 1-2 dozen cookies each year for each hotel.  It costs me around $60 and a lot of time, but it is the least I can do to say thank you.

Frugalmama2009

We are 80 percent done shopping, putting it down here will let me see what I have actually spent
Daughter: 100 on toys and stocking stuffers so far. Her big gift is a bean bag chair, so another 50.00
My parents: smaller gift each, plus pictures of DD and a personalized ornament equals 80
My three sisters: crafting stuff, bath and body works, and a personalized ornament each = 75
In laws : train stuff for FIL, a custom canvas bag with DD's pic, and some stocking stuffers = 30
Two grandmothers : calendars, scarfs, and pics of DD = 30
Some family in Norway : little trinkets from Canada = 25
Shipping: I'm guessing about 30 Extras like decor items, food, etc: 100
For DH and I to buy each other's we budget around 50 each so 100
Insane amount I spent on Xmas stockings : 200 but they should do us forever. But duty and exchange rate killed me, no more buying from American sites for me!
Work secret Santa : 10
Friends kids and BFF : 20
Shoe box gifts : 22 Teacher gifts : I bought mason jars and will fill with candy. 15
Just over 840 I think! Without my stupid stocking I could have had a 600 dollar Christmas which is my goal each year! We are staying home New Years so that makes it up!