Over the last several years I've been "opting out" of Christmas obligations and reducing the spending while increasing the fun. Have you noticed it is NO FUN to get a second job or charge up your credit cards to buy unappreciated gifts.
That's the anti-thesis of fun.
When my friends and family complain about the endless gifting and the lack of equitable gifting or lack of gratitude expressed by others for their gifts, I tell them, "Just stop doing it."
One of my friends took my advice this year and I suspect a few more will as well. She's given me permission to publish her email to her friends and family. Dear Friends and Family, In the interest of making the holidays less stressful and expensive for everyone, we have decided the best gift we can give our friends and family is not to participate in gift exchanges this year. Please use any money you would have spent on us for your own family or to help someone in need. We are still looking forward to spending time together celebrating the season and enjoying each other’s company. With that in mind, we would like to invite you to a Holiday Party at our home on Saturday, December 13 at 4 p.m. We'll send more details as the date gets closer. Love, Your Name Here
The response from their friends and family?
Relief.
Her current feelings when she sees all the Christmas Marketing now?
Peace.
Copy and paste the note and forward it to your extraneous Christmas list. This will leave plenty of money for the really important people in your life: your spouse, your children, your parents and your children's teachers.
More on this at Boycott Christmas in November.
Meaningfully Frugal Christmas Tip # 1
Meaningfully Frugal Christmas Tip 2 <
Steal This Christmas Gift Please!
7 comments:
LOL!
I'm trying to get up the courage to go down this path, I have a feeling most of the extended family would be relieved but I'm just not quite sure enough.
We're already doing the big Christmas party, it's even on the 13th! (It doubles as hubby's 40th birthday party this year too.)
I've given you a blog award.
Mim, you should do it! The letter was mine, and I can't tell you how serene I feel. Everyone has expressed RELIEF.
You can still do all the fun christmas stuff like sledding and caroling or whatever you do. Tracee inspired me, but it took me a couple of years to get up the courage to do it wholeheartedly. I'm glad I did.
Mim - some might see you as the Bitch who stole Christmas - until they realize you just saved them like $300 to $500.
This year I'm doing a lot of re-gifting White Elephant gifts.
Used books for the book club.
Operation Christmas Child.
White Elephant Sunday School Party
White Elephant Exchanges for Family.
Who doesn't have perfectly good, but not what I use or need or what, "stuff" around the house?
I've been mulling this around for a while now. We don't have anyone "extraneous" on our list. I have included a couple charities on our suggestion list to parents/ grandparents. This was a natural step for us since we've been giving to Heifer International for a year for weddings and to Nothing But Nets for kids' birthdays (with a little explanatory booklet that I wrote, and the child gets the donation envelope to put in the mail). Our kids love it. Our son was so proud when his 5-year-old birthday party raised money for 3 flocks of chickens for Heifer. How much more would he love a Christmas gift that helps an orphan in Zimbabwe?
Sounds like you're really rocking it out Kathe. I love the Heifer Intl. thing.
Our children's church program does it and I was thinking we'd do something like that as a family too.
You can change a whole village's destiny with a one milk cow.
I'm glad you're here.
I love the letter. I'm going to save it for next year since this year everyone has already shopped. I've cut back over the past three years, and it has been a relief. With 12 grandchildren it gets to be a heavy load. Now they get books, which can be passed on to others.
We do a big New Year's Eve bonfire and party already so that will be what the invite is for.
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