How to get through the Holidays without breaking the bank!

With the Holidays coming up, more and more families are in a stressed financial position. I was in that position many, many, years ago. My first born was only 11 months old. I was a single Mom, and working 2 jobs to take care of my little one. It got to be around Christmas time, and after all that extra work, I STILL was unable to buy him more than one toy for Christmas. We also did not have a tree. It got down to Christmas Eve, and I knew it was going to be hard to be joyful the next morning. I know he was only a baby, but you only have your FIRST Christmas once. I suppose I thought that we would get up in the morning and miraculously, there would be a huge tree, and lots of presents! Of course there were none of those things.

I ended up using a small plant from the corner of my apartment, threw some icicles around it, (I have no idea how, or why, I even HAD icicles, lol!) and that was our tree. The single toy under that little tree, was one of those graduated plastic ring stands with the colored rings that go from small to large. When my baby got up, he went over to the "tree", and started to bang the little toy, and giggle. He seemed so content with that one little toy, but my heart was breaking because that was all that he had on Christmas Day. I cried so hard that day. Not because there weren't a lot of toys, but because I realized that as hard as I was working, I STILL couldn't provide my son with the things he was entitled to. Yes, he was always clean, fed, and loved, but with children, they also need to have extra "special" days, and to me, Christmas is one of them. I know it is more about Jesus, and giving, so that is not lost in all of this, believe me. I vowed that day, that my son would never have another Christmas like that, and by golly, he never did!

For those of you who might be experiencing tough times right now, here are a few ideas that I have used in the past ,when my financial situation was less than desireable. It also showed my children the Spirit of giving.

1) If you have children, and you are worried about toys, you can go to the Dollar stores. Some of the bigger ones have a really nice selection of toys, and you won't break the bank. And if you want to "kill 2 birds with one stone", take your children with you, and tell them that you want to donate a few toys to a less fortunate family (and make sure you DO that). They will pick things that THEY like for the other children, and that will also give you an idea of what they might like for themselves from that store. By doing this, you are showing them the gift of giving, while also finding out what they might like for themselves.

2) If you don't happen to have a tree, (or even if you DO) you can get a few sheets of colored construction paper, ( I have gotten mine for about 59 cents a sheet--Target, Walmart, K-mart, and Meijer stores all have this paper) a ball of yarn or string, and either some tape or glue, crayons, sparkles and scissors, (again the $1 stores are great places to get all of these items too). You can cut out Christmas tree shapes, and hang them all over your house for a festive atmosphere. Your children will get to have "activity time" with you while making the projects, and you can let them know that now you will have "Joy" all through the house, and no "messy" pine needles to sweep up!

3) Another idea, (this is especially good for grandparents' gifts) is to have your children draw a picture of themselves (however good or bad, lol) and put it in a frame (again, from the $1 store) to present to Gamma & Gampa. (Grandparents by now have all of the ties, crystals, perfumes, and gloves that they can fit in their house. They will be thrilled by this very personal gift from your child!) You child will also be giving a meaningful gift, and will learn that you don't always have to BUY something for it to be a gift.

4) Last but not least, You can make up little "gift certificates" for your children to present to you when they see fit:

A "bear hug" from mom or dad.

A "get out of 'time out' free" card.

An extra "sweet" treat after dinner.

A special hour that they get to spend with you alone, to do whatever they want (maybe read a story, bake some cookies, watch their favorite tv show, or even just take a walk with you so that they get separate alone time with you, that they don't have to share with the other children).
There are many things to do that won't cost a lot of money, and these are only a few. It just takes a little imagination, and you and your family can still get through the Holidays without breaking the bank!

Just one more thing-- make sure to make time for your children. Don't always shue them away because you are: "on the phone", "reading the paper", or "watching tv". Your children need YOU, not to be put in their rooms to watch tv all the time, or told "just a minute" all day long. If you can get all dressed up to go out with "the girls" of "the guys", or make time to gab on the phone, you can SURELY take an hour or two out of your day to just spend with your most PRECIOUS gift--your children.

Have a wonderful Holiday everyone!