I blame the Magi. They started this whole giving gifts at
Christmas thing, but let me warn you, though I have no use for frankincense or
myrrh, I could use some gold around this time of year.
Christmas giving can be
expensive, so it is best to plan before you go shopping instead of spending your
hard-earned cash on gifts that won’t be appreciated.
When I was a preteen my
mother gave me a present that still gives me nightmares, yet I am sure that was
not her intention. She gave me a
Christmas outfit that she forced me to wear to midnight Mass. It was a green, bonded knit skirt that came
with a long sleeved, green and white, horizontal striped top. It wasn’t even
Christmas green, but this garish lime green that next to my complexion made me
look jaundiced. It also gave me a skin
rash, but Mother demanded I wear it because it was expensive. It wasn’t around for long, because, hey, how was I to
know bonded knit wasn’t supposed to be
ironed?
Her money would have been
better spent if she had asked me what I wanted.
Here we are decades later
and I am still unappreciative when it comes to presents I do not need and or
that require for me to dust. I thank the
giver profusely, display their gift for a respectable period of time, and then
quietly get rid of it.
Christmas gifts do not
need to be expensive. I prefer a fun or useful present.
Here’s my take on it:
Start with a list and decide
on a reasonable budget. Find ways to give gifts without going into debt.
I love to give fun
presents like Santa hats or headbands, Christmas socks, tree decorations,
candles.
I love swapping names,
doing Secret Santa, maybe a White Elephant; and set a dollar limit to the gift.
It’s more fun hunting for the One right gift than buying in multiples because
you have so many people on your list. I actually have friends who have a ONE DOLLAR
limit on their gift swap. Another friend participates in a gift swap where the
present has to be a certain shape. Last
year, the present had to be round and under $20.00. What fun.
I love food gifts.
My husband and his family
are spread out all over two states, so we send each other packages of
food. It isn’t Christmas until HB sends
everyone the Deluxe Sampler from the New Braunfels Smokehouse, and no one has
forgiven my mother-in-law the one year she decided not to send everyone the No.
101 Fruitcake from the Collin Street Bakery.
And I love, love, love
Cookie Exchanges. I’ve taken part in several and it is a great way to spend
time together and then come home with an assortment of cookies.
I still miss my
grandmother’s tamaladas where all the women in my family gathered together for
one full day to make tamales and then we each got fresh, homemade dozens of
tamales to take home to our families.
As a grandmother of
twelve, I came up with the Pajama Gramma Plan. Whether they like it or not, my
grandchildren get pajamas for Christmas. I skipped it last year and fielded complaints,
so they are getting pajamas again this year.
They will also get a book or a video, something to eat or drink
(popcorn, hot chocolate packet), and a small present (gift card, earbuds, phone
charger, etc.) in their Christmas gift from Gramma.
I did the Advent Countdown
Calendar with Books one year. I purchased thirty-one, inexpensive children’s’ books
and wrapped each one individually in Christmas paper. I made two sets, one for
each family with young children at that time. The child opened one book a night
throughout the entire month of December and their parents read it to them at
bedtime. It wasn’t as expensive as it sounds.
I bought my books at a second-hand bookstore. I bought sets of books by
one author online, and I bought books anywhere
I could find a good book for under $5.00. It took some planning but I came in
under budget when I did that. It might be time to try this again since those grands
now have younger siblings.
Those gift-giving magi
rubbed off on me but remember their gifts to the Baby had special meaning. I hope you put as much thought into your
gifts as well.
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