Can you celebrate the Christmas holiday without spending?

I don't think it is easy to celebrate Christmas without spending. I work with an IT company and my apprisal and other benefits from the company are still on hold due to recession. I don't if it is worth for me to sepnd a lot of money during Christams. This is our first Christmas after marriage. So, we need to get gifts for all the close family and cakes for other relatives. According to my rough estimate, I will be spending around 2 months of my whole salary for Christmas.

I don't think that is possible. I have never met anyone who has not spend money for the holidays. I usually save money for the holidays because I know spending is unavoidable. I spend my money on Christmas gifts to be given to my friends and family. I also spend money on the usual dinners and parties with family and friends. I also donate food to one charity every year. But I feel like spending money on these kind of things is worth it.

It seems totally impossible that a single cent not used during Christmas, buying gifts, shopping and all there are no way that not a single cent is not spilled. With all those discounts here and there, why and how can I say no to them anyway.

yeah of course you can money doesn't mean a great xmas, christmas is a time for the family and for quality time together. The presents are a bonus but xmas is now too commercialised with people spending money on expensive gifts that they in honest cant afford. Christmas is simply a great time of year where everyone seems to get along for one month in the year, and the kids always come first. The presents and gifts are a bonus.

Hi DenverLC, This is a very good debate/discussion you've bought up. I truly believe Christmas is one of the hardest holidays to celebrate without spending any money. When I was younger I looked forward to Santa coming and I had a great childhood but I went to school with a lot of kids who went without and it was very sad, thank god for Toys For Tots...if people donated enough. I hated to see and still hate to see kids and families go without. As I've gotten older I've spent less and less on gifts, I might only be 24 but I use to go overboard on buying for everyone, I only buy for my mom, brother and a couple close friends. I hate the fact at Christmas that if someone buys for you, your almost obligated to buy for them, it's such a guilty feeling for me if someone buys me something and I don't get them anything. I love the holidays for the movies, food, music and spending time with friends and family, the gifts are nice and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to receive gifts and things I've wanted through out the year or something but it's not the true meaning of Christmas. I wish people would truly celebrate the true meaning, it's become such a Hallmark Holiday that it's sad in my eyes the way it's turned out. A lot of people don't realize that if your going to give gifts, it's the thought that truly counts not how big of a gift you received or the most expensive, that's one think I also hated in school, it was competition. I always had nice Christmas' when I was younger but there were times I'd lie and say I got something I didn't because I didn't want to get picked on because my parents couldn't afford to spend that much or something, it's so disturbing that kids are like that. It's all gimme, gimme and I hate it. Maybe someday people will realize and celebrate the true meaning of the Christmas season but I highly doubt it, it's a vicious cycle and it's only apt to get worse as the generations go on.

I know I cant celebrate the Christmas holidays without spending any money what so ever. I think that would be impossible to do unless if you did not buy any Christmas gifts for anyone then maybe you could go without spending but I doubt that. This is the time of year when people spend the most money doubt anyone would not spend anything during Christmas.

If you can deal with it you can do . But i think it is not easy. It is convenient for spend small money to decorate.

Nope, its simply because we are used to spend more money during this season. Its the time of the year where people tend to have more money (thats is if you are working), 13th month pay, bonuses, and the like. Its becoming commercialized too with all that discounted prices and mall sales in every malls and shopping stores.

Hi. I think it's near to impossibility. Even when we were so poor, our parents still bought something to eat during the Christmas eve. I believe that it's really unavoidable to spend something during the Christmas season.