Frugal Christmas  

I do agree with you. I just explained to my 6-year old daughter that even at her age she could give gifts when she came to me complaining that she doesn't have anything to buy gifts for her cousins. I told her that she could recycle or give something from her things that her cousin wants. I also told her that she could make a card and color it and give them to her aunts or cousins. I told her to think of something creative and not on buying because it would be more appreciated. I thought that maybe I was too hard on her because she's only 6 years old but she did something that makes me think that she understood what I meant. She made lots of drawings and asked me to xerox or photocopy them on a nice paper so that she could make them into a card or even paste them in the cover of a cheap notebook to personalize them and then give them to her cousin to make as diaries. It's nice and I am glad that my daughter that Christmas is really giving something from ones heart and not from ones pocket.

Hello CraftyCorner. I also think that it doesn't have to be very expensive to buy some gifts to our loved on any special holiday. It is a good idea to be frugal at festivals without wasting too much on those stuff, especially during the recession. Take care and Merry Christmas to you, my dear friend.

You are very right about economizing even when we are giving.

The best Christmas I had when I was growing up was when we set a limit of $20 per person for their whole Christmas gifts. We spent hours figuring out just the right gift for each person and finding it at the best possible price.

I loved the fact that I got arts and crafts supplies, crayons, paint by number sets, drawing paper, fabric, thread and so much more. I tried it with my grand daughters and it went over like a lead balloon. They wanted video games, MP3 players and other expensive items.

I hope that they have gotten past the expensive choices, but I doubt it. I loved getting the chance to shop for those wonderful items for the girls...I just wish that they had enjoyed them.

I did quite a bit of my shopping in the second hand store and found some wonderful gifts! I also am making a lot of my gifts. I won't get them all done but the recipients understand the time constraints...since I also have been going to college and working several jobs.

Alot of the gifts my kids are getting this year were either free or very close to it. I earned a burger king giftcard from staying in hotels all year, so that is one of my daughters gifts. I also got a dry erase board from freecycle and it is like new. I just bought markers and wrapped it up as a gift. I found a digital picture frame free after mail in rebate along with a travel alarm clock. Then my husband donates blood and he received 2 free stuffed animals for his donations that are going to be gifts.

Even if we were not in this economic mess it is still a great idea to be thrifty durring Christmas. My kids are the only grandkids on each side and we usualy end up bringing home a truck bed full of new things Christmas morning from their Grandparents. It really isnt necessary to go so overboard. Buy something that means something and it will be better then a million toys.

I so agree with you, CraftyCorner. But I find the difference between our childhoods and our grandchildren´s is that as soon as they ask for something, they get it. When I was a child, presents were given at Christmas and birthdays. If we didn´t take care of our toys, we would not have toys until the next occation. I had an adorable very unexpensive doll. It was MY doll (I didn´t have a lot of dolls) and my mother gave me bits of material and taught me to make clothes for her.
I have talked here at mylot about taking the time of making the presents with the chilfdren. I remember the puppet making sessions and the script writing and the showTHAT was fun. And we sold tickets and got some coins
Those were happy times!!!