Over Gifting

"We can't appreciate what we have, if we have too much."

In Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie," Laura and her sister each received a shiny tin cup, a peppermint stick, a heart-shaped cake and one new penny on their first Christmas on the plains. The girls were thrilled with the small gifts. They possessed so little that those gifts were like precious treasure to them. Returning to the life of a pioneer is not an option for most people, but returning to simpler, more meaningful gifts and holiday celebrations is possible. Scaling back your Christmas gift spending this year will give you far more than financial rewards.

It may not seem we are overindulging, but the signs of a diminished gratitude are easy to spot. We can tell this is happening when the more we spend and the more we get still leaves us feeling strangely unsatisfied. Our satisfaction certainly does not equal, dollar for dollar, the money spent on a multitude of gifts. We all know you can't put happiness in a box, but it seems every year we try to do so. This can be seen most obviously in children. A little tyke who spends less time playing with a fancy new doll house and more time playing with the box it came in has reached a satisfaction saturation point.

"Values-based money management" is spending based on values and truly valuable ideals and beliefs rather than spending based on superficial desires and creeping materialism. Unfortunately, greed and materialism block the attitudes of gratitude and thankfulness we truly desire.

This year try putting more than money in your holiday celebrations. Gifts from the heart, gifts of praise and homemade gifts, though less expensive than store bought gifts, are often the most valued. Experience the joy of a blessed and meaningful Christmas by not "over-gifting" and reap the reward of a healthy financial New Year.

Deana Ricks is a co-founder of the Frugal Family Network. She presents a variety workshops on creative ways to stretch the family dollar (also available on cassette) and publishes a popular thrift newsletter.

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