How to Do Christmas and Keep Your Sanity....

I begin my making a list of the people that I expect to purchase gifts for the upcoming holiday. Ranging from parents to kids, not forgetting a couple of generic gifts that can be customized for teachers, pastors, and anyone else we decide to share the holidays with. Next to each persons name I list sizes, hobbies, and interests. Anything that I can find out about them. Then my family and I sit down and brainstorm. We decide whether the gift will be homemade or store bought. We'll decide an acceptable spending limit and when this gift needs to be given: the week before Christmas, Christmas Eve or two weeks into the new year. All of this information I also write on this list. After all the brainstorming I make three copies of the list, one for the front of the refrigerator, which all family members glance at and occasionally add additional information to time to time. One copy I keep in my purse with other important papers such as my calendar and driver's liscense. This keeps it foremost in my mind. And the third copy I put into a box that will eventually hold the gifts until they are given.

I always purchase Christmas Cards and wrapping paper a few days after Christmas. This is when they are the cheapest and it helps my mind set. I occasionally pick up Christmasy items at these sales at that time as well. One year we picked up enough lights to replace all of ours and do our front yard for under 5 dollars at one of the sales. These are things you know you will use the following year. And there is no cheaper time to purchase them. Everything right after Christmas is pennies on the dollar because no one wants to store them for another year. I store all of my goodies in a plastic sealed box. I keep them in climate controlled conditions. I do not want them getting too hot or too cold and I definately don't want mice or other vermin getting into them. One year we decided to try something cheaper so I used cardboard boxes and stored everything in our barn. The mice ate a lot of our Christmas goodies and made a nest in what they didn't eat. It looked like a miserable Christmas that year. But my Grandmother came to the rescue. She suggested using comic pages to wrap the gifts and having an old fashioned Christmas. Which we did. We decorated our tree with popcorn and homemade ornaments and instead of lights on the tree we used candles in the room the tree stood in. On Christmas morning each of the members of our family who could read, took turns reading aloud from our gift wrap. It was a truly beautiful Christmas, but not one I wanted to do over. But that also goes to show you. That it isn't how much you have to spend, just that you do not lose the spirit of the holiday.

I am a thrift store and yard sale addict. These are wonderful places for Christmas shopping if you are particular in what you buy. Last year I purchased several brand name sweat shirts with the tags still on them for my children. I paid $1.75 for the sweat shirts because it was the off season for them and the store had them marked half off their regular price. I also buy toys and make or buy clothes for dolls. I purchase books and household items. I purchased a collapsable wine rack one year for a friend who made homemade wine. It simply takes a little imagination and some foresight.

I try to purchase at least one gift for per week until all of our purchases have been made. I store each gift in the box with gift wrap and either make or fill out a Christmas card when the gift is purchased. I try to sit down and wrap once a month. This pretty much keeps me on track with what has been purchased and what is still lacking. Wrapping once a month also keeps the gifts from building up and having to do them all at once. There is no faster way to ruin a Christmas than trying to find time in a rather hectic schedule during the holidays. I write on the list in the box what gift was purchased.

For the generic gifts, I like baskets of goodies. I buy used baskets that plants come in at the thrift store and then my children and I make strawberry perserves and homemade salsa and we purchase travel size things and send away for free sample for teachers, pastors, etc. Whatever they don't use they can give away to others. The teachers appreciate this gift because it is something they can take home and use and it doesn't clutter up their desk or take up space that will have to be moved if they ever change classrooms. We also make homemade ornaments. A great time to purchase Christmas bulbs is right after Christmas when people are going through their older decorations. One year we purchased 3 dozen bulbs for under 1 dollar and decorated them. The teachers loved this gift because it was something they could hang on their tree at school or at home.

I keep a running track of what gifts have been and haven't been purchased on all three lists. The one of the refrigerator I simply mark through the person's name so that if they come for a visit they don't know what was purchased. The day after Thanksgiving I send out all of the Christmas cards and sit back and enjoy the holiday. That is the best gift you can give yourself. The spirit of Christmas is to celebrate the time we have been given together and to count the blessing in our life. This method has made that a lot easier to accomplish. Good luck with your thriftiness and I hope you have a wonderful Holiday as well.

Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers!

Faux or Real Fir?
Save on your Christmas tree with these suggestions

A Simple Christmas
Only one gift per child makes for a challenging holiday

Dueling Vices
When you and your spouse argue about spending on your bad habits

Homemade Gifts and Games from Old Photos
Creative ways to use old photographs

Setting an Example
Helping children to become wise caretakers of their money

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