Be Free of Required Christmas Giving

This year Fabian and I chose to spend A LOT less on Chirstmas this year.

We wanted to pay off our medical bills in December, which we did! (Thanks to our small Christmas budget!) We also want to get closer to paying off our car by January.

I was a bit nervous about talking to my mom about it.  She came to visit in October.  We sat down in my backyard.  I told her I wanted to talk about Christmas. She was unsurprisingly completely fine with not doing a Christmas gift exchange.  Her only comment was, "I can still buy the boys gifts, right?"  Of course I said yes.

This season I cannot help but be so grateful for the people we have around us.  Because we have been so up front with where we are financially, I find that there is no sense of pressure to purchase gifts for each other.  Instead there is a sense of peace and of gratitude that we as friends and family have made it though another year with each other in our lives.

Don't let me fool you.  I had a small Christmas budget and I still went over. Ha! My budget was $100.00.  This included a babysitter for parties, food, gifts for the boys, and a small Christmas Tree. I spent more on the babysitter than anything else.
However, I so enjoyed the time with friends in a kid-free environment.  I love my boys, but I also like having adult conversations without interruptions.

We spent $20 on Benaiah's gifts.  I bought him a train table at a garage sell for $10. I went to Target and purchased some magnet trains to go with it for another $10.
Malachi is opening a gift bag with lots of paper in it. :) I'm sure he'll love it.

We bought that blue train table!
Shhh! Don't tell Benaiah, yet.

Getting into my Christmas wrapping box. 

I am all for giving to friends and family.  If my friends or family have to break their bank to buy me something, it's not worth it! For goodness sake, it's required giving.  Give when you feel you need to not because to have to!

Giving is not just a Christmas thing.  It's a year round thing.  You give because you can.

So don't feel bad for not being able to give every single family member a Christmas present.  Be grateful you get to spend time with them.  If you feel the need to give something, but you don't have money, make something. Rice Krispie treats are the bomb. Just sayin'. ;)

This Christmas I'm looking forward to spending time with my family, eating a delicious pot roast and playing a few card games.

Merry Christmas!