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The Ghost of Christmas Budgets Past

In our December 2008 Level 1 article, we reviewed Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof the Holidays. My favorite parts of the book were the stories people had written about all the various traditions they celebrate. One such tradition:

A balanced Christmas: A tradition in our home is to limit our gift-giving to four specific categories. Each child receives a gift of Love, which is something homemade; a gift of Warmth which is something like socks or a lap blanket; a gift of Knowledge such as a science kit, books, or educational DVD; and a gift of Joy - that one thing they really want. This has helped to keep our Christmas balanced, our budget small, and our gifts meaningful.

What a great way to add meaning and fiscal control to your Christmas. But homemade and inexpensive are not synonymous.

Take for instance Andrew's rehashing of the great Christmas debacle of '97. If you've got money to burn, that craft is for you.

And then there was 2006 - Year of the Dog. My sister-in-law had spent significant time and money on homemade cookies, candies, and treats. We're talking chocolate-covered candy canes, butterscotch cookies, fudge brownies, the whole nine yards. Unfortunately for us, these were the days when we gave Gertie, our pug-mix, run of the kitchen while we were gone. You guessed it... we came back from some festivities to discover an ill-looking dog resembling Gertie curled in the corner and an empty platter with nary a crumb for the humans.

As you probably know, dogs and chocolate a happy dog do not make. So you're probably thinking we took her to the vet and got a fat bill on the way out. If so, you must not read much of what I write because I'm too cheap for that (plus, I wanted to incorporate a money saving tip into this post). Turns out, a cap full of hydrogen peroxide down her gullet and minutes later, we got all our treats back! To this day, butterscotch and Matthew a settled stomach do not make.

So in your efforts to keep spending down this year, embrace the ghosts of Christmas budgets past. Listen to them and learn what you're getting yourself into. Who knows, you may hear them moaning, "Administer peroxide outdoors."

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