BikeBookBread Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Given the economy, or if you are a new homeschool mom (like me) who never understood how busy it would be until I did it, what are you doing differently this year to simplify Christmas? I just don't have the same "must buy, must do, must go to" feelings that I've had during past Christmas seasons. We aren't doing Christmas cards this year, and I didn't sing in the big whiz-bang church Christmas pageant, we aren't doing Santa pictures, I'm cutting back on the cookie and treat making by at least half. We ARE spending more time doing unstructured things -- just impromptu visits with friends, making homemade ornaments, staying at home listening to music, etc... What about you? Different or about the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Well, this Christmas is going to be different, but not because of our finances or homeschooling (those have been the same for years), but because we just found out that our attic is completely wet and moldy and we need to move before Christmas. Fortunately, we're already a pretty simple family when it comes to Christmas. Everyone is excited about decorating again for Christmas. We've been doing something small every day of the month and can keep doing that, and we'll hopefully be mostly settled in the new place by Christmas Eve. I'd be cancelling a lot of things if we'd planned to do a lot this year, or feeling pretty awful if I had some extreme sense of guilt over providing a perfect Christmas for my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Ours is way different, more for income reasons than anything else. I'm going to make some lap books for Luke, which I need to get on if I'm ever going to finish. They will be new to the kids, so I'm hoping Luke will believe they're from Santa. I think, this year, we've focused much more on the giving aspect of Christmas, the spiritual versus the commercial. We still haven't gotten a tree and now the dcs are wondering if Santa leaves presents if there is no tree (would I be wrong to say 'no, better luck next year' JUST KIDDING, sort of). It's a Dickens Christmas for us. It's the best of times, dd joined our church, we're closer to God, the kids understand the 'reason for the season.' It's the worst of times, utilities are hanging on by a thread and I have not been able to buy a single thing. Now, I just need a few spirits at the door and it will all be complete. I will not let the uckiness of our finances take away the hope and goodwill this time of year is steeped in. Dd is strong and she knows the burden right now, ds is so full of hope it almost hurts. Ah well. Who has time to worry with all this school work?!? LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I told dd about Santa the other day - mostly because of the economy. I won't have the money to buy the usual types of gifts from both dh and I and Santa. That will get rid of the questions about Santa giving sox and pj's, and mom and dad giving mittens and a hat. We are in a new house in a new town. Other than that not much will change. We will do church, cookies, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 This is my first Christmas not living at home (Before getting married I lived with my grandmother since college and before that with my dad and step-mother). It's my first year to be responsible for Christmas. Whew. It makes for a busy season. I'll have to see how this one goes before I decide on any changes for next year. Actually my sister (niece's mother in my sig line) and I have talked an we're going to stop Santa this year and do St. Nicholas next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Nooo money, so things are really hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jujsky Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I think for me, this Christmas is different because of my attitude. Christmas has been a difficult time of year for me since I was 16 and my dad left my mom the day after Christmas. I did a pretty good job of fighting the negativity and pushing myself to get into the holiday spirit. Then a few years ago my dad committed suicide in October, a week before my birthday. The last time I saw him was 2 Christmases prior. It sort of tainted the whole holiday for me -- having my last memories of being with him on Christmas and having the memory of him leaving my mom the day after Christmas. It was just too much. This year is the first year I have truly been excited about the holidays in a long, long time. It helps that we started to change some of our traditions last year too. We started to focus more on us and our little family instead of running around trying to please all of my extended relatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 We're not going home for Christmas. It is just too expensive to justify it this time of year. We didn't go home for Christmas last year, either. I'll be glad when we move back to the mainland and it's easier to get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted December 11, 2009 Author Share Posted December 11, 2009 I think for me, this Christmas is different because of my attitude. Christmas has been a difficult time of year for me since I was 16 and my dad left my mom the day after Christmas. I did a pretty good job of fighting the negativity and pushing myself to get into the holiday spirit. Then a few years ago my dad committed suicide in October, a week before my birthday. The last time I saw him was 2 Christmases prior. It sort of tainted the whole holiday for me -- having my last memories of being with him on Christmas and having the memory of him leaving my mom the day after Christmas. It was just too much. This year is the first year I have truly been excited about the holidays in a long, long time. It helps that we started to change some of our traditions last year too. We started to focus more on us and our little family instead of running around trying to please all of my extended relatives. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danybug Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 We have as a family tried to approach Christmas this year with our hearts and minds focused on Christ. We have been doing a family advent book each evening, which I have never had everyone do before. And the prayers that have come out of the mouth of both my babes have been a gift enough for me this year! :001_smile: Present wise I tried to cut back for the kids but it did not necessarily happen. And for me an awesome development this year, was buying all of our other gifts from the World Vision Catalog. My ds was so excited to help choose things for each person we needed to buy for and in a way helped him to tone down what he was personally requesting from Santa. Overall, I know our family has been more Christ-centered this Christmas and focused on family and tradition! And I pray for those who are struggling this season who have been forced to make hard decisions for their families! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I think for me, this Christmas is different because of my attitude. Christmas has been a difficult time of year for me since I was 16 and my dad left my mom the day after Christmas. I did a pretty good job of fighting the negativity and pushing myself to get into the holiday spirit. Then a few years ago my dad committed suicide in October, a week before my birthday. The last time I saw him was 2 Christmases prior. It sort of tainted the whole holiday for me -- having my last memories of being with him on Christmas and having the memory of him leaving my mom the day after Christmas. It was just too much. This year is the first year I have truly been excited about the holidays in a long, long time. It helps that we started to change some of our traditions last year too. We started to focus more on us and our little family instead of running around trying to please all of my extended relatives. :hug: That would be hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 We have always kept it extremely simple. The dc receive a couple of little things and a couple of books. They GET to buy presents for needy children and love to do that. We eat some yummy food and have cocoa and listen to music and just hang out together. What will be different this year is that we will have NO extended family insanity. We are simply having Christmas all to ourselves. No grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and strange add-ons. I know some people live for the big holidays filled with family. We have had years of that and it never ends happily. So, we are having the quiet, us-only holiday of our dreams for the first time ever and I am thrilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thea Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 Ours is pretty much the same as in year's past. We are actually doing much better financially this year and last, but are living the same and saving, saving, saving......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 (edited) Ours will be different for different reasons. Dh lost his job in April (he's been working part time since then, and I have a job where I make a few hundred a month), so we've told all extended family that we'll not be participating in a gift exchange this year. As for our own kids, we are still buy *something* but I'm limiting it to one gift and looking for awesome finds at Goodwill, clearance sales and the like (our locally-owned really cool toy store had a 75% off sale recently on "good" stuff!). We celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas day for the first time ever on the 6th, so that was fun. The kids got a small toy, an icon and a peppermint stick in their shoes. :001_smile: Which brings me to the other way this year is different -- since we're becoming part of the Orthodox church now, we have a new approach to the feast as a whole. I'm excited! It was Christmas Eve a year ago that we attended church with Patty Joanna, but we didn't start going to the church in our hometown right away. So this will be the first Nativity feast in Orthodoxy. We'll go to church Christmas Eve several times with the last service starting at 10 p.m., share in a meal at midnight with our church family, and then on Christmas day we get together with other families in the church during the day, meeting back at the church again for Vespers that evening. After Christmas we participate in the 12 days of Christmas (they encourage this to be a highly festive time, getting together with family and church family), culminating in the feast of Theophany on January 6. Oh, and the other big difference this year is that my parents, sisters & their families are not getting together for the first time, um, EVER in my life. We haven't always been able to make it, but they've always gathered. My parents aren't returning from AZ this year, and my oldest sister -- now that her kids are grown -- is going to California with her husband this year. Edited December 11, 2009 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 So, we are having the quiet, us-only holiday of our dreams for the first time ever and I am thrilled. Oh, I hope you will have an enjoyable celebration then! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Jenny Flint Posted December 11, 2009 Share Posted December 11, 2009 I will get a few stocking stuffers for the kids and dh has a couple of simple things that I will be wrapping. I did buy for the in-laws and my dad and his wife- just a couple more things to buy and wrap/send. But nothing extravagant. We just returned from a cruise with the kids and that was our big Christmas present for our family. We'll just be enjoying each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 I'm a mom-in-law and a brand new grandmom this Christmas. My oldest son and his wife and daughter will go to her family gathering several hours away on Christmas day. Dh's family celebrates Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving and my extended family doesn't gather at all. So for Christmas day it will be three of us. We will have a fun feast of some sort and maybe go to a movie. Our family will celebrate a day or two before the actual day. It's been fun to shop for a daughter in law and now a new granddaughter this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 The big difference for us this year is that we are not taking any big road trips to see family this year. We are just too far and don't have the $$ this year. We will get together with some nearby relatives for lunch Christmas day, so we will only be "traveling" about 20 minutes! Yea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 I think the only real difference is that there will be fewer gifts under the tree and for some reason I can't get in the "mood" for Christmas. It has nothing to do with the fewer presents. I'm just down in general. Feeling fat and that I shouldn't bake cookies. Feeling like I shouldn't spend the money for fun crafts. Guess I'm being a kill-joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 We've cut back quite a bit. I'm not aiming to give my family "the perfect Christmas" the way I usually strive to do. I'm cutting down the cookies to just a few favorite kinds, and making them once, just next week to last through Christmas. That's partly finances and partly being on Weight Watchers. We aren't doing some of the usual holiday fun outings, due to finances, and are cutting back on the cost of the kids' gifts. Dh and I aren't exchanging gifts, for the first time (though I might try to talk him out of that because I find that pretty depressing.) Getting our tree a bit later than usual, hopefully tomorrow.. My kids have a bit more schoolwork this year than last, so we haven't had as much free time to do holiday stuff. Everything is just a bit cut back this year, in every area, it seems. But I'm trying not to let all of that get me down, and to find joy in the little things. Tonight I made hot chocolate and the kids put on their pajamas, and we drove around town looking at Christmas lights, and listening to Christmas music. We stopped at our friends' house and enjoyed some good company and cookies. Tomorrow DH is playing Santa at his company's community breakfast with Santa, as he does every year, and we go along and have a great breakfast and laugh at dh's antics as he talks with all the kids. :001_smile: We're hoping to get our tree and decorate it tomorrow night, and that will be fun. I'm really looking forward to a break from school. I think I'll feel much better when I don't have that to do every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverfront Headmistress Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 My husband is deployed this time, so it's my first Christmas alone. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 My husband is deployed this time, so it's my first Christmas alone. :( Tell him thank you for his service and sacrifice. You, too. We'll remember you in our prayers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Well, we have always hosted and my dd will be doing it for the first time this year so we will be traveling and we will be doing it on limited funds. Money is tight this year so Christmas was much simpler - pjs, a book and single gift for each but we still had to charge some which we haven't done in a long time. The money issue is stressful and the traveling a little stressful but visiting and the overall simpler season this year is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 My dad was dying from cancer last Christmas and passed away in early January. So this is our first Christmas without him and all the memories of last December. It's hard. I guess it's better than last year as I'm not "living" in the hospital. My kids spent a ton of time with my inlaws last year. We're making simple memories - going to see Christmas lights, etc. - and trying to remember what's really important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 I decided not to santa pictures for the first time this year, apparently while the kids were with my folks this past week, they took them to have them done as my xmas gift, though I am not supposed to actually know about it ;) We are making the time to go to xmas eve service this year. Last year we did not and I really missed it. We haven't been to church in forever it seems(dd's cheerleading is on sunday mornings) and I want to at least get there for the xmas service. We cut back again on $$ spent this year, but I still spent too much. I think just for my kids I spent $1000 or more plus the $$ spent on gifts for others. It is an improvement on years past but still insane when you think about it. I mean really that is only $250 per kid, which really doesn't go far, but it sure adds up fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 We are more broke than we ever have been since we had kids, so we're keeping it pretty simple. I always do try to keep it simple, so it's not really that different, but last year they got AG dolls and nothing like that will happen this year. I'm also cutting back on the cost of gifts for others--my parents and in-laws are getting a nice framed photo of the kids (hey, my mom asked for it!) and while I generally sew something fun for the nieces and nephews, it's pretty simple this year--everyone gets a cute pillowcase. Also, no packages being sent overseas, and Christmas cards will be emailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Nothing has changed for us this year. A few years ago, we decided to cut down on the sheer number of gifts under the tree. It wasn't a financial thing as much as it was just a "greed" thing where the kids were concerned. It has been great for us and we have really enjoyed our smaller Christmas mornings. The kids acutally play with the things they get now and we dont' have so much stuff going into the closet and not coming out again until time to de-clutter for the next Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted December 12, 2009 Share Posted December 12, 2009 Not much different, but we don't do a lot. We go to church, the neighbors come over, our son from Virginia visits for about 10 days, we stay home and eat, watch movies, play board games, bake cookies. My husband has to work on Christmas this year so we're shifting a few things to Christmas Eve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.