Image via WikipediaAfter we paid the bills for December, my husband and I took a look at our check book and realized we had exactly zilch leftover for Christmas. Now, we had tried to save through the year, but somehow life kept hitting us with things like oil changes leading to cracked oil rims, or needing an entire new set of tires for our minivan we're still paying on, or various medical bills- you get what I mean. It was terribly similar to the set of scenes in the movie Up, where Carl and Ellie kept having to break open their Paradise Falls stash.We have a pretty creative household. We're all gifted in our own ways. My daughter is a budding artist, my husband and I both have theatre and music backgrounds (and minors, natch), my husband can make computer games, software, etc., and I cook, knit, make cards. My nearly 18 month old is creative about how to get his 'practically made of steel' cloth diapers off but I'm certain this just points to budding creative engineering genius. We spend a lot of time making music with the kids, playing games, letting them make art projects, the list goes on.
So, that night, my husband and I got creative fast and decided to purchase minimally, use what we have and what we know how to do to make things, and to really emphasize the meaning behind the season. We want our kids to come away for this time of year not expecting boat loads of gifts but rather understanding that giving is just as joyful and that we have a duty, as part of society, to serve and be charitable.
But, what is life without a little excitement under the Christmas tree? So, in no particular order, here's our insanely busy plan of how we're going to get our loved ones gifts and cards, and make sure that the kids get in on the fun too! We will be:
-Giving hand made holiday cards
-Baking up plates and loaves of goodies to give both as presents and donations
-Ransacking our closets to make sure we have things we can donate to those in need
-(I will be) knitting and making toys, pot holders, and much more to give
-(Nolan will be) making our daughter a computer games, burning mixed Cd's for people, and sending digital photo albums
-(We will be) making each of our kids their own story books and taking time to read them stories that emphasize the spirit of giving.
-Our 'Santa' presents are actually cool collectible toys from our own childhoods and from a few cool places on Etsy.
This is going to be a 4 to 5 post series with the different topics each time, but I wanted to post something that did show that those of us with limited means can still find ways to make this season merry and wonderful. It is the little things that mean the most, those that we put our time and effort into, not necessarily those that we max our credit cards out on.
Happy Holidays From Us at Elegant Mommy!
No comments:
Post a Comment