Each
year we look forward to certain family traditions, like baking Granny’s
gingerbread cookies or watching It’s
a Wonderful Life with the kids. But sometimes all those fun
traditions can get overwhelming.[i]
That’s
why we’re giving you permission to choose what you want to do this year. Ignore the pressure to people-please, and instead pick the
traditions that don’t stress you out.[ii]
It’s
your holiday, after all. And it’s going to be awesome as long as you’re with
the people you love—no matter how you celebrate. The key to deciding what stays
and what goes is to ask yourself: Do I actually want to do this? Can I actually afford this? and Do I really have time for this? Here
are eight holiday traditions to get you started:
1. Annual
Christmas Bash - Some people love hosting Christmas parties.
Cooking for 50? No problem! But if you’d rather not spend two precious weeks in
December planning and prepping for your annual Christmas open house, then
don’t.
Forget the cheese ball, sherbet punch and mini
gherkins and just get together with a few close pals at a local restaurant.
Split the check and enjoy a simple, stress-free evening with your nearest
and dearest.
Or, if you love
throwing parties but hate the cost, invite less people, make it a potluck, or
ask someone else to co-host and share the responsibility. It’s your party. Do
what you want.
2.
Competitive
Lights Display - Don’t let your Christmas-crazy
neighbors guilt you into a lights display worthy of Rockefeller Center. If your
family enjoys looking at
lights, pack a thermos of hot chocolate and drive around town to admire the
best of the over-the-top yards. It’s free, and you don’t have to freeze your tail
off. Parent of the year!
If you prefer decking
out your house with lights but don’t have the time, start early and stop when
your energy does. Make sure you’re decorating your house because you like it, not because you’re trying to
match the neighborhood. Your time and money matter more than how many
cars drive by.
3.
Elf
on the Shelf
- This one is a
hot-button issue. So we won’t get into the pros and cons. We’ll just say this:
If you’re pro-Elf, make it easier on yourself by not getting too elaborate.
Sparkles doesn’t need to build a Rube Goldberg machine[iii]
in the middle of the night - ever. Keep
it simple and keep it fun. And if
you’re over Buddy, just tell your kids he went back to the North Pole this year
for good. They’ll be fine, we promise.
4. The Shopping Frenzy - We like a deal
as much as the next person, but if you’re shopping “for sport,” take a
time-out. It’s okay to get a rush from the shopping season—buying stuff should
be fun! But don’t let the pressure to spend destroy your budget.
Take control of your money by creating a
Christmas-specific money plan and a detailed gift list. And stop
shopping when your list is complete! If you have extra energy to burn, try a
family game of flag football. It’s much less dangerous than the mall (well,
maybe).
5.
Family
Portrait Christmas Cards - Photo cards are
a sweet tradition, but they aren’t a must. It’s okay if you didn’t have time or
money to schedule a photographer, buy matching red-and-white outfits, and order
hundreds of glossy prints this year.
Cards are a meaningful gesture, but don’t make them
more difficult or more expensive than they have to be. You can still have a great tradition
by limiting your card list and having the kids help you craft some sweet
letters with stickers and glitter—how fun is that?
6.
Price-Inflated
Plane Tickets - Instead of heading home for the
holidays, why not visit your family in January or February when the prices have
come down? You could even start a new tradition, like meeting your folks in a
fun city between your two towns. Imagine a calm, post-holiday vacation for half
the price and half the crowd. Now that’s peace on earth.
Or if you’re looking
forward to being with your parents and siblings over Christmas but need to save
money, grab your tickets and skip the bulky presents. You’ll save on baggage fees
and the stress of making sure your stuff doesn’t get crushed. Make it easy with
gift cards or going up a day early and having a fun shopping day with a family
member you rarely get to see.
7.
A
(Sort of) Freshly Cut Tree - Christmas trees
are a must in most households, but if you dread the drama of picking the
perfect, overpriced specimen from your local Boy Scouts, try something else. As
in use the garage-sale special from your attic. (You know it’s in there.) Or
buy one at your local hobby store with a coupon. A tree is just a base anyway.
It’s how you decorate it (and who you decorate it with) that counts.
8. Swanky Gift Wrap - For some, it’s fun to see how Pinterest-worthy you can wrap your
presents. But it can take some pretty pennies to buy all those handcrafted
bows, spray-painted twigs and gold leaf paper bags that will be trashed on
Christmas morning.
Why not cover your
presents in newspaper (which you can [color] for a cool effect) or butcher
paper instead? Then have your kids decorate the paper with stickers, stamps and
crayon creations. Trim it with some bulk twine and you’re done!
Keep this in mind as you budget for the holidays. Don’t
break the bank in the name of tradition. Decide which customs are important to you and
then see how they fit into your overall budget.
If
anyone asks why you’re not doing something this year, simply explain you want
to spend more time with them and less time doing stuff for them. We have a feeling they’ll
understand, and love you more for it.
[ii] This post was adapted from
the article, “8 Holiday Traditions You Can Cut, Keep, or Totally Rethink” by
Dave Ramsey
[iii] A Rube Goldberg machine is
a contraption, invention, device, or apparatus that is deliberately
over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion, generally
including a chain reaction. The expression is named after American cartoonist
and inventor Rube Goldberg (1883–1970).
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