How Generous Will Santa Be This Year?

I will only be giving to my nearest and dearest.

This year Christmas giving is going to be a little bit different. Gifts may be fewer and less expensive, but the loe will dominate the season. We are lucky to have a large small family. My Mother is 91 and still alive, but has Alzheimers. I have a new Grat Grandson born the first of November. I have a Great Granddaughter who is 8 and a Great Grandson who is 2. My wonderful four grandchildren are all grown and thier spouses are very loving and caring. My daughter married a wonderful man and over the years I have said he is the BEST son in law any one could ever have. My ex-husband and I are still friends. What more could any person ask for?
I thank God every day for all the good things he has provided for us and try not to dwell on the economics.

It is not just the season of spending but rather the season of giving, giving love, giving time and giving gifts with a special personal meaning. I will stay on budget by shopping street fairs, thrift stores and ebay. So much fun to find the perfect little something that matches their personality.

My sisters and I have decided that we all have plenty of "stuff" so this year we will be donating to a charity of our choice and on Christmas we will each take turns telling about our charity and why we selected it.

I will not be able to shop this year. I do feel so bad about this as I have kids and grandkids, family and friends. It is tough but soon as i win the lottery I will make it up to them. Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Santa is on a budget this year. Most gifts are heartfelt & practical this year. The joy & spirit of the season is still there, though. Love this time of year. I'm already playing Christmas carols & enjoying the seasonal dishes & desserts.

It's tough to say this year. I should be watching my wallet more, but I've been in a spendy mood lately, and I do love going all out on gifts around the holidays. However, that doesn't mean spending tons of money, either. I'm definitely hoping to do more homemade stuff this year for the people in my life I don't usually exchange gifts with, but whom I would like to acknowledge during the holidays nonetheless. And I love the idea of giving things like used books, which Renae mentioned, since it's also better for the environment. They often have more character anyway. I'm definitely in the mood to get creative with gift-giving this year.

Last year was a rough one for me, so I'm definitely excited to be able to buy gifts for more people this year. I still will keep it simple and get gifts for my immediate family and best friends, but it will be more than a batch of cookies this year. It makes me feel good to make my closest friends and family feel good with a meaningful gift. I've been keeping my ears open all year for clues on what they have been coveting. The tough one is my boyfriend who always says "Don't get me anything!" Of course I always get him something, it's just tougher when I have to figure out what he will really like without going overboard.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this (keyword "almost"), but I usually wind up redeeming a few gift cards and coupons this time of year and putting them toward gifts and/or stocking stuffers for family members and my bf. I also make a portion of the gifts I give, so that helps save some money (though not time). And I'm not above gifting a used book or two (not from my own shelf, mind you, I do have some standards).

I will definitely spend less per person. The one person I can never seem to stay within budget on is my husband, who has ridiculously expensive taste. I've gotten him some great gifts over the years, but somehow none of them ever seem to cost less than $300. This year I'm determined to find something cheaper that he'll enjoy just as much.