Buy or Make a Family Gift

by Sara
(Trois Rivieres, PQ)

The recession has definitely changed the way my family celebrates Christmas.

In the past, we would buy elaborate presents, have a huge variety of food, and spend large amounts of money on entertaining and decorating. Last Christmas we began cutting back and I know that we will continue to do the same this year.

We have ten children on one side of our family. Instead of buying presents for all of the children and their parents individually, we now buy a family gift for everyone to share and enjoy.

An example of this would be a gift basket with a dvd, gourmet popcorn, boxes of candy, and cute bowls or popcorn boxes. This has been a real money saver, and the families love this idea.

Our own children are no longer small, so we have started buying one large gift for each, and then buying more practical items such as shoes and clothing. We used to fill up our Christmas stockings with expensive trinkets, but last year we started a new tradition.

Christmas stocking stuffers now may not total over $15. A trip to the local dollar store is a good way to stretch your money here.

It may sound cliched, but we started to learn last year that Christmas is about being together and sharing the love of your family, not about how much money you can spend.

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