SAVING CENTSABLY: Make Christmas memories that will last
Hopefully today finds you putting the last touches on a special Christmas celebration for your family.
For many years, Christmas Eve's eve filled me with dread and worry. Did I buy the right gift? Did I remember to pull off the price tags before wrapping? Will my kids like the gifts they receive?
Early on, cash-only was not my motto, and despite being thrifty our family was still living beyond our means. So, despite the excitement of Christmas, the dread of receiving the credit card bills would inevitably creep in.
If today you find yourself frantic about gifts, please hear this advice. In a year, in two years or in 10 years -- the person you're fretting about will not remember what you gave them. I didn't believe this statement when I heard Dave Ramsey say it earlier this year, but I took his advice.
I sat our children down and my husband and I asked them to tell us what gifts they received last year for Christmas. They remembered about two. That's right: two; not 10.
Not whether the gift came wrapped in paper and bows, or whether it was in a fancy bag, or whether it was left out around the tree by Santa.
In fact, one son could not name one single thing until my other children started trying to "jog" his memory! We asked them to close their eyes and describe Christmas morning -- and what they saw was people: Faces, smiles, excitement, not gifts.
I assure you that, on this Christmas Eve eve, you will have more of an impact with your gift giving if you take a step back and get a gift that reflects your feelings for someone rather than your ability to spend lavishly.
Another Dave Ramsey quote I really like explains that there are so many people out there "spending money they don't have, to buy things they don't need, to impress people they don't really like."
If you're fretting about gifts for the office staff, quit! If you're worried about the gifts for the gym instructor and the property manager and the mailman and the UPS delivery driver, stop it now!
Thank them for their contributions to your life -- if you really are thankful -- and give them a hot cup of coffee and a cookie. Heartfelt gestures will mean so much more to people than receiving something that they don't need and that you can't afford.
And when you hear that nagging voice say, "It's not enough," you can just nip it right there.
Christmas is not a holiday designed to drag people further into debt. In fact, the true meaning of Christmas offers us freedom. Choose that instead of debt and fret.
I sure hope your Christmas celebration is joyous and exciting! I hope you enjoy the special moments, no matter how simple or how lavish.
As I'm finishing this column, I couldn't help but leave you with this Dr. Seuss thought: "And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"
Merry Christmas!
Contact writer Rachael Mercer at savingcentsably@gmail.com.
This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 6:46 PM with the headline "SAVING CENTSABLY: Make Christmas memories that will last ."