I know Christmas is not supposed to be all about the money, but I also feel like it is hard to give things to people that they want without it. We live in a consumer based world, and how do you go into a home with something that they’ll enjoy when the things they want are pricey. I also know that I don’t have the skill to make things for people, and often times, with things being how they are, to cultivate a skill to make something and then make it can be more expensive than buying it off the shelf from a system that already knows how to build/craft/create the item of desire.
I know, even for myself, that the things I want that I haven’t already purchased myself are due to the expense of them. Sure, there are some nicknacks I’d like, but for the most part, the things I want or need are costly, and I hate people spending money on me that I know they don’t have, and I also dislike spending money that I know I don’t have.
The holiday season is always stressful for me as I run around trying my best to give meaningful gifts to those around me while still making ends meet. With expenses what they are, and saving up for a wedding, I really am not feeling any Christmas cheer over here, and I think my stress is echoed by Annie as she continues to try to deal with the same constraints. I don’t think the “our money is the same money” motto is as nice when there isn’t any to speak of.
Malcolm's Ramblings 
One response to “Christmas Stress”
That’s the challenge with the season these days. I’d encourage you to have conversations with family members about the reason for the season and the importance. Our family stopped giving gifts to immediate family members “just because” they were family. Pretty much only young cousins still get gifts for each other. Young adults and the adults of the family understand there’s no need for gifts for each other. For the most part we also stopped giving gifts to people that were just friends? Some particular circumstances may override that, but the overwhelming expectation of getting and giving gifts to everyone is gone. Even in our own family, our kids get 4 gifts each year: something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. And then some small stocking stuffer type things. That’s it. Even our kids have told us that last few Christmases have mean the most for them.