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Christmas is finally here. After what seems like months of preparing, we finally get to enjoy the culmination of the Christmas season on Christmas day itself.
So what are you feeling about that? Does that bring a sense of joy when getting together with family and friends to enjoy a few days off and celebrate? Or does it bring a sense of relief, that the pressure of the gift buying and party prepping and money burning is finally about to be off, and you can cry in the corner with a glass of wine during Christmas breakfast…? Or maybe you are just sick of hearing about it on EVERY COMMERCIAL and IN EVERY STOREFRONT DISPLAY!?!?
For those that are sick and tired and just ready for this ridiculous mass of rabid consumerism to end, I feel you. I’m sick of it too. And for those who are ready to enjoy the day, but wonder if they got enough gifts for everyone, and maybe are worried about the impending credit card bill to come from over-shopping, I understand. I’ve been there. And for those who will drink entirely too much eggnog because you can’t stand the thought of not being able to get your kids the BEST GIFT EVER this year….do not fret.
Because, no matter what everything and everyone may be telling you, just remember this one thing…
CHRISTMAS IS NOT ABOUT MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No, seriously.
It may be hard to believe. But Christmas literally has absolutely NOTHING to do with cash. Or credit cards. Or spending until you cry in line a Wal-mart Or electronics. Or those flying helicopters in the malls.
It’s simply about Jesus. God coming into human history as a baby to save the world. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
And here’s one of the beautiful things about that.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT MONEY ON CHRISTMAS!!!!!
In fact, here’s what you need to do to enjoy Christmas this year.
Do not think about money. Do not talk about money. Don’t brag about what you bought. Don’t talk about how much you spent. Just don.t
Enjoy the time with whomever you are with. Enjoy the giving and receiving of gifts, regardless of their monetary value. And do enjoy that eggnog!
There are rarely more than a few hours at a time that you can truly just forget about the nagging needs of your wallet and bank account. Money decisions are made several times a day. But on Christmas, just slow down and take it all in, without letting money cross your mind.
Can you do that? I can, and will. I hope you’ll join me and truly enjoy Christmas day this year.
OK OK, I got it loud and clear — NO thinking about money on Christmas! 😉 But seriously, I just have to remember how overwhelming Christmas morning is for my preschooler whenever I get the impulse to increase our Christmas gift budget. It helps, too, that he spent at least an hour this morning in his room, playing quietly with the toys and books he ALREADY has, to remind me that he really doesn’t need anything else.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
My 2-year-old was completely exhausted by the end of yesterday. 3 Christmas’s and tons of gifts, he was definitely overwhelmed.
Having a snowy Christmas is also a great feeling.
I feel that we prepare too much for the holiday, and in the long run it is just a waste of time, money, and effort, because it is only one day long.
Ugh, snow on Christmas in the Northwest is elusive. At least we got sunshine this year! For us, the joy is really in getting together with family and friends. I enjoy giving, but it’s really about quality time and celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.
I had a friends’ wife tell me how they bought a $75 gift for each kid one year along with some cheap toys. This year she told them they needed to get rid of one toy to be able to make room for a new one. Which one did they give up? The $75 toy. It really isn’t about the money or getting the best gift. It is about showing those you love that you care and that doesn’t have to involve money.
Well said, and I completely agree.
Well said Jacob, I’m glad someone has the sense to come out with this, what should be obvious, statement!
I hope you had an excellent non-money-centric Christmas.
We did. A ton of gifts for my boy from family, can’t blame ’em though, kid is ridiculously cute. But mostly we just enjoyed friends and family, ate good food and had a TON of laughs. That’s what I love the MOST about the holidays.
Definitely, money is not important at all on Christmas. This year, we kept things totally chill and spent practically nothing. I would much rather spend time than cash celebrating the holidays 🙂
We have a TON of family, and do buy gifts, but nothing more than $10 for most, and really, the gifts are secondary to the time we spend. Eating food. Then eating more food 🙂
Totally true. I know how much we spent on Christmas and can guess the values of what we received, BUT that literally flew through my head for seconds over the last week. Generally, I’ve been thinking about how much fun that we’ve had with family and friends. And yes, I have been playing with and enjoying my gifts, lol.
I agree that people often forget the Christmas isn’t about money. My biggest pet peeve is some people actually make it a contest to see who can give the best presents. Happy holidays to you and your family Jacob.