Comments on Life Not Finished: Self Control and Christmas

Wow, Amber, I love your take on this and I think y...

2011-12-19T01:42:08.610-06:00

Wow, Amber, I love your take on this and I think you're very wise to stay within your means and not rack up Christmas debt.

Every Jan I have people mailing me to coach them on financial stuff, and the thing is it's the mentality that has to change, nothing else.

Our kids are really not getting much!

Well put Amber :). So glad you posted this! :)

2011-12-18T21:39:09.745-06:00

Well put Amber :). So glad you posted this! :)

I grew up in a household where we only received on...

2011-12-17T23:59:18.407-06:00

I grew up in a household where we only received one or two gifts each, and I thought nothing of it. As a kid, Christmas was exciting, receiving ANYTHING was really cool. It was about having family together and eating a special meal and playing with a new toy.

When I met my husband and had Christmas at his families house for the first time I was actually made uncomfortable by the number of gifts I received from his mother. She's the kind of woman who shows her love with gifts. I'm still not used to it. I don't have much money, so being showered in gifts I didn't ask for just makes me feel guilty and poor.

I now have a 10-month old son. He is receiving one present from us this year (already outnumbered by his grandmother) but he doesn't know what Christmas is. I would love to whip out the credit card and spend a ton on him, but I just can't afford to.

Paying off Christmas debt blows....I've done it before and it took forever. Not doing that again.. :)

My mother used to say the same thing and always bo...

2011-12-16T22:55:17.675-06:00

My mother used to say the same thing and always bought us tons of stuff. I love your perspective on it- about not "measuring" Christmas. I would like to give Hayden what we can each year and that it all, and not give any pretense or value to it. It is what it is.

Such a great post. Millie's toys are from the ...

2011-12-16T19:21:58.319-06:00

Such a great post. Millie's toys are from the resale shop this year, and probably will be for years to come (obviously, she doesn't know and won't notice for a long time!). I think that's awesome.

I'm terrible at this. I have no self-control ...

2011-12-16T17:21:23.734-06:00

I'm terrible at this. I have no self-control and I love to spend money.

But, I love a good deal so I've managed to find some amazing things for Miss B! She's obsessed with horses and I found her a huge stuffed horse for $5 and a "like new" rocking horse for $25. There are no tags attached to it but she's only two. She'll be so happy riding her horse she won't even notice!

Reading this reminds me of a year that my grandmot...

2011-12-16T10:31:05.087-06:00

Reading this reminds me of a year that my grandmother gave me the full set of Little House on the Prairie books for Christmas, when I was maybe 7. I remember afterwards she kind of apologized for not buying me more, that those books had been expensive. I remember how awkward that felt, as I loved those books, and until then I hadn't thought anything about it not being "enough".

This is a great reminder that - especially at a young age - kids aren't likely to "value" Christmas like adults might. Just allow your children their joy, and you'll enjoy it, too. :)