Post-Christmas Update
So how did it go??? Did you stick to the $100 budget?
My honest answer is that I tried.
At first I looked at this as a challenge, thought long and hard on gifts, did my research and then created a very detailed spreadsheet to track my exact spending. I also went on Facebook buy/sell groups and found some used items that would be "new to us." I was thoughtful about what I asked for from family so that big items would be covered by those who really, really wanted to give. In the end though, we were over the initial $100 total and ended up more like this:
- $100-$150 for giving gifts to others in need (giving tree, outside of friends/family). I figured if there was a category to overspend, it was on this. I also got a great deal with some Kohl's coupons/cash so was super happy with the things I was able to get. Pretty shirt, slipper socks, cross-necklace, those were just a few of the items we bought to be donated. I loved imagining the delight on the faces of the precious people who received them and I hope it made their Christmases brighter!
- $100-$150 for extended family/friends and daycare workers. The ended up getting a bit more inflated as well as we added some personalized crafts/gifts for the grandparents from the girls and then did some special things for the teachers at the girls school, including buying the whole staff Caribou coffee which was super fun! We also may have cheated a bit on this one as we bought Hosanna Christmas concert tickets for some family and good friends earlier in the month and gave them to them as gift. Since we'd purchased them previously, I didn't count it towards the total. We had some dinner at our house and enjoyed the concert. It was a wonderful night. Making memories vs. stuff, is always our first choice!
- $100-$150 on the girls. This is the category that I shouldn't have gone as far as I did but got a bit carried away. My biggest mistake was to go to Target on black Friday. There were some good deals there that I really couldn't pass up! I ended up buying Brinley some extra Beyblades for her stocking as well as a Woodzeez house that I thought she'd love. For some reason, I just couldn't get away from the "big" gift idea on Christmas morning. I also cracked a couple of days before Christmas when I was looking for some little stocking stuffers and realized that I only had one thing left for Becca and ended up buying her a car/race ramp. I think what I didn't plan on was needing extra gifts for things like the fire station Christmas party and St. Nicholas day (that Brinley just happened to learn about this year in school).
While Christmas morning was fun and the girls did enjoy their gifts, it really, really showed me that it's not about the presents. Here's a few of the things that I learned and things that I will take away for next year:
- Although we tried to encourage family to keep it down (and they all did much better than previous years), we do have generous family that love to buy gifts for our girls. It's pretty much guaranteed that they will get a toy from three sets of grandparents and at least 1 or 2 uncles. Already that's a lot and if they only get 1 gift from mom and dad and 1 from Santa that is probably okay.
- The things that brought me the most joy to give weren't about the money. Brinley and I have started reading chapter books aloud at bedtime and I gave her my collection of box car children books for Christmas. It was really exciting for me to give those to her and she loves looking at them. I'm excited for all of the memories and fun times we will have sharing in those stories. Similarly, Matt and Brinley love looking at maps together and he gave her an old globe that his parents had. This globe is awesome but definitely old (it has East and West Germany still marked for example!). But that's not the point, it's the conversations and learning they will have talking about the world together and is now proudly displayed in her room.
I also took the time to make some special videos as gifts. I made one for my brother to remember Christmas last year and him coming home from deployment and surprising my parents. I also made one with all of the Christmas photos and videos of the last 10 Christmases that Matt and I spent together. Those things are cherished more than "stuff" from a store.
- Becca is still truly too young for presents. She does like opening them and playing with the bows and wrapping paper but she really doesn't care. She just enjoys the excitement and being with her family. :)
- What Brinley most wants is time with us. Playing a board game, taking her out to do something 1:1, that is the best gift we can give her right now. We ended up buying some tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate factory play and we can't wait to surprise her with those. We also gave her a private gymnastics lesson as a gift and I enjoyed taking her and watching her do something that she loves.
- Your friends and family will still love you, even if you don't buy them any presents. We did tell people what they were doing and they were honestly okay with it. Some people bought us things when we didn't buy them anything and others spent more money on us, then we spent on them. But overall, it really didn't matter. I also enjoyed being creative and making some things vs. spending a lot of money. One gift that I was kind of proud of was "family movie night" packs where I bought a favorite DVD (all under $10) got some movie theater style candy in boxes and microwave popcorn and put it together in a cute pile with ribbon holding it together. I thought they would be a fun experience for the cousin families in our life and I think they loved them.
- I love, love, love to give gifts and that's okay. Gifts are my love language and I know I will always enjoy buying and giving gifts, and that's okay. I now realize that I don't have to go overboard and sometimes a budget and amount of gifts is arbitrary. If I focus on getting people the items that will bring them joy and show them I love them, while being mindful of not breaking the bank, I will have accomplished the goal. After all, gift giving at Christmas is a way for us to show love to each other the same way God showed love to us by giving us his Son. That's what it's all about.
So overall, I didn't quite make the under $100 but I do think I was able to allow God to teach me the lessons that he wanted to teach me. I also think it's a work in progress and next year we can do even less, especially for the girls.
In fact, that lovely little Woodzeez house that I thought she absolutely needed, that is being donated to her daycare center. I commented that she wasn't playing it and asked her if she wanted to sell it to another little kid and she asked if we could donate it to her school. It melted my heart to see her extend the generous giving spirit as well. We are happy to oblige. :)
My honest answer is that I tried.
At first I looked at this as a challenge, thought long and hard on gifts, did my research and then created a very detailed spreadsheet to track my exact spending. I also went on Facebook buy/sell groups and found some used items that would be "new to us." I was thoughtful about what I asked for from family so that big items would be covered by those who really, really wanted to give. In the end though, we were over the initial $100 total and ended up more like this:
- $100-$150 for giving gifts to others in need (giving tree, outside of friends/family). I figured if there was a category to overspend, it was on this. I also got a great deal with some Kohl's coupons/cash so was super happy with the things I was able to get. Pretty shirt, slipper socks, cross-necklace, those were just a few of the items we bought to be donated. I loved imagining the delight on the faces of the precious people who received them and I hope it made their Christmases brighter!
- $100-$150 for extended family/friends and daycare workers. The ended up getting a bit more inflated as well as we added some personalized crafts/gifts for the grandparents from the girls and then did some special things for the teachers at the girls school, including buying the whole staff Caribou coffee which was super fun! We also may have cheated a bit on this one as we bought Hosanna Christmas concert tickets for some family and good friends earlier in the month and gave them to them as gift. Since we'd purchased them previously, I didn't count it towards the total. We had some dinner at our house and enjoyed the concert. It was a wonderful night. Making memories vs. stuff, is always our first choice!
- $100-$150 on the girls. This is the category that I shouldn't have gone as far as I did but got a bit carried away. My biggest mistake was to go to Target on black Friday. There were some good deals there that I really couldn't pass up! I ended up buying Brinley some extra Beyblades for her stocking as well as a Woodzeez house that I thought she'd love. For some reason, I just couldn't get away from the "big" gift idea on Christmas morning. I also cracked a couple of days before Christmas when I was looking for some little stocking stuffers and realized that I only had one thing left for Becca and ended up buying her a car/race ramp. I think what I didn't plan on was needing extra gifts for things like the fire station Christmas party and St. Nicholas day (that Brinley just happened to learn about this year in school).
While Christmas morning was fun and the girls did enjoy their gifts, it really, really showed me that it's not about the presents. Here's a few of the things that I learned and things that I will take away for next year:
- Although we tried to encourage family to keep it down (and they all did much better than previous years), we do have generous family that love to buy gifts for our girls. It's pretty much guaranteed that they will get a toy from three sets of grandparents and at least 1 or 2 uncles. Already that's a lot and if they only get 1 gift from mom and dad and 1 from Santa that is probably okay.
- The things that brought me the most joy to give weren't about the money. Brinley and I have started reading chapter books aloud at bedtime and I gave her my collection of box car children books for Christmas. It was really exciting for me to give those to her and she loves looking at them. I'm excited for all of the memories and fun times we will have sharing in those stories. Similarly, Matt and Brinley love looking at maps together and he gave her an old globe that his parents had. This globe is awesome but definitely old (it has East and West Germany still marked for example!). But that's not the point, it's the conversations and learning they will have talking about the world together and is now proudly displayed in her room.
I also took the time to make some special videos as gifts. I made one for my brother to remember Christmas last year and him coming home from deployment and surprising my parents. I also made one with all of the Christmas photos and videos of the last 10 Christmases that Matt and I spent together. Those things are cherished more than "stuff" from a store.
- Becca is still truly too young for presents. She does like opening them and playing with the bows and wrapping paper but she really doesn't care. She just enjoys the excitement and being with her family. :)
- What Brinley most wants is time with us. Playing a board game, taking her out to do something 1:1, that is the best gift we can give her right now. We ended up buying some tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate factory play and we can't wait to surprise her with those. We also gave her a private gymnastics lesson as a gift and I enjoyed taking her and watching her do something that she loves.
- Your friends and family will still love you, even if you don't buy them any presents. We did tell people what they were doing and they were honestly okay with it. Some people bought us things when we didn't buy them anything and others spent more money on us, then we spent on them. But overall, it really didn't matter. I also enjoyed being creative and making some things vs. spending a lot of money. One gift that I was kind of proud of was "family movie night" packs where I bought a favorite DVD (all under $10) got some movie theater style candy in boxes and microwave popcorn and put it together in a cute pile with ribbon holding it together. I thought they would be a fun experience for the cousin families in our life and I think they loved them.
- I love, love, love to give gifts and that's okay. Gifts are my love language and I know I will always enjoy buying and giving gifts, and that's okay. I now realize that I don't have to go overboard and sometimes a budget and amount of gifts is arbitrary. If I focus on getting people the items that will bring them joy and show them I love them, while being mindful of not breaking the bank, I will have accomplished the goal. After all, gift giving at Christmas is a way for us to show love to each other the same way God showed love to us by giving us his Son. That's what it's all about.
So overall, I didn't quite make the under $100 but I do think I was able to allow God to teach me the lessons that he wanted to teach me. I also think it's a work in progress and next year we can do even less, especially for the girls.
In fact, that lovely little Woodzeez house that I thought she absolutely needed, that is being donated to her daycare center. I commented that she wasn't playing it and asked her if she wanted to sell it to another little kid and she asked if we could donate it to her school. It melted my heart to see her extend the generous giving spirit as well. We are happy to oblige. :)
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