What will you change this Christmas?

[Guest57]

I was just thinking about Christmas and making up my 'To Do Lists' and I realized that I will be changing some of the things I would normally do since we are in a financial crisis in this Country and surprisingly, I feel good about it! DH and I looked over the list, and decided these things will be what makes Christmas this year:
Making homemade Graham Crackers & Marshmallows and roasting them over our little s'more maker!
Taking a thermos of hot cocoa on one of our walks by the lake (we live in a resort town and they have a HUGE display of lights) one evening
String popcorn and make seed covered pinecones to hang on our pine tree outside so we can watch the birds
Using paper plates for the week of Christmas so we don't have to do so many dishes!
Making each one of our favorite cookies, instead of the usual 7 different ones!
Organizing our neighbors to go caroling at the local retirement center
Going to one activity as a family (The Nutcracker) instead of bunch of them!
Scrapbooking (as a FAMILY) last years pictures!
Attend a Christmas play at a local grade school (ours are teenagers and homeschooled!)


I would LOVE TO HEAR other peoples ideas, so I hope a lot of you will share! I want to make this year to be spectacular with lots of activities that won't cost a bunch and that we will remember always!

[Bournecrazy]

i like the idea of the paper plates, that is something i would probably do.

for me i hae planned my gifts better this year, got most of them already.
I have wrapping paper, bows, ribbons and other trimmings from last year i will use, not buying anymore this year.
i have homemade cards.
i will be going grocery shopping a week or two before christmas and live of my stockpiled items during the festive period.
I also would like this christmas to be the best i have had in a while, doing more thins together, like last year we played board games all chritmas day. that is something i prefer doing than going shopping.

[Bournecrazy]

i also would like this year to be less comericalised (sp?) or atleast feel less like it, doing more this together, watching local xmas lights going on, things like that. i like the build up to christmas more than the actual day i think

[TheRootedNomad]

I am attempting to pace it better this year. With all the "projects" we have going, the boys sports, both of us working full time, and extended family demands everything getrs rushed. I don't want to rush the holidays.

~ I am pushing now to get all the "projects" done and put up by Nov. 1st. that will be done before the start of 2009. (This will not mean that all are projects are done just that they are done for the year.)
~ I have taken a little bit larger chunks of time off over the actual holidays.
~ I will be makeing a conscious effort to NOT get suckered into doing more than I want to.
~ I will be makeing the boys take a more active role in the preperation. They've always helped with the tree and decoraating. Last year they started helping with the wrapping. Sometimes I get help from them with the cooking, sometimes DH helps, but mostly it's me. I want everyone more involved so that we are enjoying the time together instead of me rushing around and not enjoying it because I'm doing things alone.

I am sure there will be other changes but most of it will come down to just stepping back and slowing things down.

[Parksfamily5]

I am also planning a less commercialized christmas for our family this year. I just want to bake, play games, look at other houses christmas lights, make wassil, make paper chains, etc. I think this will also be a more fun christmas for our children 12,6 and 3.
I like the pine cone idea. My children would love making those. We will have to do that.
Thanks everyone for such great ideas.

[freebs]

not sure what are plans are this year. We just got finished moving to 5 acres so we are working on improvements to the home so get cheap items for the kids. I do know that i need some electronics for the kids so im going to be watching craigslist and freecycle alot closer this year. I have also cut out all family members for gifts besides my parents and dh parents.

[joyofsix]

My challenge is frugally filling the days after Christmas when the kids are home from school. I'm planning to give certificates for ice skating as a gift so I can kill one bird with two stones that way. I'm also considering a movie gc if anything that they would all like is playing. Here's hoping there's snow for sledding, that's always a huge hit with hot cocoa and a fire when we get home. Oh, and they like a game night too with pop and chips, two luxuries for them.

[shortstack]

We are having a completely different Christmas this year. We have told everyone on our list that we are not buying gifts at all. Santa will still bring gifts to our children though (just a week early because we will send a note to him through email ). With the money we usually spend we plan to go to the Smoky Mountains with my parents and rent a cabin the week of Christmas. We figured up that even with going out to eat, taking the kids to the Aquarium and giving each of us some spending money that we will actually spend LESS this year on Christmas and it will be focused on us spending time together. We plan to bring along our Nativity Scene and set it up on Christmas Eve while reading the story of Jesus's birth from Luke in the Bible.

I have to say though I have really gotten some odd looks and rude comments when I've told people our plan. Who cares what they think though because I think we will really enjoy it.

Andrea

[Marie78]

Right around Thanksgiving we start to listen to Holiday music in the car on the way to and from work and while running errands. We will drive through the festival of lights by the lake that our town has each year with our hot choc.in the car. A few times in December we drive through a neighborhood close to ours and enjoy all of their lights and decorations while we listen to holiday music. I decorate the first week in December and we put up the tree. Then I send Christmas cards the second week in December. I begin my holiday shopping and gift wrapping (I hope my family is spending less this year). I will bake cookies on the 23rd and then frost them and package them for gift giving on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

[Patty A]

We are going back to the basic ideas of an old fashion Christmas'. Many homemade gifts, smaller Christmas list of people to give to and letting them know ahead of time that we have had to cut back. I refuse to let the tuff times take the fun of the season away, its time for our family to remember what Christmas is really about. The gift list is one of things that are needed, I refuse to fall in to the trap of commercialism this year. Baked goods, homemade jam, pickles, and candy will be the gift most get from us this year.

[Bournecrazy]

i like to walk around town just as its getting dark to see all the shops christmas displays and lights in the town center.

that reminds me to make my own christmas song cd, we get xmas songs on the sattelite (sp?) at work around november time the odd one or two, then in December thats all they play so i might be annoyed by the songs before December.lol

My bf's brothers girlfriends dad (confused?lol) decorates his whole house in lights and puts on displays every year and have a bonfire and BBQ, everyone goes to it and they leave a box at the front gate so people can donate money to charity. they do this every year and everyone always stops to look at the house as they drive past.

[FrugalMomof3]

We will be cutting down on Xmas this year as usual but my DD has soooo many things that she really doesnt need much else.

[Pemberleyan]

Last year was the first time in about a decade that we had a Christmas tree. Without children in the house and because we were building our house as we went -- it sort of kept us from doing it. So this year we have everything all ready to get out and decorate. I am planning on getting things out right after Thanksgiving.
The thing I wish we could change is the number of meals we have to travel to, usually 3 or 4. It just makes it more hectic than we'd like.

Another thing I need to do is start making cookies ahead of time and freezing them.

[cab54]

i also would like this year to be less comericalised (sp?) or atleast feel less like it, doing more this together, watching local xmas lights going on, things like that. i like the build up to christmas more than the actual day i think

This how I am! I like the days leading up to Christmas, the holiday music in stores, the baking, the candy making, the wrapping..........but now that my kids are grown and I don't have any g-kiddies yet, it's kind of just all work for me. I do the get-togethers for BOTH sides of our families.

After Christmas, I'm just bushed! I'm almost too tired to visit with my sons before they have to go home! I could go to bed for two days.

[cab54]

OH, and I am doing-----LESS FOOD, less shopping and worrying about things, a little more HM gifting, more time with my sons, less time with everybody else.