Cost Free Christmas and Traditions

**heatherly30** · 07-13-2007, 03:55 PM

I would really like to be able to recommend an alternative to my family this Christmas. None of us can afford to buy for everyone. I was thinking about a Make and Bake Christmas. But, what about the kids? (There are a lot of them).

Also, do you have any little Christmas traditions in your family. Even little quirky things that just make it memorable and meaningful?

**Edna_E** · 07-13-2007, 05:11 PM

I know a family when I was growing up that did not exchange gifts from/to each individual. They collectively chose and bought a gift for each family member, which was dutifully wrapped and placed under the tree even though everyone already knew what was in the packages. They spent much of Christmas day making something together, sometimes with friends invited too, and the ones I remember were ones where they made a tree house and where they baked cookies all day and where they all tried to knit - and nobody knew how. They always seemed to have a blast. I honestly thought it looked like more fun than my family, where there were surprises but then everybody went their own way to play with their own stuff until it was time to stress-out over dinner.

**sunshine** · 07-13-2007, 06:13 PM

We don't exchange gifts with extended family (just dh, myself and kids - now the kids spouses).

We get together for a meal. When the nieces and nephews were little we'd do Christmas "crackers" or small generic gifts for each one.

**heatherly30** · 07-13-2007, 10:12 PM

Edna E- Can you explain a little more? You said that, "They collectively chose and bought a gift for each family member, which was dutifully wrapped and placed under the tree even though everyone already knew what was in the packages." How did that work? Did everyone put in money for each person? Obviously the receiver did not know what they were getting, right?

Sunshine- I really wish that we could get to this point. But what about your parents, or dh parents? Do you buy for them? Do they buy for you all, or your kids? Has it always been this way? Our kids are little. What are some examples of small, generic gifts, or Christmas "crackers"?

Thanks for your input!

**sunshine** · 07-13-2007, 10:34 PM

We used to buy for all our siblings, parents, nieces and nephews. . . but by the time we had kids, everyone was feeling the money pinch. We only buy for our kids now-- 2 of them are married, and my dd is a senior in HS.

Small generic gifts were:

Coloring books/crayons
books
disposable cameras
fast food gift certificates

In the crackers we'd put small toys, candy, stickers, etc. Whatever will fit into a toliet paper tube.

**sunshine** · 07-13-2007, 10:46 PM

Forgot to mention:

My mom generally buys one small gift for each of my kids on their birthday and for Christmas. She spends less than $10/kid

Dh's mom buys a small gift for their birthday, but none for Christmas.

**pita1213** · 07-14-2007, 12:05 AM

we exchange gifts with my folks and sister and dh's mom and step dad. and we now have a neice and nephew. dh's mom and stepdad aren't into the homemade gifts much. though fil did like the hat and scarf i made him. my sils are hard to please so now i give them baked goods if i give them something.
my folks and sister are easier to please and really like homemade stuff. this year my mom wants me to make potholders for her. and my sister wants me to crochet her a snowman.
we don't exchange gifts with other extended family as everyone would go broke. dh is one of 40 or so grand children.
i send ornaments to the great-grand parents made form a tracing of the kids' hands. i glue together 2 pieces of christmas scrapbooking paper so they are thicker and hold up better, then trace their hand and write their name and the year on it. punch a hole and thread through a ribbon. for my family i just make ones for my kids, then for dh's family i make them of my kids and our niece and nephew. last year when my niece was born i traced around her foot instead of her hand and then i had taken a bunch of pictures of her in the hospital so i cut those into circles and put that and the cut out of her foot onto on oval with her name and birth date (i might have put length and weight) and made them like little birth announcements. the grandparents and great grandparents look forward to them. this will be the 3rd or 4th year of making them. and the neat thing is they slip in with the christmas cards so that helps keep them from getting bent.

**sdrjeolsen** · 07-14-2007, 01:07 AM

Not specifically a Christmas tradition, but one thing the kids love and we just have to do each year. We walk the neighborhood and look at christmas lights, then home for hot cocoa and a Christmas goodie.

**sunshine** · 07-14-2007, 06:57 AM

As far as traditions:

We go Christmas caroling every year with our church, then back to the church for hot cocoa.

We drive around some of the larger subdivisions and check out the Christmas lights.

**quiltergirl** · 07-14-2007, 07:27 AM

How about a cookie exchange? For twelve people (or families) each would bring one dozen cookies along with copies of the recipe. Each person would take one cookie from each plate and go home with a dozen cookies -- just not the same cookies they arrived with. You can work out the math for different numbers of participants. Each person also goes home with all the recipes.

You could also provide blank containers such as paper or celphane bags, plain white boxes, etc. and markers, stickers, glitter, ribbon, etc. for people to decorate to take their cookies home in.

I've done a lot of cookie exchanges. They were really popular in grad school where everybody was poor. They can be lots of fun and you can come up with ways to make the actual exchange into a game.

**staceyy** · 07-14-2007, 02:23 PM

We host a Christmas party for the family each year (this could be a potluck). We do not exchange gifts. Its all about the family, food and desserts, decorations, Christmas music, and lit fireplace.

**Brat** · 07-14-2007, 06:44 PM

when i found by birth family my family grew to 9 brothers and sisters and there familys....we made a pack that it had to be home made even from the little ones...drew namea and set a $10 limit. Then for the dinner everyone brought a dish...Company that we worked for gave us a ham and turkey every year so we would fix them...Good thing we had a big house...Had 45 2 years ago...chirstmas eve...even a hand made by the little ones was nice...

**monkeywrangler71** · 07-14-2007, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by heatherly30

I would really like to be able to recommend an alternative to my family this Christmas. None of us can afford to buy for everyone. I was thinking about a Make and Bake Christmas. But, what about the kids? (There are a lot of them).

On my husband's side, we don't give gifts to the kids. They get plenty from grandparents and parents. As parents, none of us want our own kids to be overwhelmed with stuff, and not buying for nieces and nephews relieves a bit of the financial/time burden. We choose names for the adults and have a $ limit - everyone loves homemade gifts.

On my side, we do the opposite, we only buy for the children.

**Jaded** · 07-14-2007, 09:53 PM

We always had the kids draw names, and the adults didn't give gifts to each other.

I really don't "do" Christmas anymore, since I'm on my own, unless one of my boys comes to visit. If I do, it's very simple. I've never been one to overdo Christmas, although at one time, I did decorate and put up lights and everything.

I'm thinking a make and bake Christmas would be wonderful. I can't think of anything right now, but I'm sure there are things you could make for the kids that they would appreciate.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 07-20-2007, 04:17 PM

Just love this thread! I'm already fretting about how to get through the holidays again...it just gets so expensive and commercialized. We've toned it down quite a bit already, but we're going to have our "tightest" year of all now... I've got a lot of things already, but have a ways to go...

I highly recommend reading "Unplug the Christmas Machine" if you haven't. There are ideas to reduce expense and frugal ways to make it special.