Today, guest writer Wendy Thomas shares a gift with us – the gift of a Highly Economical Christmas. No matter what holiday you celebrate this year, this story is sure to inspire you to remember that it’s not so much what you give as the spirit in which you give. We’ll be taking some of Wendy’s advice and creating some special holiday memories of our own.

Every year around Christmas, you start seeing stories in the newspapers of families that are struggling financially. Donations are requested and toys are collected in an effort to give families a “nice Christmas”.  Last year, this spurred some discussion in our house about financial priorities, self-sacrifice, and creativity.

I wanted to prepare my kids for a tough life if that’s what came their way. I told them that Christmas was not dependent on money but on the spirit and sense of togetherness it evoked. I declared that we were going to have a “Highly Economical Christmas” where I was going to provide them with a memorable celebration that would not cost a dime. Not one little penny.

One month before Christmas I started collecting things that came to me free – two boxes of cereal samples, broken candy canes, a bag of chocolate chips, mints from a restaurant, bits of paper, decorations, and cards- and put them all into a large bag. A few days before our celebration, I pulled all the supplies out and started creating gifts and activities. What are you doing? My kids asked me. Shhh, go away, it’s a surprise, I told them as I hid my work from prying eyes.

Anticipation – one of the best things about any celebration- kept increasing until it was time for our thrifty event. I can’t wait, my younger kids said to me, what are we going to do? Finally, after dinner the designated night of our celebration, I called all the kids into the TV room and we started the festivities. No one knew that to expect and there were even a few derisive laughs from some of the older teenaged kids who were sure that my economical Christmas celebration was going to be just another one of mom’s “crazy ideas”.

I had painted 3 white votive candles left over from Halloween pumpkins. Using red acrylic paint (from our craft box) I put a large J on one, an O on another, and then a Y on the last. We started off the evening by dimming the lights and lighting the JOY candles. I don’t care what you are celebrating, candles and lights make it that much more magical.

We then had cereal bites made with the sample cereals and some melted white and dark chocolate. “These are really good” said at least 3 of the kids. Next we played a game I had created called “Favorite memory”. Each person drew a card asking them to tell about their favorite school, winter, pool, or summer memories. I made the Favorite Memory game from stray index cards, and markers. All I did was create 18 cards each with a different memory category. The cards were all put into a bowl and then each person drew a card when it was their turn.

Everyone was able to play twice and we all listened as each person recounted a fun or memorable event from the past. As a parent it was fascinating to hear what the kids cherished as some of their favorite times. Every time a person completed a turn they got to ring the “Christmas bell” (a small nice sounding bell with a leather strap I had already had) to bring some Holiday cheer and “earned” a small mint.

Once we finished playing the game, I handed out small gifts to each of the kids. Each child received a handmade bookmark and a small decoration or handout I had received at some point in the previous month. Again there was a little bit of mocking as the older kids exaggeratedly “oohed” and “ahhed” over the bookmarks, stickers, and pencils.

But then I handed each child a hand decorated, personalized card telling them what I valued about each child and how much I loved and enjoyed them. I detailed what I saw as their strengths and how I was proud and filled with honor in seeing them develop into young, independent, intelligent, and funny individuals.

The older kids, who had been the quickest to mock this event, were the first ones to have tears in their eyes. The room became very quiet as each person read their cards exclaiming “Oh I got a good one”, “So did I”, and “I did too”.  All of the kids spontaneously fell into a group hug with my husband and me and they then placed their individual cards in places of honor on the Christmas tree.

We ended the evening watching an old VHS version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” borrowed from the library and munching little broken bits of candy canes that had been dipped into chocolate. Our Highly Economical Christmas celebration far exceeded my expectations and in fact, the kids (even the teenagers) requested that this become something we do every year. Without spending any money and with the use of a little bit of creativity, I was able to create a new family tradition that the kids will recall when they pull out memories of their fondest childhood Christmas celebrations.

Wendy Thomas is an award winning journalist, columnist, and blogger who believes that taking challenges in life will always lead to goodness. She is the mother of 6 funny and creative kids and it is her goal to teach them through stories and lessons. Wendy’s current project involves writing about her family’s experiences with chickens (yes, chickens).

Image Credit: cutiepiecompany