The Giftless Christmas....Or is it?

About two months ago, I let my family and friends know that I decided to do a "giftless" Christmas this year.  My thinking was, if the entire nation is struggling financially, there is no point in making things any worse than what they already were.  And as hard as it has been, because I love Christmas time and shopping for the most "thoughtful" gift I can find, I have been successfully been able to stay my course.  I have made every effort to avoid the dreaded trap of "oh it's on sale" and even though my head keeps saying "wow, this person would love that, or that person could really use this", I am pretty proud of my ability to control myself and keep the idea of the "giftless" Christmas in full effect.

Now what I noticed is this: during the Holidays friends and family ask a lot of questions.....and come to think of it, so do strangers.  It's usually "Happy Holidays, are you done with your shopping yet?' or "Merry Christmas, only 5 more days left, did you get everything you wanted yet?"  And this year, I have made it my mission to pass on the idea of the "Giftless" Christmas....  So everytime I get one of these questions, I explain that "I'm not doing gifts this year" and usually I get this look of "how could you?" or the usual comment is "oh, my kids would be so mad at me if I did that".  And the more and more I got these types of looks or comments the more I thought about what Christmas has become. 

Christmas isn't "Christmas" anymore.  It's the "shopping time" or "sale holiday" or "gift giving or getting time".  We as a people have lost so much perspective about what the holidays are supposed to mean. So as a result of my little experiement, I have decided to change my mentality.  Because this year and every year before this, has been a GIFT, regardless of what was in that box that was wrapped so nicely.  I don't mean the gadgets and the gizmos (everyone who knows me, knows I love my techy stuff), I truly mean the time you spend with your loved ones.

I was looking through pictures of last years Christmas and I was remembering my sister laughing because she had Plantains under the tree by accident, and my niece singing to music, and my nephew goofing around with my other half.  I remember my dad showing up at some point, asking for his usual cup of soda, everyone telling him it's bad for him and my mom bringing her awesome food to the table as we enjoyed a little cocito that was my cousins recipe.  What I remember most of last year, was the time we spent together as we walked around Rockefeller center, which happened to be the first time my brother in law had ever been there during the holidays.  I also remember that my younger sister and her fiance weren't there and how we all felt their absence. 

My point is this.  This Christmas season for us is so much more about family and friends than anything else.  And, honestly,  it took, this idea of not buying gifts to make me really realize it, and also as I write this, to realize that it was never about the gifts anyway.  Yes it's fun to see their faces when they open something that you know they really wanted, and it's great to feel that other people took the time to do something thoughtful for you in return but I think we have lost the true meaning of Christmas. 

In the end, I have found it again and in the process, have saved myself and my little family even tougher financial times this coming year.  When I open my credit card statements, the balance will have decreased for the first time in years and when i look at our bank statements, I will not see extra gas purchases for trips to the mall.  And I am hopeful that this little idea of "RE-GIFTING" Christmas back to ourselves will catch on, so that others may truly experience the feeling of satisfaction I have right now, as well as in the future.

Happy Holidays to everyone, and a VERY Happy New Year.

Irene M Cruz
Paycheck Distribution Coaching....

Please follow us at www.facebook.com/paycheckdistributioncoach 
twitter and linked in IreneMCruz