A Family Gift For Christmas

As Christmas draws near, many families can struggle with the fact that they aren’t financially equipped to have a “Big” Christmas. Costs add up quickly when you buy multiple gifts for each individual person in your family – and – if you have a large family, well, the costs only get bigger.




If you can think “outside of the box” when it comes to your family and Christmas, the opportunities and ideas that present themselves to you can help ease the worries and stress that unnecessarily are placed upon your shoulders.



One idea that might really work is to have a family gift this Christmas. Instead of getting one another a bunch of individual gifts, decide on one larger family gift that will be a present to everyone. I know of a family one year who got a new flat screen television as their Christmas gift. That was their Christmas. It was a gift they all could use and appreciate but under normal circumstances wouldn’t have been able to get on top of all the other Christmas purchases. You could buy something else for your home or maybe purchase an outing that you would all enjoy such as concert tickets or a small road trip.



If you are going to do the family gift idea, you can still fill stockings to help round out your Christmas. So many inexpensive things can be found at dollar stores or even the “Dollar Spot” at Target. If you walk through a department store you can often find nice clearance items such as candles, stationary, notebooks, and t-shirts. Men always enjoy their favorite treats and small packages of “handy man” necessities are welcomed stocking stuffers.



In addition to cutting costs by purchasing one gift for your whole family, it also encourages family unity reminding everyone that “it’s not about me” but it’s about “us.” We are in this life together!



If you really feel strongly about getting something for your children, maybe just one small purchase per child would suffice. But if you go this route, try to keep the item to $10 or less. Certain Barbie Dolls, Pet Shop animals, movies, shirts, jewelry, beauty supplies, and so much more can be found in and under this price range.



I think if you try doing the “Family Gift” thing just one Christmas, you will be surprised at how well it works out for your family. There will be less stress from trying to run all over town buying multiple gifts, more time available to enjoy the holiday season, and hopefully less Christmas debt incurred. Christmas can truly be a day of enjoying and celebrating one another and the meaning of the season – instead of simply celebrating and focusing on “stuff.”