Why You Don't Need to Spend Lots of Money this Christmas

Christmas is a time of the year that brings joy to so many people. The beautiful tree decorated with antique ornaments, family gatherings with delicious meals and colorful presents represent Christmas to many. Unfortunately, along comes January and the big credit card bills begin to fill your mailbox. But this doesn’t have to be the case. There are many creative ways to celebrate Christmas that include all of the joy and none of the debt.

Christmas Decorations
That all-important Christmas tree and its decorations can be very expensive.  However, you can save money and spend time with family by cutting your own Christmas tree this year.  Many nurseries offer special pricing on their Christmas trees if you cut and haul them yourself. You get to have a traditional family Christmas outing and you also get to save money – what could be better than that? You can even turn it into a special occasion where a different member of the family gets to choose the tree that year.
You might also wait until Christmas Eve to purchase your tree. Christmas Eve is the last day of sales for most nurseries and so the prices are much lower than in early December.
Take that tree home and decorate it with your favorite ornaments, but be sure to add some homemade crafts to the tree. Add some punch and merry music and you have a mini-celebration even before the actual Christmas holiday.
If you live in an area where Christmas trees are not commonly grown, buy an artificial tree. These trees can last for several years and will save you money every time you use them.

Save Money on Gifts
Instead of buying many presents, buy just one or two that have special meaning for each member of the family. You can also purchase one large gift for the house, like a television or games console, instead of many smaller presents. This will keep everyone pleased and you can even ask family members for those essential items like games and Blu-Ray discs for your new purchase.

If you’re really short on cash this year, simply skip the presents and try to focus on quality time with the family. This can include caroling with friends or taking in a Christmas play at your local church.

Have Frugal Fun
You might travel to see the Christmas light celebration in a local town or even drive through the neighborhood and admire the houses that are decorated for the holiday.

Having the whole family together is a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday. Stay home together and watch a Christmas movie. Pop some popcorn, wear your pajamas and drink some eggnog while you admire your Christmas tree.

Holiday celebrations are often free or very low cost. Your local library or community center might put on a show. Instead of spending a fortune on holiday gifts, take the whole family to see the show at great budget prices.

Decorate your home with pine boughs and pine cones rather than plastic ornaments. String popcorn with cranberries and use them as your garland. Save the comic strips from your newspaper to give yourself an inexpensive and "green" option for wrapping the gifts that you buy.

You can easily have the best Christmas ever and still spend very little. Those precious moments with your family and the memories that you will keep for ever cannot be bought.
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