Around this time last year, a misguided and belated witch,
presumably from Halloween, arrived to take over my psyche during the Christmas
holiday season. My family will recall
that it nearly took an exorcism to remove her from my body. I was very frustrated last year with the
tasks related to the holiday season. The
tasks that annoyed me the most, and with Grinch-like stealth stole my pleasure,
were related to gift-giving. I know, “it
is better to give than receive” and all that, but I was in no mood for either
giving or receiving -- at least not tangible, store-bought items. I was actually so uncharacteristically
miserable about it last year that I vowed to reassign the gift detail to my
husband this year. We have a month to go
to see how that works!
Maybe you also find yourself overwhelmed during the
holidays. There are a variety of tips
that people can use to bring a better proportion to their holiday season, but
for now, since my Scrooge-like focus is on gift giving, I’ll offer a few tips in
that department. One of my favorite
ideas is to eliminate gift-giving entirely, when possible. All those $5-10 gifts for the various groups
your family belongs to, from work to clubs, really add up. Not only in the monetary budget, but in the
energy budget. All the time spent
shopping and deciding and wrapping only clutter your holidays. And, really, when was the last time you got
or gave a $10 gift that it was truly a needed item. Most people can and will buy what they want
for themselves in that price range. My
“gift” to many people in my world is that I will neither provide nor expect
gifts from them. Talk to your colleagues
or your civic clubs and youth organizations and take a load off everyone and
eliminate the gift exchange.
Another idea to reduce financial strain during the
gift-giving hubbub is to start with the end in mind. At the end of your purchases, you don’t want
the residual gift to be perma-debt. Far too many households carry an
extraordinary amount of credit card debt. People often get carried away, either
with the impulse purchases during the holiday season or with the pressure to
give really good (read expensive) gifts.
Jean Chatzky, author and financial editor for NBC's Today Show,
recommends a budget of 1.5% of your household’s after-tax income be spent on
holiday gifting. According to the US
Department of Labor, the mean wage in Montana is $39,000. After subtracting 25%, as a general estimate
for taxes, that leaves $29,250 multiplied by 1.5%, leaves $438 for a gift
budget. Based on this example, our
average Joe Montanan, would write down everyone on his gift-giving list and
figure out how to divide up his gift budget among those recipients. According to Chatzky, 1.5% is the amount most
Americans can pay off by February, if they charge holiday purchases. Well, now, thanks to the math, I realize why
I was so grumpy last year. The price on
the expected and advertised gifts well exceeded my 1.5% budget!
A friend offered another suggestion to reduce the stress of
holiday shopping. She only gives what
she can buy locally. Think about how
much time is saved, and how much more pleasant the experience, when shopping
where you live. Perhaps the choices will
be more limited than the gazillion options of online shopping, but it can be
the gift that keeps giving – circulating money in the local economy. Plus, it can be a great tool for those of us
who suffer from TMC (Too Many Choices) syndrome.
Another tip is to give only gifts you already own. Some of
the most memorable and nicest gifts I’ve ever received were used and it actually
was the “thought” that counted. Among my
favorite gifting ideas is to give services, such as oil changes, haircuts,
house cleaning or to share your own talents by volunteering to mend or cook, or
do odd jobs for which you are skilled. I
also like the idea of giving experiences, not things, which reduces clutter. A great example I heard recently was when grandchildren,
who never know what to get their grandmother anyway, decided to pay for her to
participate in strength-training classes at her assisted-living facility. One of my favorite gifts I received last year
was from my mother, who bought tickets for our family and our neighbors to
enjoy a Phil Aaberg concert in Chester.
It was the highlight of my otherwise self-induced surly season last
year.
This year, Phil Aaberg will be in Choteau on December 11
giving his talents to help the group. This group gives
support to people in our community who are developing their own talents, but
may not be able to afford parts of their training. These
are the gifts that keep on giving.Opportunities for All
This year, I hope to take my witch’s broom and sweep away at
least a few of the strains of the season.
Maybe some of the ideas will work for you to be holly and jolly,
too.
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