Cutting back on the unimportant things...........

As Christmas draws near, I am reminded of the stress that comes with it. Every year, I am always pulled in a thousand directions, stressed about money, and worried that I forgot to send a Christmas card to someone. I am going to put my foot down this year, and say, “Not again!”

I have heard other bloggers talking about ways to have a frugal Christmas, not sending out Christmas cards, etc. I have decided to take some of their advice, but basically, I am going to focus on the important things. First and foremost that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the real “reason for the season”. Christmas is not about Santa and his reindeer, and we do not talk about Santa a lot in our house, but if the kids mention Santa, we don’t “burst their bubble”. Next in line is family and being thankful for our blessings, not begging God to give us more blessings so we can buy our kid or family that perfect gift. Christmas should not ever be about how much debt that we can accumulate; however many times we do that before we know it. Yes, my kids want expensive things, and they can continue to want those things, but they need to be happy with what we CAN get them and most of the time they are.

So as I sit here and think about Christmas, I am thinking about what I want it to be like, and this year, it will be simple and to the point with lots of family and church time thrown in.

We will not be sending out Christmas Cards. They cost money and time; we do not have much of either.

We will be making gifts for the kids’ teachers and some friends and family. Not only will this save money, but it will be things that we can do as a family. Hopefully these gifts will be cherished more too. We will not “overdo it” on any gift, our gifts will come from the heart.

We will be eating more meals at home instead of stopping by fast food because we are so worn out from all the running. Again, saving money and spending more time with family.

We will sit together on the couch and watch movies while drinking hot chocolate.

I will clip coupons and shop smart so that I can save our family every penny possible, so I am not stressing constantly! (Black Friday here I come!!!!!! On a quick side note, visit blackfriday.org to check out all the Black Friday ads early!)

I will not stress about decorating the Christmas tree this year. I will enjoy my time with my family and not care if every ornament is on the bottom of the tree!

Most importantly I will count my blessings and not my bills. I will spend time with my family instead of spending time worrying about perfection. I will worship my Savior instead of worshiping how pretty my tree and decorations look.

No, my Christmas, I am sure, will not be perfect, but it will definitely be better than previous Christmases have been, because I am cutting back on the unimportant things!