New Christmas traditions for your family
Posted 23 December 10To save some cash and the family budget we’ve sourced this article which has some ideas for you to start your own family Christmas traditions.
The festive season can be a stressful time of year, especially on the family budget. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS),
last Christmas we spent $18 billion dollars shopping. Around $70 million
was on stuffed toys, $54 million on dolls and over $100 million on electronic
and battery-operated games. That doesn’t include the $650 million we spent
on video games. Eeek.
It doesn’t have to be about spending money, and the sooner you start new Christmas traditions in your family based on activities other than shopping
and spending, the more likely your own children are to grow up with less expectations each December.
Cooking baked treats, picking a fresh Christmas tree, and hand-making decorations are just some of the ideas you can do in your own home to save money and spend quality time with your family. Family Christmas fun (that won’t blow the budget).
Message in a bottle
- Send a Christmas letter instead of costly cards. Sit down with your children and ask them about their special times, achievements and memories in their year. Write up the family letter with them,
and send it to your friends. - You can always pop the letter on email and attach a special family photo.
- Another option is to recycle cards from last year — just use the picture side and cut the other side off. This is cheap and environmently friendly
— very fashionable! - If you must send Christmas cards, make a note to purchase some in January for next year — they will be half price or less.
- For friends and relative overseas, find someone who has a computer
with a camera and Skype them, this costs nothing (unlike phone calls),
and is the best way to say a very personal ‘Merry Christmas’.
Giving, giving, giving
- For gift wrapping an economical and very designer look is to wrap everything in either newspaper or brown paper with a red (or black
and silver) ribbon. For the kids, you can use the comics section. - Another way to get the kids involved is to get them to paint some
art work and use that for wrapping. - If you sew, old fabric is a unique and colourful way to wrap gifts. Cast-offs in craft shops can be surprisingly cheap.
- Remember whatever wrap you use, using the same paper on all presents can give the whole room a very classy, Christmas feel.
- Gift tags can be expensive, and are not eco friendly. If you use plain wrapping, paper, write the person’s name on the package, or just use some extra paper, and fold it in half.
- Old Christmas cards cut into small squares are another alternative
for gift tags.
Sparkles
- Buy a real Christmas tree. This can be a weekend activity, where the family drive to the Christmas tree farm and pick a tree. Not only will it fill your home with a lovely pine smell, it will create a great Christmas memory. Remember not to get one too big, it has to get through your
front door! - Make your own Christmas decorations. You can use a simple gingerbread recipe and some cookie cutters to create Christmas shapes which can be painted and decorated and hung on the tree. Just don’t hang them too low if you have a dog!
- Popcorn is another alternative to expensive decorations, and can be fun
to pop, and then string together on the tree. The same can be done with shells if you are by the sea or pinecones. - Natural decorations can be beautiful. Take a drive with your children and find some pine cones. These can be used as a decoration, simply placed in a basket with festive ribbon, at your front door, or under the tree. If the kids are feeling creative, they can paint them or use a glitter stick to sparkle them up.
- Another easy way to make Christmas ribbon is to buy strips of Christmas coloured ribbon and attach bright buttons at each end using strong glue. These can be waved through the Christmas tree branches or along mantel pieces or on the Christmas table.
- Buy clear plastic contact paper and place on sheet sticky side up. Stick lots of festive coloured buttons on in the shape of a Christmas tree, sun, or even Santa’s face, and leave a 5cm border. You can place an image underneath to trace. Cover with another sheet of contact, smooth the edges and stick to the window with glue dots for instant decorations.
- To top off the tree, let each child in the family select one Christmas decoration from the shops. This way each becomes special. Keep the boxes, so each year the tree fills up.
- Christmas lights can be a great, economical way to decorate your home
or garden. Start a trend and try and get neighbours to join in. - Small picture frames hung from the tree containing each of the children in the house are a novel idea if there are a lot of children around.
- Laminate Christmas cards and punch a small hole in the top and link them with bright red satin ribbon. Use as a decoration on a mantle, the edge of the table or in a door way. Stores well in a plastic bag for next year too.
- Make your own Christmas stocking with some felt. There are many simple how to packs at craft shops.
Gifts
- Baking Christmas treats to pack as gifts is great fun. Find some recipes and buy some small boxes from a craft shop and get baking. Keep your favourites and write them in a book for next year.
- If you have a large family getting together for Christmas day, have a ‘secret Santa’ where each family member buys just one gift at a set price (such as $10), writes the persons name on it, and no-one knows who bought their gift.
- Family members love receiving craft gifts from children. A simple idea is
to make a cardboard frame for some family images and get the kids to decorate it with shells, glitter or buttons. - Encourage your children to give gifts that cost little or more money, just
as a card to each family member with a personal gesture, such as; ‘a massage for half an hour’, ‘set the table every night for a week’, ‘a hot chocolate with mum at her favourite café.’ These gifts are often the most special. - Encourage the children to sing, do a painting or write a poem for their relatives as a gift.
- Go to the local library as a family and borrow a special Christmas book
to read each night. - A donation to the family’s favourite charity is a great way to teach children about other families around the world. World Vision run a great gift giving campaign designed around gifts cards where an amount of money gives
a specific item to a family in Africa, such as a goat, blanket or immunisation.
http://motherandbaby.ninemsn.com.au/family/familytime/1070623/festive-favourites-that-dont-cost-a-fortune
image: Darren Hester /www.pixelperfectdigital.com
