We have a large family. So in October, each child draws a name from other children in the family. That is the only gift giving, besides buying for my mom, that we do. It has cut cost way down for our family. The adults just potluck the holiday food list and eat and be merry! We do the potluck for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. For Thanksgiving, we have the food blowout, as we call it. Everything you can imagine to eat. Then at Christmas, we have sandwiches and chips, Christmas candies, relish trays.
We do two things...one, we limit the dollar amount to $20 per child/couple; and two, we celebrate by attending the after Christmas clearance sales. I, as Grandma, do purchase a few small items throughout the year for the children to unwrap Christmas morning, but the fun is "giving in" to the gimmies just one day a year. We keep our dollar limit and manage to have more than they thought possible. With two grown sons with enlarging families, it's become an easy way to let them spend Christmas with the in-laws and for me to spoil the grandkids rotten.
Our family tradition is this idea. We came up with it a 30 years ago. We shop all year round for Christmas gifts. We use a gift box in our closet to store them. Each gift has a name to whom they go to on it in the forum of a tag of sorts. The week before Christmas we wrap our gifts and set them under the tree. Santa comes on Christmas eve to our house. He eats a bite out of a cookie and milk sip. He then leaves. My nieces and nephews get all excited come Christmas morning when they see Santa evidence of his existence. The day of Christmas we open all our gifts while feasting on homemade pizza and cool aide. Milk for the kids as my sisters don't want their children hyper from cool aide. I am 38 years old this year. It is the one year we intend to celebrate it together one last time, before I head south for good. We live in Minnesota and I have health issues. My parents have a place down there where I will stay. I will miss Christmas here, but I will visit some too. You can shop all year long. Every month has sales. July has Christmas sales too as they get ready to clear out there store for fall and the holidays. Have a happy holiday. Tanya
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