Is anyone else not doing Christmas this year for financial reasons.

[carernotasaint]

Is anyone else not doing Christmas this year for financial reasons.
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carernotasaintTue 07-Aug-12 00:16:57

DH and i have decided not to do presents this year due to financial changes. Got a letter today outlining the council tax changes for next year. What with that and other changes and cuts we just cant do it. So DH and i wont be contributing to the retail economy in the run up to this Christmas. We are also sending less cards due to stamps shooting up earlier this year. We are basically doing cards for family and my best friend and thats basically it.
Sorry Mr Cameron but dont look to us to contribute towards the retail figures this Christmas. You cant have it both ways.

can you not buy stuff in the sales from now til then and save it away? That's what I'm doing...

Fair enough not to contribute to the retail economy.

I would still exchange presents though... make or find something?

I had a stocking one year when I was a kid where my mum just wrapped up some things from round the house for me (reused wrapping paper). We were stony broke but I just wanted the excitement of a stocking. Was pretty much as good as a normal one tbh.

Don't cancel it, as such, just be creative. Avoid the retail madness and make stuff. There's months to do it in and in my experience, home-made presents go down a treat.

Can't you do a cheap stocking.

When I was a kid and we had no money for Christmas which was nearly every year. I would get satsumas, some chocolate, maybe some bubble bath or a book and a cracker. Nowadays I guess would total under £10 maybe £15. A pound a week each until Christmas and you could do something similar. Or use the money to make some bits and bobs for each other.

Do you have children?

We just cant. Theres the upkeep of DHs mobility scooter. Plus we will be affected due to the council tax changes coming in next year. Its also my nieces 18th after Christmas. it just cant be done. Even buying stuff in the sales the cost still mounts up. The steering rack on the car has just gone too. Phone and internet bill has to be paid and theres still part of the TV licence to pay off. It cant be done this year. Other things are more important and have to come first.

No no kids. I may buy a small present for my niece though. Her 18th is after Christmas and it would be nicer to get her something nice for that. Everyone else in the family is over the age of 25.

Do you know what i never thought of making stuff. Maybe i could make a nice cake and take that round to ppl instead.

I think what makes it harder is that Christmas is so commercialized now and there seems to be this expectation in society that you should buy this and buy that.

My friend made us chutney which lasts ages so is actually a really nice gift as you don't feel you need to suddenly eat it. Another friend of mine made truffles which were divine and one of the best presents I got.

I also made mini Christmas puddings for my parents and grandparents this year, they were only a little extra touch but they loved them.

I do think sometimes it feels less stressful just to 'withdraw' from Christmas than to try to do it on not very much, because it's sold to us in such commercial terms, what with presents costing £25 being described as 'bargains' etc.

Particularly loathe the phrase 'to buy for...' as a synonym for 'to give'

I must say we don't do presents for over 25s in the family either, but i would always exchange something with dh.

However, don't rush to start taking lots of stuff round to people if you wouldn't normally give htem anything - Christmas cakes are quite expensive after all. IMO macaroons or florentines are a better bet for presents.

Thats lovely Ruby. Some nice ideas there. I reckon i will be doing similar.

You can get nice things in poundland.

I too would like to exchange something with DH. I think i will prob have to have a discussion with the family soon.

There's a shop near me that does books for free or about 10p.

When the dc were younger and we again had no money for Christmas we bought from charity shops and poundland. You could each do a challenge to get the best present for eachother for a fiver. It's nice to have some little bits to unwrap.

For some years now our grown-up dcs have made delicious Christmas offerings. This started when they were hard up students but the tradition has continued because it's such a pleasure to receive this sort of present and they really enjoy making them. DSD puts together a brilliant hamper (it used to be a box covered in Christmas paper but is now often a wicker basket) which contains Kilner jars of iced gingerbread cut out in Christmas tree shape, home made pickles and chutney and some Christmassy fairy cakes. ds2 and ddil did similarly last year and they also included home-made marmalade and mango chutney.

Some nice ideas on this thread. Thanks. I was just having a massive panic about money. Sorry if i have come across a bit like an old misery. Im quite liking the idea of a more traditional Christmas thats less commercialized.

I don't do Christmas for religeous reasons (I don't have one) but there are a couple of things you can do.

1. postpone it and have it on another date

2. home made things / small things.

I make chutney, I love making it, hate eating it so it gets given away.

I also do other 'hamper' things, fruit in sugar syrup, pickles, I also do a couple of jars of things I will have to explain because I don't have a name for them.

Olive oil - pumice will do even though it is not 100% olive
1 piece of feta cheese
1 packet of dried herbs
1 jam jar

cut the fetta into chuncks
sprinkle the herbs onto a board or work top
press the feta ontot he board so the herbs stick
put in a jar and cover with olive oil

The other one I do

1 clove of garlic peeled
a couple of mushromms
1 or 2 small peppers - different colours
jar of pitted olives
jar of capers
olive oil

slice the mushrooms and peppers intoo thin strips
slice the olives
put the clove of garlic in a jar
pack in layers of the other ingredients
pour over olive oil

leave for a week and then eat with crusty bread

I know olive oil is not cheap - it is the most expensive ingredient I buy.

Are you using freecycle / freegle? Thats where I get my jars from.

As everyone has said already, it can be possible (and sometimes a bit nicer) to do a very small Christmas. When DH and I were skint students we did a £30 maximum spend and still gave each other lovely gifts.
And the Christmas telly (inc the v festive Carols from Kings!) won't cost you any extra :)

Second hand books are a lovely gift. I've found some beautiful leather-bound old editions of classics in charity shops over the years, and IMHO that wonderful, dusty 'old book' smell just adds to their appeal. Best of all, they can be found for a couple of pounds AND the proceeds go to charity, which is far more inkeeping with the true spirit of Christmas anyway. Actually charity shops are a great source of gifts - it's amazing what some people get rid of!
And I'm totally behind giving home-made edible gifts, too. One year a very dear friend sent a hamper of hone made chutneys, biscotti and Welsh cakes (I'm Welsh and she still lives there, I moved away years ago). It was one of the most touching, thoughtful gifts I've ever received and I was rather weepy when I opened it :)

Why does everyone think you need money to do Christmas?!?

1. Crash someone else's Christmas dinner so you don't have to pay for the groceries.

1. Get Grandparents to buy the presents, then explain to the kids they are presents from grandparents and parents :)

Every year I go to parents or grandparents, therefore have never actually had to pay for Christmas

One year I made tree biscuits for loads of people because we were so brassic. It cost £5 and took an afternoon (to tie all the ribbon!) They were nice, actually. Looked great on the trees.

the gingerbread recipe at the bottom

This will be the first year of no Christmas cards bar family for us.

I will be starting ds stocking soon. So a pound or so a week will be plenty from the pound store.

Dh and I don't go gifts. I'd rather have a nice steak for Christmas dinner!

We won't be cancelling but we have been scaling back gradually over the last few years.

We were the only ones out of a very large family without DC's up until this year and everybody's decision to 'only buy for the kids' meant that we got gifts for our 10 nieces and nephews and got bugger all to open ourselves. I know, I know, you don't give to receive yadda yadda, but when 6 of the 'kids' are in their 20's with children of their own, and you don't even get a Christmas card or a thankyou, it gets wearing!

So this year I will be concentrating on my own DC and my lovely parents, especially my mum, and everybody else can nob off - should save a fortune.