Advent

Advent Preparation Tips:
Keeping Madison Avenue to a minimum

By Bobbi Lison
Catholic Charities

As a budget counselor, I know the Christmas season can be a hard time for many. Parents, feeling a need to make this "the best Christmas ever," find themselves deciding between overspending or feeling less than adequate as parents. The need to "keep up with the Joneses" is another difficult decision for many.

	A d v e n t Time of Preparation

However, the holiday season doesn't need to become an additional stress in our lives. If we plan ahead, know what is important to us as a family, and get back to the true meaning of Christmas, the holiday season can bring back the sense of wonder and innocence that many of us experienced as children.

Avoid spending beyond your means. Take time, before shopping begins (or continues), to create a "Holiday Spending Plan." Hold a family meeting to decide how much money you will spend on the entire holiday, including gifts, food, decorations and entertaining. Talk about the myth that love equals money and how you can express love without spending a lot.

Give to a worthy cause. Together, as a family, choose a family to "adopt"; spend some of your Christmas money to purchase gifts for elderly residents in a nursing home; provide a meal for a needy family; make a donation to a worthy cause. The possibilities are endless and the meaning is priceless!

Give gifts that cost little but have meaning. This tip would find me out of a job with any Madison Avenue firm. But how many times do you find yourself in a race to pick out items so that you can cross names off your Christmas "To Do" list? Wouldn't it be more fun to actually consider what each person on your list finds meaningful? Perhaps Grandma and Grandpa would be honored to have a donation to a favorite charity made in their names. Mom and Dad might love tickets to a play at the local college. Brothers and sisters may love tickets to the movies with a free night of babysitting thrown in. The possibilities are endless; they only take a little time and thought to be perfect!

Create new and easy rituals. We're all so busy that we rarely have time to enjoy our families, much less our surroundings. As a family, pick a night to create the magic of the season. Light candles, Christmas carol for your neighbors, have a holiday movie night, or go for a walk in the nearest park or drive around to see Christmas lights. Make it a tradition for seasons to come.

Create your own Christmas cards and wrap. You don't have to be Martha Stewart. A visit to a hobby or craft store will provide all you need (including ideas). Spend a snowy weekend with glue guns, fabric, stamps or anything else you have to create cards. Use colorful store bags, magazines, or Sunday comics to fashion homemade wrap. I'm always amazed at the beautiful bags I get while shopping and the opportunities they allow for custom wrapping.

Holiday Baking. I remember, as a child, choosing a weekend day to help my mom make Christmas cookies and candies. My brother, sister, and I played Christmas songs or holiday videos and decorated the cookies. We would hold contests to see which was the most beautiful, creative, and outrageous. It was a great time and it allowed us to re-connect as a family. Instead of spending a lot of money on purchased goodies and snacks, create your own. I guarantee, they'll taste a lot better. (And you get bragging rights over the ones you decorated!)

(Lison is manager of Credit Counseling/Debt Management for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Green Bay.)