Recession and the meaning of christmas

[highlander]

With us all having hard times due to the recession, do you think this year it will bring back the meaning of how christmas used to be and not such a commercial extravaganza for retail, maybe its not such a bad idea that children understand there is less to go around this year, yes i can see someone will say that, children are children and enjoy and expect lots of pressies but remembering back to your own childhood would they accept less to understand the true meaning of christmas is.

[Invisible]

It seems Christmas to children is about what they! I have been asked this 3 times this year already and I'm 21!. I am grateful to receive anything even if its just a card/text, it's the thought that counts. My favourite thing about Christmas is having the family round for a meal.

[Iffy]

Everyone to their own, but my personal meaning of Christmas is a religious one (please dinna start a debate on this ...) where it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Gift wise though, I'd agree with a previous post - (again, just my own personal thoughts!!!) that to know that someone, be it a relative, friend or neighbour, is thinking about you and yours, is a precious gift to me.

We send our nieces/nephews gifts or money every Christmas.....but we never know if they received same or even what they thought about the gifts we send.

Their ages range from 4 to 17, so if they are not of an age where they can phone/write to say that, at the very least (I've come to the point where I don't even expect a courtesy of "Thank You"!!), they actually got them in the post (postal strikes aside !!), then why can't the parents do this on their behalf???

Its got nothing to do with the amount that we see fit to spend on the kids, but the fact that it appears to be just taken for granted that we do !!!!

Och weel..... I'll just await the back-lash from this post, but please, remember - these are my personal feelings and actual happenstances !!

[unicorn]

Well I have told my family this year that I do not want anything expensive and not to be wasting money, token gifts and that is it.
I would rather everyone enjoys xmas dinner together and we are all relaxed and happy than worrying about money.
We have our health and each other and to me that is more important than any gift money could buy.

[Kathy@watten]

I couldn't personally care less if it's the down turn in the economy or whatever, but as for Christmas I will do the same as every year, I get one proper pressie for my boys each ( not always something big or expensive) they get bits and bobs to fill their stockings and whatever they get elsewhere, I do not feel the need to glut out on christmas and be skint all the rest of winter for what is really only one day. I am far from being Scroogey, my boys want for very little but I am not going to embrace the spend spend culture to my detriment, they also value the gifts they get more. I do Christmas dinner and this is the big event more than anything else in our house that and decorating the tree. Keep it simple, keep stress to minimum and enjoy it!

[ShelleyCowie]

To me Christmas does mean familys being brought together enjoying that day together! But on the other hand i really enjoy seeing the kids faces when they open their presents!

Me and my OH have not spend the world on them this year unlike last year! But my family have agreed that we are not over-doing it with presents this year. I dont want any presents to be honest. I will just enjoy the time with my family on the day!

Unfortunately my OH is working christmas day but he has the morning off!

Also i still dont think the recession has really got to me or my OH yet. But the thing is....we just wont let it!

[Thumper]

Christmas for me has always been a stressful time and probably no different with the recession.My kids are great and know that i dont have a lot of money to spend so always ask santa for small things-they know that i send money to santa to help him get gifts as there are so many kids in the world-they usually get bigger gifts from their dad when they see him.I enjoy having family round for a meal but TBH I would rather be on Stroma until Christmas is over x

[unicorn]

Many people feel the same way thumper which is why I would rather see my family happy than worried about something they don't need to buy.

[highlander]

I remember when i worked in local shop there was a woman who came in at xmas and said she would never spend less than £500 on each of her three children, i personal thought she was mad. Not all our family get home for xmas day but have great fun with my sister-in-laws family, we have said for years there was to be no presents, so now what we do is have a lucky dip box, there is some crazy things put into the box and its the best laugh who is going to get the naughty things and you know what, we always remember what each of us got the previous years lol

[mrjolly]

we had xmas in january this year. it was fab. and the cost was a fraction of xmas in december. everyone said it was brill