No matter what time of year it is Christmas is never far away. Each year the cost of Christmas increases and yet for many people their income will not have done so. Having said that, experiencing a great Christmas is about more than just spending too much money.
The secret of enjoying a great Christmas is about family, friends, celebrating the birth of Christ, and of course it is about children. Gift giving is an integral part of Christmas celebrations around the world but can be a worry. We all love to see the recipient's eyes light up when they open their Christmas gift but spreading such pleasure can be costly. However in reality it does not have to cost the earth. It’s never too early to buy Christmas gifts Forward planning is essential if money is in short supply; even if it is not why spend more money on Christmas gifts than is necessary? Shopping for Christmas gifts throughout the year means that you can take advantage of sale prices and special deals. Free gifts Believe it or not there are some suitable gift items that are free or almost free. Consider:
Do it yourself gifts. Do it yourself gifts are those that you have made or assembled yourself. For example, how about:
How to buy cheap Christmas gifts If you have started shopping for Christmas gifts early in the year you should be able to take full advantage of the January sales. Make sure however that you do not buy items that will be unpopular or unfashionable by the next Christmas.
You will need Imagination. Forward planning. A list of those you want to buy a gift for. Some current knowledge of the recipient such as age, hobbies and interests. To always have some cash set aside for Christmas gift shopping. Tips & Warnings Shop early for Christmas gifts. Remember the best bargains are soon snapped up. Research on-line for special offers. Use cash-back websites when possible. Keep your eyes open for potential Christmas gifts and ideas. Avoid using a credit card to purchase the gifts. In the long run using such a card will make them expensive. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yAM1OIb-aMI
0 Comments
Can a dog just be for Christmas, not life?
As a person passionate about animal welfare I frequently tell people the old adage that a "dog is for life not just for Christmas". In the past many people bought cute puppies for a Christmas gift only to find that come the New Year the dog was no longer cute nor wanted. Our first dog was such a dog. Back in 1972 it was still possible to buy dogs from pet shops in the UK. Enter Drupi. Somehow or other we went to our local pet shop to buy a goldfish and came out with a 12-week-old dog. He had been what turned out to be an unwanted Christmas gift. The owner was still in the shop as we bought him and it was easy to see that all she wanted was for the dog to get a good home. With three young children he was just too lively for her. He was our first dog as a married couple and our only one which did not arrive with us through a rescue service. He was a super dog, a liver-brown coloured cross Labrador. He was faithful, loving, fun and lived to be past 18. Since Drupi we have had a fair few dogs of all shapes, sizes and ages. We have only had one foster dog and she came to us aged around nine months and lived with us until she died aged around 14 in 2015. Hubby could just not her go to another home, no matter how good it would have been. So there are are perils to taking a dog into your home on a temporary basis but if you are able to give it a go at Christmas read on. Careful consideration Before you think "great we can do that this Christmas" give the matter serious thought. Here is a little advice: 1-Never promise want you cannot fulfill 2-Make sure you know exactly what is expected of you 3-Get as much information as possible about the dog. 4-Timings are important. 5-Get a signed agreement. 6-Check out liabilities and the insurance situation before you commit 7-Know what you are expected to pay, ie urgent vet bills. 8-Don't feel pressurised Is it for you? No matter what time of year could you foster a dog or cat? It may be early for Christmas planning but not in this case. Check out local rescue centres and get yourself approved as a foster home nice and early. If your plans would allow an unexpected additional visitor sound out a local rescue centre now. You will still need to have a person and home check in order to ensure that the dog will be in safe hands and that you can accommodate it. If it is too late for this year think ahead for next Christmas. Some animal rescue centres are already issuing appeals for temporary homes for dogs in their care. This allows the staff, often volunteers, to get some well earned time off but also places the dogs in a loving environment for Christmas. If like me you are a dog nut you will not like to think of any animal locked up in a shelter over the Christmas period. It may not be easy to take in a foster dog but it could be many things including fun and rewarding. So what about it? Are you up for the challenge? https://www.rspca.org.uk/findapet/foster For those of you who were not born till the 1960s or much later here are some of my childhood memories of Christmas during the 1950's in the UK or as it still was back then Great Britian.
A British Working Class Christmas in the Fifties Born in 1952 I suppose it would be halfway through the 1950's before I really began to take much notice of what was happening at Christmastime. Our parents were classed as relatively old back then, as most of our neighbours were young parents. My dad was aged 36 when my brother was born and my mum was 33. There had been a baby boy a year or so before but he was sadly born dead. In many ways it is safe to assume that if he had survived I would not be here today, boring you all to death or hopefully entertaining you with some poignant memories. Two children, however, were ample for a family struggling to make ends meet, and having one parent with health issues. My brother was born in 1950 and myself in 1952. As the only children, in what was an ageing extended family I guess we were pretty spoiled financially. Yes our parents had little money but dad always worked and a myriad of great aunts and uncles supplied plenty of presents and some remuneration. Christmas was I suppose a strange affair but we loved it. After all Christmas is whatever it is to you and, if the spirit is right, then it should be fun. Religion We were brought up to attend Sunday School and regular church services each Sunday, Celebrations such as Easter and Christmas were not just special because they were a holiday but because they had a religious significance too. At advent there was usually a Sunday School presentation. This was often a book or some years an illustrated children's bible. To this day I have my first Advent presentation which was a prayer book. This book is a little larger that A5 in size. It is called "I ask a Blessing" and has children's prayers with little illustrations. The hard book cover is a little worn at the edges but considering this book's age the condition is not bad. This book was presented to me in 1955. I would have been 31/2 years old. It is very special to me. All school's held nativity plays and my favourite memory is from 1957. Having just started school that year I was chosen to be Mary. Thankfully it was a mime. Always a chatterbox, even then, I was shy out of the home. I wore a collection of items from my Mum's linen so that I wore white with a dark blue towel draped over my head, as a shawl. One of the other significant events to do with church at Christmas was our Church's pantomime. As kids we loved this. The plays which we had to appear in were a nightmare for me but watching someone else was lovely. St Stephen's church, which was to become Hull Truck theatre years down the road, held great pantos. Who the actors were I have no idea. Perhaps they were amateurs drawn from members of the congregation. Whoever they were they were good. Our Christmas tree and decorations The decorations in the fifties were often sticky coloured paper looped together to make a brightly coloured paper chain. We also had fluffy tissue paper decorations which opened up into a fat Santa or Christmas bell. These were usually kept for years but the paper chains were replaced each year. This meant that someone had the chore of sticking all of these links of paper together. As kids though we loved it. To complete the decorations a sprig of Holly and one or two of Mistletoe would be strategically placed around our home. We had the same Christmas tree forever. Now you may think that I am exaggerating but I am not. When my Mum died in 1975 and we emptied her home there it was, our little Christmas tree. It looked small, sad and neglected. As children though we thought it was perfect. When decorated the tree was placed on the top of our TV set. The tree was 3 to 4 feet high, artificial and was really quite sparse. Once Mum had decorated it though it looked amazing or it did to me. Amongst our tree ornaments we had:-
Christmas presents Perhaps it was because my parents were a little older or maybe just the times, but we had a traditional British Christmas stocking. This was placed at the end of our beds. When we grew and were more street wise this became a pillowcase full of presents. However as small children we had a stocking which was actually one of my Dad's huge, knee length working socks. This would have layers of small gifts and treats. The knobbly bottom of the sock would be due to an orange or tangerine, an apple and some large shelled nuts. We would barter these with each other. As a child I did not eat nuts and swapped these. In the stocking there would be small gifts such as skipping ropes, balls, yo-yos, a kaleidoscope, water pistols, penny whistles a toy harmonica, doll's clothes, colouring books, crayons and more. It could take ages to fully empty this sock. We then went onto the gifts that Santa had brought. In some ways these could be opened quicker. Wrapping paper lovingly placed was ripped open in a flash. Over the years gifts included a toy sewing machine,a brownie box camera, a trike and roller skates. We usually received a new bicycle each year but it was not really new. Dad would have a couple of bike frames in our Great Aunt's attic room. He would disappear from time to time and this would be where he was. As if his hour's of work were not long enough he would add new wheels, a sparkling bell, a lick of paint, new brakes and whatever else was necessary so that we each had a new bike at Christmas. Sure some years I had a boy's bike and sometimes it was my brother's old bike after a makeover. Dad biked to work and all over the place really. As children he would take us off on our bikes each weekend. We would tour the local dockland or countryside stopping of at Museums and such, now and then. Santa and Me Well to start with I was not keen on the big fella. Santa, Father Christmas, or St Nick, call him what you will, but I found him rather daunting. He would appear at school parties, Sunday school lunches, local stores, Hull Fair and more. Sometimes he appeared a little taller, or a little fatter and he usually seemed rather peculiar. Yes, I know it was probably one of his helpers or assistants but all of this was rather unsettling. I would be terrified that he would call my name and I may have to meet this man. Whilst we were at our Great Aunt's Christmas Eve party he would begin delivering presents. One year, as we were heading home a young man shouted at my brother that Santa had already passed overhead. Still my brother raced home with my Dad and hopped into bed almost fully dressed and it was OK. His presents were there at the end of his bed next morning. A while ago, with such memories in mind, I penned a sort of poem or ode to Santa that goes like this:- When I was young it seemed strange to me, that at Christmas time I would sit on the knee, of a rather fat man all dressed in red who on Christmas Eve left presents on my bed. Just how this man travelled here and then there I was not sure and so I would stare when Santa appeared at our school or a store and then in a flash be gone through the door. How could this man ride on a sleigh that flew through the sky on our special day? How could he give to so many so fast such beautiful toys that were made to last? The strangest thing though was that on Christmas night he would climb down our chimney which must have been tight. So that when we awoke, so early next day, our presents were there but not Santa's sleigh. Still, as we all know, now we are grown, mostly its magic that brings Santa to our home. Its best not to wonder just how things appear but enjoy what you are given for Christmas this year. My final memories of Santa are from encounters in the local high street stores, and their Christmas Grottoes. It was usually my great aunt that accompanied us. This Santa was so big that he usually scared me half to death and his presents were often terrible. Christmas food and drink For various reasons my Dad hardly drank alcohol. Still the odd beer at Christmas seemed the usual. Mum would have her one or two cigarettes of the year and the occasional glass of sherry. We kids had Dandelion and Burdock or Cream Soda. The Christmas lunch bird was usually chicken as it was much cheaper than a turkey. However we had all the trimmings. Homemade stuffing, mince pies, Christmas, cake and Christmas pudding. There was always a huge tin of Quality Street chocolates a large tin of assorted biscuits, a selection of nuts in their shells, a massive trifle and plenty of apples and oranges. Dad would roast some chestnuts on the fire as we sat and toasted our toes By Boxing Day everyone was bored of eating rich foods and wanted something simple such as egg and chips. Christmas entertainment My family were really quite musical. We had a large upright piano at home and Dad would rattle out any tune as soon as he had heard it. The tune would be jazzed up or played in rag time style. He also had an old radiogram which had customised speakers added. This was great for belting out his favourites such as Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby or Elvis. Added to this there was a harmonica and an accordion. These were taken to the Christmas Eve bash were everyone would join in singing or have a little dance. The local theatre held professional pantomimes and we were sometimes taken by our parents or our school. Oh no you weren't. Oh yes we were. You get the picture. We only had a television set from the late fifties so our early childhood was spent visiting, playing, listening to the radio, reading, drawing or whatever. The relatives who we visited at Christmas, those who had TV sets, were in general older. One family only had the BBC on their TV set and watched programs such as The Billy Cotton Band Show or The Black and White Minstrels. Imagine that these days. On the whole So there you have a brief glimpse into my childhood Christmases of 1950's Britain. Our small house had no bathroom and an outside loo which seems terrible these days. There was only a fire downstairs and so the bedrooms were freezing. With my Rupert Bear hot water bottle though and a large green eiderdown I was safe from the world. You may be thinking that I was rich compared to you or thinking that I was deprived. Neither is right nor wrong. I loved my childhood Christmases. They were wacky, even then, but such fun. I guess the one fact that made them so appealing was that they were shared with loved ones. So many of these people have not been around for many years, but they are such a big part of these memories. So as you write this year's letter to Santa with your demands remember that is not really the point of it all. Christmas is the Season of Goodwill and, yes the gifts and the trimmings are great, but they are not the essential ingredient. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/group-1950s-kids-were-asked-4853656 http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk/blog/tag/christmas/ What is it that they say about necessity being the mother of invention? Whatever it is I know what they mean. Take Christmas for example. When money is tight you need to be inventive and imaginative, so that you still have an enjoyable Christmas, with all the trimmings.
Do not imagine though that you need to be extremely artistic in order to be creative. Research the Internet and local library in order to get some tips for making your own Christmas tree decorations. Of course firstly you will need to decide what you want to achieve. Perhaps you would like your Christmas Tree to be shimmering gold or red and green in a traditional style. Then again maybe you want your Christmas Tree this year to be stylish and minimalistic. Up to the minute trees may feature simply black and silver. The choice is yours. Once you know what you are hoping to achieve you can start planning the decorations and gathering together what you need to accomplish the look. After Christmas remember to check out the post-Christmas sales for the best prices for retail Christmas tree decorations. There are always some great bargains on offer. Try E Bay, Car Boot and Garage Sale See if there are second hand decorations available on E Bay or at local car boot or garage sales. You may find some good bargains. Many people hardly use their decorations and then decide it’s time for a change. Ribbon Buy a few different rolls of ribbon. This can be cut to size and made into bows to decorate your tree or any decorations that you have made. Thin ribbon can be used instead of string to hang these decorations. Empty presents Collect a selection of empty boxes in order to make pretend presents. If you prefer wrap items such as a scarf that you already have to make a soft parcel. With varying sizes these presents can add interest to your Christmas tree. Wrap in stylish paper and add bows and ribbons. Hang these strategically around your tree or place around the base of your tree, Sweets and other goodies Do not buy expensive Christmas goodies such as candy canes and chocolate decorations. Buy a large bag of mini treats to hang individually. Small bags of chocolate or children's sweets look good and can be enjoyed throughout the Christmas season. Tinsel and glitter Traditional tinsel and glitter is great for filling up the Christmas tree. It adds sparkle and razzmatazz quite cheaply. Coloured foil can be cut into thin strips and curled with scissors so that it adds frills. Baking decorations There are various Christmas Cookies that can be baked and decorated so that they will look good hung on your Christmas Tree. A good example of this is Cinnamon Dough Cookie ornaments. Apart from decorating your tree they will add a lovely seasonal aroma to your room. Tissue paper Tissue paper is great for decorations. Buy various colours and experiment mixing and matching. This paper can be gathered into frills for adorning homemade angels and the like. Buy some cheap pipe cleaners for the bodies and dress them up with this bright, cheap paper. Coloured foil Multi-coloured foil is great for making Christmas tree decorations. Make a draft one first as a tester. You will need some coloured foil, appropriate cotton or string and a reel of tape. Cut an oblong approximately 8 x 6 inches. In the middle 4 x 5 inches slice a row of slits. Join the two long sides with tape. Gently press on the ends of this roll and the slits will open up making a fancy lantern, with a fine string loop through the top this will hang easily on your tree. Choose brightly coloured Christmas themed foil for the best effect. Experiment with different sizes once you have made a draft lantern. Experiment with different materials whilst you save some money but have some fun. Involve the whole family for a very personal Christmas. Cut Christmas shapes such as a Snowmen, Trees and snowflakes, out of card and cover in shiny glitzy foil or with sparkly tinsel. Once the foil is glued in place add a string to hang on the tree. I sometimes use the coloured, thin ribbon type of thread to hang my decorations. Small balls and the like can be sprayed with silver or gold spray paint. A small hook can then be inserted into the ball and the decoration hung on the tree. Once you let your imagination start working overtime you may find lots of items around the home that you can use. Remember health and safety and fire issues though. Cotton wool to represent snow, pine cones sprayed silver or gold, cheap costume jewellery beads and more can all be utilised. Christmas Crackers It may be possible to buy cheap Christmas Crackers for decorating your tree. These crackers may not be perfect for pulling but could be very decorative. To make your own Christmas crackers, that are simply for decoration, use empty toilet paper rolls for the inners. Decorate these with foil, paper, ribbons, bows and or sparkle. Want to make a box of crackers for a gift or some for the tree that will actually pull properly? The back of the Tree Remember that if your tree is against a wall you do not have to decorate that side of it. Most of us do but, if money is tight, it is not necessary. Simply add the odd decoration, cracker or piece of tinsel to give the allusion that the tree is completely decorated. Overall Being creative with decorating your Christmas tree can save you money but also be fun. The decorations do not have to look hand-made or pathetic. In fact they will probably look individual and distinctive. Even tiny coloured pegs can be used to hang your decorations on the tree once they have been made. An added bonus could be that your children are kept busy and occupied for a considerable time as they use their creativity. Note:-Make sure that there is nothing homemade on your tree that will smell, for example, with time or be a fire hazard near to Christmas lights. Saving money is fine but not at the expense of your health and safety. A beautiful Christmas tree is a must but what about all the hard work? An artificial tree which is pre-lit could be a blessing in so many ways.
Artificial or real Christmas tree It may be that you would not give an artificial Christmas tree house room, but perhaps it is time to think again. Both have distinct pros and cons but an artificial tree offers many years of use which represents good value for money. Most of these trees dismantle into two or three sections which are easy to store. These days artificial Christmas trees look almost as good as the real ones. They do not shed nor dry out though, so they look good not only for all of the Holidays but year after year. The choice is yours. If money and space is not a problem perhaps you will choose both or a huge real tree. Most of us are not in such a lucky position though. So as you consider which will suit your needs best spare a thought for pre it artificial Christmas trees. Now one of these might suit you very well. Pre-lit artificial Christmas tree These days artificial Christmas trees come in many shapes and sizes. You may find one of the "cut in half" types of trees that hang on a wall are useful, if space is tight. Then again there are slimline trees which take up much less room. We opted for a slim-line pre-lit Christmas Tree from a local large supermarket. All such trees and toys had a 40% discount attached and so there were huge savings to be made. The current economic crisis may be bad news in many ways but if you have at least some money there are bargains to be had. Our slim-line pre-lit tree is 6 foot tall. The base has three sections which slot together to make the tree stable. The tree has three sections too. Each section has a lead which plugs into a type of junction box near the centre of the tree. Once the tree is decorated you cannot not see the plugs and sockets. Of course there is then a lead which connects to the mains electricity supply. A couple of bulbs were supplied with the tree and it came in a box which is perfect for post Christmas storage. Gone are the days when the only acceptable Christmas tree colour was green. Black trees have grown increasingly popular in recent years. But why stop there? Red, white, silver, purple and more are available. Some people are just so hard to buy a gift, aren't they? They either have everything a person needs or wants, and some, or the opposite. The recipient of your gift may be a virtual stranger such as a teacher or work colleague which will have its own set of problems. For whatever reason though sometimes finding the right gift remains elusive or not possible in the time allowed. This is when most of us will resort to giving cash or something that has a cash value. There may be reasons why you are loathe to give cash such as:
1 - The money will get used in the household budget 2 - It does not seem like a proper gift 3 - By the time a gift can be purchased, perhaps after Christmas, the recipient may hardly remember who or where the money came from 4 - It is impersonal There are alternatives to cash though. Pre Paid Gift vouchers Prepaid gift cards appeal for many reasons. They can be bought with a particular gift in mind, that is for example Christmas or a Birthday. They will have an appropriate image and or message attached. They are convenient, easy to purchase and have longevity. Add such a card to a small gift to make the gift sensational. You may want to give a book but be unsure what books the recipient already has. Enter a prepaid book gift card. If you are buying for a loved one who lives miles away from you a prepaid gift card can be picked up online. No delivery charges and no waiting times. Instead an almost instantaneous gift. So what are the perils? Hubby received a prepaid gift card last Christmas. Great. It was for a local fishing shop which was thoughtful and just what he wanted. It meant he could replace some of his old fishing gear. The buyer also purchased such a card for another relative. By the time she got round to sorting through her Christmas gifts she had misplaced the other gift card. To this day she has not found it. The sad thing was that Hubby never enjoyed his gift card either. He had not realised that it had a short time span for use. Six months later he realised and it was already too late. The card was no longer valid. An important lesson learned, check expiry dates. But there is more....... Danger lurks One of the perils of giving and receiving a prepaid gift card is when it comes from a store. This problem was highlighted in 2012, in the UK, during the pre Christmas sales. What if a store goes out of business? Electrical retailer Comet collapsed. When the announcement was made that the store was experiencing financial difficulties, customers in receipt of pre paid store cards, hot footed it to local stores to buy goods. They were out of luck. Store Cards were not to be honoured. This was eventually changed but it could have remained this way. Comet was a well established company that had traded in the UK for many, many years. If it had been a recent, "fly by night", kind of Store prepaid gift cards could have been worthless. A lesson learned. So remember to double check;
https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/banking/gift-card-vs-prepaid-debit-card-whats-the-better-gift/ Pantomime, Essential Christmas entertainment, Oh no it isn't, Oh yes it is
Are you like me? Getting on in years I may be, but I still love PANTOMIME. From those amateurish Pantos of my childhood, that were held each year in my local Church-hall, to the more flamboyant and expensive offerings in the Theatre, Pantomimes remain fun. Despite being traditional they have moved with the times. Pantos often include popular entertainers, whilst the basic story may have a modern twist and there are even saucy adult Pantos, featuring raucous comedians, these days. For me though a good Pantomime is all about all round, good clean family fun. There may be the slight double entendre here and there but there is nothing really offensive. A great Pantomime is one which you can take the children to see, fully confident that they will not be hearing swear words and seeing sexually explicit entertainment. Pantomimes are not new It's thought that the earliest forms of pantomime were first performed in Ancient Greece and then Rome. However our modern pantos have their roots in the 15th and 16th Century. The first English pantomimes were more of a small performance which occurred between the acts of something such as an opera. Eventually they came into their own and full pantomimes were performed. By the 1800s pantomime, as we know it, was established in England. Although pantomimes take place all over the world it is a peculiar, very British form of entertainment. Many people still view a visit to the theatre to watch a pantomime as part of their Christmas celebrations. Usually any panto plot is loosely based on a fairy-tale and the most popular pantomimes tend to be Cinderella, Snow White, Babes in the Wood, Puss in Boots, Sleeping Beauty, Dick Whittington and Aladdin. That said the last one I saw in the flesh was Robinson Crusoe. Pantomime is one of the most politically incorrect forms of entertainment The Principal boy is always played by a very good looking woman. There are always at least one or two pantomime Dames played by men. These are usually gross caricatures of women; at least that's the theory. I would hate to meet any real woman who was like a pantomime dame! More than once male drag artists or very camp guys have played the panto dame. No decent panto can survive without a nasty villain, or two. This evil character is vital for stirring up the audience and adding some tension to the fun. Panto costumes are usually loud, brash and colourful which is all part of the fun. Sometimes, especially when an appropriate comedian is part of the cast, there is a slapstick section of the show. Panto is all about audience participation, for example:-
The favourite panto performance of my childhood was Ruby Murray starring in Cinderella at our local theatre. I was taken as part of a school party and loved every minute. The music and costumes were just lovely to a starry eyed young girl. As an adult a favourite one year was at the same theatre; this time accompanying a sister-in-law and one of her boys; it was Cinderella again, but the stars were comedy duo, The Krankies, and boy did we laugh. A couple of years ago I went with a gang of gals to a Radio Humberside production at the local University which was excellent. It was Robinson Crusoe and this low budget charity panto was great for its amateurish feel. Panto is not for everyone and often adult males shy away from it. However we gals, with or without children, tend to love pantomime, no matter what our age. OH YES WE DO! The cost of celebrating Christmas can be huge but only if you fall into the commercial trap.
It is far better to celebrate a Christmas that you afford than one which will leave you paying for it next year or even beyond. Debt has a habit of snowballing and once you have money to lay out for debts, such as payments for Christmas credit card spending, you may find it difficult to become debt free. That in turn can lead to the need for more debt if you experience a financial negative early in 2016. Ill-health, redundancy, the roof of your house caving in, or even just urgent new winter shoes for all the family could tip you deep into an ever increasing spiral of debt. So first and foremost as you begin your countdown to Christmas work out your budget This can be flexible but only up to a point. If you have secured a credit card with a deal that is interest free for a period of time remember that sooner or later that 'free trial' will end. Unexpected outgoings in the New Year could leave you unable to clear the debt in time. The Christmas Tree Want a real tree that will fill your room from floor to ceiling? The practicalities of such a tree probably mean this is not a good idea. Then there is the cost of tree. Would you be better opting for a modern 'real looking' artificial tree that can used year after year limiting expense at Christmas? The latter could be an environmentally sound idea although you can source eco-friendly trees these days, usually at a high price though. Decorations Thankfully many modern tree and house decorations are fairly unbreakable although not entirely so if great Uncle Egbert happens to stand on one after it has fallen from the tree! Start with just a few and build your collection of decorations over time. That way some will hold a special significance - remember that Christmas tree decoration that dates back to your childhood, and still holds pride of place each Christmas? Good storage is a must for decorations delicate or allegedly unbreakable and the same goes for artificial Christmas trees. Avoid damp storage areas such as an unheated garage and storing in boxes that may wilt (cardboard) or sweat (plastic) if damp. If a family member enjoys wood craft perhaps he or she could make a purpose built wooden storage box for Christmas bits and bobs? That too could become a family treasure and be passed down through generations. Food and drink Many people still buy far too much food and drink for the brief Christmas period. In the 21st Century supermarkets will only close for a day or two if that and stocking up makes no real sense. However it will save the shopper of the household having to get back to 'normal' too soon after the two main Christmas days. It will also help you set a budget and stick to it but only with careful planning.
Above all resist the urge to overspend. Children in the 21st Century do often have expensive hobbies but most can still have fun and enjoy more basic gifts. Gifts If money is very tight consider talking with your children about the situation, but take care. Whether or not that works depends on your language skills, the age of the children and just how bad your finances are. {If you are experiencing real debt contact the Citizen's Advice Bureau} Gifts are nice to give and receive but the cost of them should not make or break Christmas. Necessity is the mother of invention; shop around and get inventive to get the perfect gifts for your budget. Having used Bunches in the UK for sending flowers on numerous occasions here is what we discovered. The company has been established for more than 20 years and is quick and easy to use online. Here is what we like about their service:
After using Bunches on more than half a dozen separate occasions we have no complaints. We would say if something is not right, as in our missing chocolates, simply let Bunches know by email. You may think that the flowers could be cheaper but when you cost in travel times and costs involved in shopping locally prices are very competitive. Note: The above is not an advertisement but a review based on personal experiences. Whether you choose to look for Christmas bargains online or along your local High Street is up to you. Both offer some bargains but both have pros and cons.
Local shopping Along the high Street or local Shopping Mall If you choose to shop locally you could grab a great bargain and help your local community. The main positives are:
The Internet Christmas online shopping experience So what about Christmas Shopping online? Let's start with the positives again as there are many such as:
Online or High Street? Which would you choose? The conclusion? The pros and cons highlighted are just some of those associated with Christmas shopping online or in the City. The choice is yours. It could be that a combination of both will suit your needs. Researching the Internet for gift inspiration and price checks is always useful. If you are not happy to purchase online at least you will then have the information necessary to make your shopping trip easier and more productive. This writer tends to buy from both sources. Much could depend on how financially sound you are right now. For most of us that is not very. Therefore well planned Christmas shopping offers the best value for money. Plus of course the best gifts you can afford for your loved ones. |
Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|