I recently read an article on the average amount of money ( in the United States) spent on each child for Christmas. The amount was $276.00 per child.
I'm not sure where the averages come from....Are people from all over the US polled on this topic? Do they select certain areas? Is it the rich, the middle class, those in a lower income bracket, who are asked these questions?
Each Holiday season, surveys and reports circulate and I find myself questioning all of this collected data.
What is important is for each of us to consider what might be meaningful and sustainable for OUR specific situation. The smart thing to do is to set a realistic budget by prioritizing needs and wants for the family. Income levels, Family size, long term impacts, wanting to avoid debt, these are all important things to consider.
When I was young, we were not RICH but I never remember spending a Christmas without gifts and surprises from Santa. AND.... We never paid attention to what Santa brought our friends.. It was no big deal.
We played with and enjoyed the things that we had received. We spent our time enjoying Christmas vacation......Eating tons of goodies, singing songs, playing outside, just having fun!!
But.....now days things are different for kids. On Christmas morning, within an hour or so after opening their gifts, their group of friends are already sharing what everyone got and what they didn't get. Social Media!!!!!!!
We live in a "Comparison Style Culture." This is truly sad!!
In my humble opinion, these crazy polls and surveys do nothing but cause havoc on the minds of those doing their best to give to their children. Holiday advertisements and social media sites can easily cause us to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas.
Christmas is NOT about how much money we spend on each child, it's not about the number of presents each child has under the tree. It is a sacred time to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, and the extraordinary gift of salvation that God has given. Ultimately, the greatest gift we can give our children is the ability to find joy and contentment in the Christmas season. To recognize that this special time of the year is about the Birth of Jesus Christ.
Remember, the value of a gift lies in the thought and love behind it......not the price tag.
Do you set a Christmas Budget?
Shug.....
Happy Saturday...
My parents had grown up, during the depression and ww2 so they both wanted to shower my sister and I with material gifts. We didn’t go to church and God was not the center of our lives. When I was 30, I accepted Jesus - I had 3 little boys and I wanted them to have a real Christ-centered Christmas. Sure I gave them a couple of gifts but we never went overboard and they have never mentioned to me, they felt slighted. One Christmas as a single mom, the church bought us all presents! Talk about humbling.
ReplyDeleteI don’t have a Christmas budget - they’re adults and there are no grandchildren. I’ll get them something but we just don’t emphasize that part of Christmas anymore and it’s freeing. Things really do change when your focus is on Jesus - helping others who
are lonely. Christmas is the perfect opportunity to evangelize- the message is already out there. It’s a time to share that gift God gave us with others.
Great topic Shug. Thank you for sharing your kind heart with all of us. ❤️