Christmas 2009 presents interesting challenges and opportunities for families as they prepare for the holiday. The recession has caused everyone to be more cost conscious and many families are wondering how to still celebrate the holiday with all the pomp and circumstance while not running credit card debt or straining budgets. The good news is that it is possible to do so and all it takes is imagination, preparation, and research for interesting services and activities that will help make the season bright for you and your children this Christmas.
The first thing to do is prepare and prepare early. One of the things that a lot of parents are realizing is that the days of waiting to the last minute and assuming you will have the money and time to do everything before Christmas Eve are over. It is simply to unrealistic given the state of family incomes. So sit down with your spouse and or relatives create a plan for the holidays. Estimate how much everything will cost. Try to think about where an activity or home cooked meal might replace more expensive options. You will find yourself being able to probably do even more than what you would do during a more prosperous Christmas
You should learn what your kids want for Christmas and see if it is possible to get. For the younger ones, say that Santa has to work overtime this year so he asked you to take care of the wish list this year. To help younger children I came across a truly brilliant idea. That is to make a picture wish list. This is great for your child if they are 4 to 6 years old. Get a toy catalog from Toys R' Us or Wal-Mart and have your kid look through it and point to the pictures. You can then cut them out and paste them on a piece of paper as their picture wish list. This is great because they may not know the name of the toy but they might recognize it from commercials. This also gives you an exact idea of how it looks like and where to possibly find it.
Take advantage of new options made available for shoppers due to the recession. The retail sector has been hit the hardest by the current recession. With holiday shopping being many stores' last chance at recouping losses with an increase in sales, many stores will be slashing prices on items in huge sales. Another interesting side effect is the revival of layaway. This is a practice probably from your parents and grandparents time. Essentially you purchase an item paying a certain percentage of the cost upfront then paying the rest in installments over a period of 60 days or more. This is great because unlike credit there is no interest and you just have to make sure to have the item fully paid off by the end of the store policy period. This is a great way to save money and focus it directly on the items you need to purchase this holiday.
Finally try to make new holiday traditions. One that will be a cheap and great idea is to have your kids receive letters from Santa on Christmas Eve or Day. You can do it yourself or for greater authenticity use an online service. For a nominal fee you can create a letter online and have the company send it to your home with a special postmark from the North Pole.
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