When we think of gifts we want for our family- We think…

We want them to be healthy

We want them to be happy

We want them to have time together

We want them to be stress-free

We want them to be debt- free

We want them to have good memories to last a life time and to cherish when some are no longer here. And yet as the Christmas season rolls around we start making those very long lists of to-dos and to -buys and it strips the joy out of the season.

 This next Christmas we would like to pass on a new tradition of a stress- free-, debt free, memory making and FUN Christmas:

We will continue to celebrate Christmas with our immediate families in the traditions we have each set up over the years. We should continuing celebrating with our families and doing the things we enjoy.

But when it comes to our gift giving we are going to simplify. No more gifts– or rather, just one simple gift… a photograph of your choice that YOU want to share with everyone sent with a note or letter to wish the family a very Merry Christmas. You can share your family as a portrait (Mom and Dad will want an 8×10 lol), you can share a fun picture you took on a vacation, you can share whatever you want. Have fun with it. You can also get your children involved: Delaney may share herself in a show, Kelsie playing softball, Silvie at the beach, Katie can share a picture with Robbie and Nick with his family. Beth and Erin can share the good things happening in their neck of the woods as can Mattie and Darian.  Seeing everyone with smiles on their faces makes being together real, and that is what Christmas is all about.

 No one worries about money. You don’t need to be told that holidays get pretty expensive. So when you take the cost of how many presents you typically buy out of the equation, budget anxiety reduces substantially. Also we avoid giving the bulk of our Christmas budget to UPS, Post Office and or Fed Ex !!

 Everyone pays more attention to one another. It’s amazing what happens to your focal point when your hands are idle. You look up and notice the people around you, and you engage in real, uninterrupted conversation with them. For many families, the opportunity for this kind of connection only comes around a couple of times a year, so it’s a gift in itself to fully take advantage of. Everyone walks away with beautiful new memories. Those experiences and the memories they create become some of the most enduring gifts any of us will receive.