Christmas is quickly approaching, and it’s time to start planning a frugal Christmas, to get less caught up in the urge to spend and put our focus where it belongs.
1. Read a Christmas story or book every day.
2. Celebrate Advent with an Advent Wreath. You can even make the wreath yourself. That’s more frugal than buying one..
3. Pray for people who send you Christmas Cards. A good time to do this is after dinner. Or pray for them during your advent time, if you’re using an advent calendar.
4. Attend the Crèche at the Orange Stake Center and your other Ward and Stake Christmas events.
5. Have a family slumber party in the living room. Pull out the sleeping bags and turn on the Christmas lights. Just enjoy being together as a family.
6. Go Christmas caroling. Grab some friends or just go as a family. Get to know your neighbors as you bless them with Christmas carols.
7. See the Christmas lights. Drive around your town and look at the decked out houses. Vote on which neighborhood has the best display.
8. Look at pictures from Christmas past. Pull out the photo albums. Tell your children about your Christmas celebrations as a child.
9. Do a Christmas puzzle together.
10. Bake Christmas cookies.
11. String popcorn.
12. Read the Christmas story. Read it straight out of the Bible, or use a bible storybook if you have young children.
13. Pick up some library books and study Christmas Traditions in other countries.
14. Make your own gifts. My personal favorites are gifts in a jar. Gift baskets are also fun. There are a ton of gift mixes at Food Gifts From Your Kitchen.
15. Participate in a charity. We like to fill shoe boxes for children the same ages as our children. Our children learn that Christmas is about giving, not getting.
16. Make paper snowflakes with your kids. If you want a real challenge, make a 3-D paper snowflake.
17. Make a paper chain to count down the days until Christmas. Alternate green and red construction paper. You can attach the chain to a paper cross or Christmas tree and hang it up on your child’s wall. Each night before bed take off a link. On Christmas Eve, the child takes off the last link, and then gets so excited that she can’t sleep. Oh wait…that happened to me. Hopefully it won’t happen to you. :)
18. Have a Christmas movie marathon. Get the movies from the library if you want to be really frugal. Some favorites are The Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Story.
19. Invite some friends or family over for dinner. It doesn’t have to be formal. Just enjoy the company. Make it a potluck. Or have a soup night. Have everyone bring their favorite soup in a crock-pot.
20. Make a gingerbread house. You can try the ambitious way, or you can make one the easy way.
21. Visit a nursing home or an elderly shut in. The holidays can be a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones. Visit an elderly person with no family nearby. Bring some flowers, food, or a homemade Christmas card. It will brighten their day…and yours.
22. Attend your community tree-lighting ceremony. Many communities have them, and they are festive occasions. If you don’t mind the crowds, tree-lighting ceremonies can be a lot of fun.
23. Put on some Christmas music and dance with your spouse and children.
24. Learn the history of Santa. It’s pretty fascinating.
25. Track Santa on NORAD.
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