Have Yourself an Inexpensive Christmas

Thanksgiving is in two days already, which means (among other things) the Christmas shopping season is set to begin on Black Friday. I won’t be among those in line at midnight when some stores open. What’s more, I’m sure, given the state of the economy, most Americans will be spending a little less this holiday season. That’s bad news for retailers, but it shouldn’t do anything to dampen your Christmas spirit. After all, ‘Tis the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” whether we rack up huge credit card bills or not.

And really, that’s not what Christmas is all about anyways. You don’t need me to tell you that.

There are more inexpensive ways to send holiday cheer to friends and loved ones. You can bake something like cookies or pumpkin bread (no fruitcakes!!) or you can create something if you are handy or artistic in any way. But perhaps the most time-honored way is the good, old fashioned Christmas card. Now, I have to admit that I am not a big fan of cards in general. I know full well that when I give someone a birthday card it winds up in the trash within a week about 90 percent of the time. Christmas cards are a little different, though. They mark the celebration of the most important birthday ever, they are sent at the end of the year and provide a great opportunity to update those people you don’t get to see as often as you used to… and they are fun to get. It’s always nice to see a stack of red and green envelopes in the mailbox at this time of year.

According to U.S. Census Bureau statistics from 2005, almost two billion Christmas cards are sent each year in this country. That’s an amazing number! It may plateau a bit as more and more people start sending holiday greetings via email, but my guess is that the tradition of sending Christmas cards, which is about 170 years old, will always be with us.

Christmas letters have erupted in the past couple decades as an extension of the Christmas card, and while some can be fun, creative, and informative, others can be downright awful. I found a few interesting articles on bad Christmas letters as well as some dos and don’ts for Christmas letters that I thought were pretty good. My wife and I decided this year to start sending out our “Family letter” on our anniversary in October instead of letting a Christmas letter get lost amidst the onslaught of holiday mail. You can go ahead and borrow that idea for your family if you want… free of charge. Just consider it an inexpensive Christmas gift from me to you.