The Real Gift of Christmas Can’t Be Charged On Your Credit Card
George Boelcke FCI
December 19, 2007
“Maxed Out” is a television show on the W Network and this weeks’ show featured a family of seven and their Christmas challenges.
Basically, their Christmas spending had gotten out of hand. In fact, last year they spent just under $8,000 on decorations, dinner and presents. Like most spending, it went on credit cards and the family admitted it took most of the year to pay it off before starting the vicious cycle again. This year, the family got it down to $800, or one-tenth of last year!
What’s the lesson for many of us? Probably first and foremost taking a deep breath and thinking through our priorities. I often wonder how many of us can confuse buying presents with buying love and affection?
Quick – can you list three presents you received last year? Don’t feel bad. If you’re like most of us, you can’t. But can you remember some things about last years’ Christmas? I bet we all can, and it’s likely they’re time with family, something we did together, a special time playing games, something funny that happened, or perhaps a great Christmas dinner together.
And none of those have very much to do with money. So why do many of us keep doing the same things over and over again looking for precious memories in all the wrong places?
Whether it’s at Christmas time, or throughout the year, we cannot spend our way into happiness. In fact, it achieves exactly the opposite result.
There’s also good news if you’re already too far along in the present buying process. After all, you’re still in the return period, or just think of it as a great head start to next years’ birthday presents.
Maybe this year take your kids to volunteer at the Food Bank for a few hours, help out at your church or other charities that need your help in ways other than money. Anything we do to help those less fortunate than ourselves actually help us much more than it helps others. It changes our priorities, reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas and, if you have kids, sends a powerful message that it’s not all about money and the quantity of presents.
Basically, their Christmas spending had gotten out of hand. In fact, last year they spent just under $8,000 on decorations, dinner and presents. Like most spending, it went on credit cards and the family admitted it took most of the year to pay it off before starting the vicious cycle again. This year, the family got it down to $800, or one-tenth of last year!
What’s the lesson for many of us? Probably first and foremost taking a deep breath and thinking through our priorities. I often wonder how many of us can confuse buying presents with buying love and affection?
Quick – can you list three presents you received last year? Don’t feel bad. If you’re like most of us, you can’t. But can you remember some things about last years’ Christmas? I bet we all can, and it’s likely they’re time with family, something we did together, a special time playing games, something funny that happened, or perhaps a great Christmas dinner together.
And none of those have very much to do with money. So why do many of us keep doing the same things over and over again looking for precious memories in all the wrong places?
Whether it’s at Christmas time, or throughout the year, we cannot spend our way into happiness. In fact, it achieves exactly the opposite result.
There’s also good news if you’re already too far along in the present buying process. After all, you’re still in the return period, or just think of it as a great head start to next years’ birthday presents.
Maybe this year take your kids to volunteer at the Food Bank for a few hours, help out at your church or other charities that need your help in ways other than money. Anything we do to help those less fortunate than ourselves actually help us much more than it helps others. It changes our priorities, reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas and, if you have kids, sends a powerful message that it’s not all about money and the quantity of presents.
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