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Community Corner

Get the Holiday Spirit Without Spending a Dime

To make sure your holiday experience is filled with memories you relish and experiences you would like to repeat, take a look at these Frugal Family tips.

This week’s Frugal Family offers more than 2 for 1 deals, bargains, local events and sales. Christmas is in just a few weeks and can be both expensive and stressful. It is also a time of heightened loneliness, depression and over indulging for many.

For both groups, there is a tendency to spend, spend, spend. The result? The cheery ones are in heavy debt, and the ones with the blues are even more depressed. Try changing that scenario this year and feel better without having “busted the budget”. Getting into the holiday spirit doesn't have a price tag. A charitable attitude, following traditions and staying healthy can all contribute to a having a happy holiday season.

My mother was an amazing woman. She tirelessly championed anyone suffering or needy, especially during the holidays. It was nonstop basket of giving, clothing drives and visiting nursing homes. Over the years my mother's charitable work became second nature and ingrained in me. I just lost my dear, sweet mother; she was buried the Wednesday before this Thanksgiving. 

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While not totally unexpected, the grief is there all the same. With her death went the last “whole family” holiday traditions. To make things worse, my teenage son was away for Thanksgiving (I'm a single parent). It could have been a major pity party. Actually it was for an entire day, but my grief keeps being interrupted with responsibilities I have previously committed to.

It took me until Black Friday to discover a wonderful truth: those commitments saved my sanity and provided new, good memories that had absolutely nothing to do with money. I will be busy through the season with other “responsibilities,” now called lifesavers. I will share a few of them for those of you who need more joys of the heart, yet, are on a limited budget Thank, you Mom. The holidays will be just fine.

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To make sure your holiday experience is filled with memories you relish and experiences you would like to repeat, try the following:

1) Donate clothing, toys and gift cards to Calvary Children’s Home, located off Dallas Highway. They have a list of the children's ages, gender and sizes of each child. Ages range from 2 to 19 years old. A few of the Christmas wish list gifts include:

  • Hoodies. That is the current style and is both practical and inexpensive. Better yet, ask your friends for gently used hand me downs.
  • Girls: Horse themed items, an art organizer, pink “girlie girl” bedroom décor, mp3s, DVDs and books (especially for one 16 year old female), arts and grafts.
  • Boys: The teenage boys like electronics and games. Remote control toys are also a big wish list item as is anything Transformer.
  • Gas or Gift Cards: Several children are in college and are especially in need of gas cards.

Contact Information: 1430 Lost Mountain Road, Powder Springs. 770-794-1500. Email: info@calvarykids.org for information on how to donate.

2) Collect hand me downs and toys for a specific family. Locate a needy family through a local school or by asking around. You can donate, of course, to a charitable organization but the experience is much more special when you know exactly who’s going to receive it. And while there are many programs available to donate new Christmas gifts to, there are just as many children whose parents never participate in those programs. A few years ago I decided to find two needy children and get a wish list. The children referred to me had never had a visit from Santa—ever. Whether a toy was new or not made absolutely no difference to these children. Their wish list was so simple and inexpensive that it was heartbreaking. Each year I’ve gotten more names and today my “Christmas Angel” project now comprises 25 children and a wonderful network of generous contributors.

3) Take food to the needy. When you cook big a large meal for your own family, make an extra plate to take someone in need. There are plenty of housebound people in our area. Any local church should be able to provide a name and address for an elderly or sick person.

4) Help out an invalid. Clean, read to or visit with someone who can't get out. There are many elderly or sick people who live alone. A gift of time is invaluable to an elderly person. While you are there,  if appropriate, help her/him tidy up their home.

5) Keep your family holiday traditions, even if there’s no family around. Make all the dishes that give you good memories and invite friends over; everyone ends up happy.

6) Find ways to laugh. Stick with your friends who have the best sense of humor. If you are alone, look for comedies on your cable TV schedule (or rent some) and break out the popcorn.

7) Health: Take care of yourself. I take this one personally. I tried to reschedule a chemotherapy appointment the day of my mother’s funeral.  I was “bullied” into coming in afterwards anyway, and they waited for me to get there before closing for the holiday weekend. I went with an attitude and only later did I realize how strong my doctor's commitment was to my health; the least I can do is have that same commitment. During the holidays it’s easy to drop the exercising, diet and drink routine as well.  It is much easier to handle stress if you are taking steps to stay healthy.

8) Set your radio to B98.5 FM and keep it there until Christmas is over. It plays only Christmas music until the season is over. It is almost impossible not to get into the holiday spirit listening to all the classics and the artists who made them famous.

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