The Year We Had No Money For Christmas

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Holidays & Special Events

Home > Holidays & Special Events > Topics: Gifting & Gift Cards

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The Year We Had No Money For Christmas

Submitted by: Gale Osborn 06/26/2009 2:52 PM

Maybe you think it's too early to talk about Christmas, just want to give you some food for thought.

My husband had gotten out of the military and had lost his job. We had four kids. I told the kids we were having a Christmas like back in the old days. Christmas is about the birth of Christ but I don't know a child that doesn't want gifts. So we had a 'Pioneer Christmas".

We made all our gifts and of course I helped with the little kids. We decorated our tree with hand made ornaments. We strung pop-corn (on dental floss)and hung our pop-corn garland. We cut long strips of fabric to tie on bows of all colors. We wrapped our gifts in brown paper( made from grocery bags) and tied them with jute cord. on the Eve we turned out all the lights and lit oil lamps and candles.

I served bean soup, chicken( legs and thighs) and cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans. For dessert we had bread pudding with lemon sauce. We had home made bread and drank our tea from jars.Or gift were home made puppets ( made from old socks) dolls for the girls and bears for the boys.In their home made stockings they got apples, oranges,nuts and candy. It was the best Christmas ever!

Homepage photo credit: knitgirl63

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Comments:

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Gale is right, it is not too early to think about Christmas... because it is yard-sale season.

Most Saturdays in the summer I yard sale with my 20-year-old married daughter. We take my car and use my gas, as I view this as my cost of getting to spend time with my daughter... anything I buy at yard sales is just icing on the cake. Really, what could be finer?

This summer we've started to include one of my friends. Sue had before casually yard-saled, but had never tried to hit 30 to 40 in a day using a map. She's completely hooked, and returns home every time with a respectable pile of stuff. She has been buying for her grown children and small grandchildren.

Sue has shown her loot to her relatives and asked if they were receptive to yard-sale presents next Christmas. The relatives were enthusiastic to her idea, as they were impressed with the great stuff she is finding. So Sue has started saving the presents in a designated box. It is hard to stash yard-sale presents, because the urge is so great to give it immediately. It takes some discipline to save the items.

At a time when our culture is so materialistic, there is an excess of great stuff at yard sales. It is pretty easy to do budget Christmases buying secondhand things. With our kids (who are now young adults) we would usually give a mix of stuff. Some new items from their wish lists (things that could not be bought secondhand), and whatever goodies we found at yard sales. Since we had a $50 budget per kid (less when they were small) they knew that if they got secondhand stuff, they got way more.

I never felt giving secondhand was "cheap," because, like a homemade gift, a secondhand gift represents my time. It takes time to go to many yard sales, and in some cases I spend time cleaning and repairing the items. I NEVER tried to pass off items as new. My kids were always told what came from yard sales, or other secondhand sources... and what I paid for the items. I wanted them to learn the life lesson that you can get really great things cheaply. The main thing is to buy really great stuff, and things that are really fitting for that individual.

I've even given items as gifts that I found shopping the curb (cleaned and repaired), always telling the recipient where I got the item.

As young adults, my kids still like secondhand gifts, and some now give away things they bought secondhand.

As an example of a recent thrift-shop gift, I found my artistic son-in-law a book of the preliminary drawing and sketches done for the making of the first Matrix movie. This is a large thick hardcover filled with color and black-and-white sketches. I got it for $3.50... original price was $80. I gave it to him for his birthday and he loved it.

Posted by AnnS on June 28, 2009 8:02 AM

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This is such a great idea! You could beat yourself up over not being able to do what you would like to, or... turn it into something special your family will never forget!

Posted by anonymous on June 28, 2009 5:02 PM

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Well, AnnS, we are cut from the same cloth. When I first started buying yard sale Christmas I didn't reveal where the gifts came from and nobody guessed. I bought only new things back then. It was out of clear necessity I started buying this way. Also my daughter worked at K-Mart and when the winter clothes went on for 80% and 90% off, I was there. My family was so amased at the nice sweathers, hoodies and jogging outfits they got for Christmas. Not knowing that most cost me $3.00 each. Once at a yard sale I bought my daughter 5 pairs of new jeans for $10.00. They didn't fit the original owner and they had never been worn.Just yesterday(6-27-09) I bought an entire wrapping center including the Rubbermaid 40' paper holder and a box of bags. I got 36 rolls of paper(20 had never been opened) and 30 gift bags( all sizes )including giant bags( all paper and VERY nice) a stack of tissue to match the bags, a box of gift cards, a pkg. of basket covers and a pkg. of treat bags( all new) I paid $10.00 for the whole kit and kabotal. Now, I am proud of myself for all the bargains.I'm almost done with what I'll buy this year, all I have left to do is the things I'm making.

Posted by Gale Osborn on June 28, 2009 6:21 PM

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I have kept my eyes open at discount and charity stores as well as yard sales and when friends who sew have excess fabric they are not going to use. I've sewn gift bags and they are always used at home year after year. Tie with yarn or ribbon found on sale. For "out of the house gifts" i recycle gift bags in good condition.

Posted by Marilyn on June 30, 2009 12:07 PM

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You can find a lot of nice things at yard sales and thrift/second-hand stores.

I found a commemorative pilsner glass from Superbowl XXXI for $0.50 at a thrift store, gave it to a friend, who was so thrilled! The comment was "I love it! Do you know how hard it is to find these today?"

Giving gifts that are second-hand or from yard sales and thrift store doesn't mean that you're cheap. (Hey, they don't sell "used-cars", they're now "pre-owned.!!)

Posted by Pat on June 30, 2009 9:47 PM

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I love this idea! I wish I could get the rest of my family to stop buying my kids tons of junk at Christmas so that they could enjoy a scaled down Christmas. I'm with the yard saling method until then. We have a $10/kid for each Christmas and birthday. They get more enjoyment out of those $10 worth of toys than the $40 toys my mom always gets them.

Posted by Emily on July 07, 2009 5:45 PM

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THERE IS NOTHING QUIET LIKE AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS. WITH ALL THE HAND MADE TRIMMINGS , WRAPPINGS AND GIFTS. AND IF A FAMILY IS REALLY LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE A BIT OF PROPERTY, GO GET YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS TREE. MATTERS NOT HOW STRAGGLY IT MAY SEEM AT THE TIME. IT WILL BE BEAUTIFUL.

THESE TIMES ARE GETTING MORE AND MORE DIFICULT FINANCIALLY. FIND WAYS TO MAKE YOUR OWN WAY. SEWING, PLANTING, HARVESTING, PRESERVING, MAKING YOUR OWN EVERYTHING.

Posted by JEAN on July 11, 2009 11:53 AM

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Y'all have great tips;thanks so much for sharing. Something that I do to save money is to buy Christmas gifts early. I start in July as there are so many great semi-annual sales going on. I also sell jewelry and in July when we get our new catalog, everything in it is 50% off for representatives. In addition, I love thrift stores and reduced price bookstores like Half-Price books. You can get brand new or gently used books, cds and magazines for half off! Big Lots is also a great store to shop at if you have one in your town.

Posted by Jennifer on July 11, 2009 8:37 PM

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In our family we make it special to receive a gently used gift -- it is called our "Goodwill" gift. It is special because the giver had to spend time and effort to find a present that suits the recepient.

I'm making small memory scrapbooks this year -- take a special occasion in the person's life and put together pictures, poems, whatever you have that pertains to the subject.

I have also done this with my Dad's recipes -- used pictures of him in the kitchen, written memories (the smell of homemade bread at 4am!). You can usually find small scrapbooks ready to use at Michaels in their $1 bins.

Posted by Peggy on July 30, 2009 3:17 PM

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We buy our kids and their cousins loads of things for christmas, if we dont their parents can't afford to, but this years we will do a lot but not spend thousands I am now upcycling and the kids love the felt food, hats, slippers and dolls I am making while often also recycling. It all has been a big hit. I was never pressured to spend a lot but we have it so why not was our thinking. Now we are very frugal this past year and really like this new way of living and really happy the kids like what I make just as much as store bought things, actually more. My 4 year old lves the recycled bag i made from her brothers camo pants and sequin applique I made frm her old shirt as much as her juicy couture bag!

Posted by Heather Haney on September 27, 2009 11:29 PM

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I grew up really poor. It was the 80's and my parents were dairy farmers, and had their income cut almost in 1/2 in a year. Anyhow, they still had 4 kids to feed and clothe, and Christmas on top of everything. I know it was hard (as the oldest I saw what the other kids didn't) but, some of my best memories come from that time. One year my mom looked out just as Santa went by (there is a reindeer with a red nose...some might say he looks a bit like an airplane). Later, Mom asked us to go get the laundry out of the dryer. All of the presents were there because Santa couldn't come in while we were awake. My dad made a big star for the top of the silo...still nothing like driving over the hill to the farm and seeing that star lit up...this was before the plastic things of today, and it really stood out. I still remember getting boots as a present because it was one or the other and we needed boots. I remember getting shovels, and curry combs, and new grain scoops. I didn't mind they made my life better while I did chores. Toys are more fun, but the memories are more cherished when you know how hard the ones you loved tried.

Posted by Michelle on November 08, 2009 6:53 PM

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Gale, that is a great story, and demonstrates a work ethic and resilience that I think many families could learn from. Thank you for sharing!

Posted by Cheryl on November 15, 2009 7:00 PM

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I love Christmas. I love Christmas that takes a little imagination even more...to give people some ideas this is what Christmas will be at our house....we will put up our Christmas tree after Dec. 11 because we celebrate a birthday first to keep the two sepperate. The tree is normally 1/2 price unless we go and cut it (we have a 2 1/2 and a 1 1/2 year old, we won't cut one for a few more years:). We have beautiful decorations...each year I buy 1 or 2 pewter ornaments, and always watch for silver, pewter, and crystal ornaments on deep discount after Christmas, and at thrift stores. I can't tell you how many $50-$100 ornaments are out there in their original boxes for $5.00. One year a neighbor threw out her tree with everything on it (bored her after one year)...I took all of the stuff off the tree in the deepest drift ever. I kept some for myself, but most went to family, and a friend who had had a bad divorce. Always watch for ways to bless others.
The first few years our tree had some pretty ribbon (which I change as I see fit) a few very nice ornaments, and a star made out of the leftover materials and lace from my wedding dress, and plain clear lights. Simple and beautiful. Every ornament has a memmory...the dancing couple, first Christmas. The bear, we got it in Canada after seeing a mother and her cub way to close and personal while hiking, a train for my little boy, a doll for my little girl, long thin ones dubbed "zippers" by my little boy last year, the bell that everynight ended up on the floor a few years ago because the cats climbed the tree to ring it...all night long until it fell. We put it on the lower branches after the first night. There are nativities around because that is the reason...there are still no Santas and never will be. My mom gave me 7 beautiful, expensive pewter santas a few years ago (garage sale)...I regifted after asking her if she would mind. They were an "everyday gift" which is you might like this or know someone who will, but I just had to give it a try. They are the nicest ornaments on my mother-in-laws tree. She is into the tree, and only cares how the lights look...it works for her. It must be why my husband always finds the perfect tree...while every tree I have ever bought was to big, had a huge hole in it, and/ or had to be attached to the wall so it didn't tip over.

Posted by Michelle on November 20, 2009 9:02 PM

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