The Year We Had No Money for Christmas

Tip Hero serves up fresh money-saving tips daily,
with over 2,000 tips shared to date.

GET FREE UPDATES:

Tips by Category:

Holidays & Events

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

-----------------------------------------

The Year We Had No Money for Christmas - Part Two

Submitted by: Michelle 11/08/2009 10:45 PM

Ray @ Tip Hero: This tip was originally a comment from Michelle in response to: "The Year we Had No Money for Christmas". Michelle's comment reminded me that it's not the gifts that are important but the love that is behind them.

Michelle: 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.

Photo credit: Robert S. Donovan

---
sponsored: Find Money Budgeting Tips.

---
Tip Hero serves up new money-saving tips daily.
Get free updates via Email , RSS or Twitter.

More Money-Saving Tips:

Christmas is Not About Money, Get Creative

Colorful DIY Christmas Centerpiece

Do It Yourself Christmas Decorations

Keepsake Christmas Gift Idea

Sponsored Searches:

Comments:

.................................

Thanks for sharing this, Michelle. I was one of those farm parents in the 80's. I guess our kids would also say they grew up really poor. We were blessed that the kids loved new combs and halters for the calves, a decorated box of dress up gowns made from old prom and bridesmaid dresses, and deer running across the road on Christmas Eve when we were leaving their grandparents (Santa left them a lengthy note that year about how the reindeer got away). Even though times aren't as hard now, they still bring up the "hard" years as their best memories.

Posted by anonymous on November 10, 2009 1:25 AM

.................................

My Christmas that I remember the most was in the late 50's. My brother was born with cerebral palsy and when he was about 6 yrs old he needed surgery. He was in a body cast only to then get the measles! Times were very hard for us. My dad farmed, drove a school bus and worked at a local elevator. We had no money for Christmas. My mom belonged to a local Mothers Club. They purchased an aluminum tree with the turning color wheel. They also purchased gifts for the three other children. That was it. But that silver aluminum tree is still in the attic and we all still talk about that. That's what love is - memories of the good times as well as the bad times.

Posted by Nancy on November 12, 2009 1:53 PM

.................................

This should be a good year to collect stories like the one in the article. Rather than lament our situations, think of all the wonderful memories we are going to have.

Posted by anonymous on November 12, 2009 2:09 PM

.................................

About 3 years ago, I became angry when my daughters whould argue over who bought who what and who spent more money than the other...They had all lost the true meaning of what Christmas was about. I told them this year (2006) was going to be different, we would all draw names of other family members and you will need to make a gift for that person. To my surprise it met little to no resistance and now, these types of gifts, the ones not store bought, but gifts made with a little thought and alot of love have became the most memorable.

Posted by Ron on November 12, 2009 2:09 PM

.................................

My father died when my twin brother and I were only 4 and my sister was 5. My mom worked really hard to support us. My mother would do the most wonderful things to make our Christmas special. She would take the pictures off the wall and wrap them like presents and put them back on the wall. We would decorate the christmas tree with cranberries and popcorn. One Christmas she took crumpled up newspapers and put them into really large boxes with an old shoe or boot. You should have seen our faces when we found these at the bottom of the box but my mom said to keep looking. Finally we found these beautiful gold matching watches! Christmas does not have to be expensive to be wonderful. My mother had that magic touch to make everything seem specialfor very little money.

Posted by anonymous on November 12, 2009 4:18 PM

.................................

My father had a Western Auto Store in Midland Michigan. In the back of the store we had an area called "Toyland" where there were lots of toys including dolls, gun and holster sets, Lionel train sets, and more. People would come into the store and pick out the toys they wanted for Christmas presents. They would put these items on layaway and we would keep them for the people. Each week the people would come in a put money down, my father would mark the amount on the back of their layaway card. The last couple of day before Christmas were hectic, the people would come in to pick up their items. Some of them would ask us to gift wrap their items for them which we did at no charge.

I remember one lady who was poor but had come in a put a doll on layaway for her daughter. We closed at 5:30 on Christmas Eve and just as my father was going to lock the door this lady came in. She had been working late trying to make enough money to pay off her layaway. She gave my father the money she had, about $1.25 and said that was all she had and that whe was fifty cents short. My father went and got the doll, wrapped it up and gave it to the lady. "I know how hard you've worked to pay for this and how much you daughter will like it. "Merry Christmas" he said and let the lady out.
I imagine that it must have been on of the happiest Christmases for that lady and her little girl.

Posted by anonymous on November 12, 2009 7:15 PM

.................................

This brings tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing.

We do need to remember that Christmas is Christ's birthday. It's not all Santa and who gives what to whom or how much it costs.

Enjoy the time with family and friends. Laugh a little and try not to let the pressures of "measuring up" get to you, whether it is gift giving or meals for extended family.

I used to get bogged down with shopping and other holiday preparations trying to make everything perfect. Now my parents are both deceased, as well as my husband and my only child. What I wouldn't give to hold them near and dear in my arms again.

At least they will always be near in my heart.

Posted by Kelly on November 12, 2009 9:07 PM

.................................

I think that presents may be important when we are children, but as adults, my family no longer exchanges gifts. We get together for Christmas dinner and have a good time. WE all have too much junk in our homes and we don't need any more. I have everything that I want and need, and I simply don't want any more dust collectors, clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, etc. I have too many of these already, so it is best that friends and family save their hard earned money and not buy me any more junk.

Posted by anonymous on November 12, 2009 11:25 PM

.................................

I agree that Christmas as well as all the other holidays have lost their true meaning. For the last couple years, we've given pictures as presents to the adults and drawn names for the children. This year, we've decided to use the Christmas tins we've saved from gifts received in the past and make cookies and other baked goods. We're inviting our young nieces to help make the foods along with our teenaged son. My sister's family is very poor, we buy the children clothes and my family members are all purchasing food for the adult's gift. I've told my sister the best gift she could give us is a picture her children have colored or drawn. Because of distance I won't get to see her children for holidays, but will know that they are thinking of us.

Posted by anonymous on November 13, 2009 8:36 AM

.................................

Thank you all so much for sharing these stories! Christmas should be about the time spent with family and NOT about how much money you spend. That's why my kids and I start baking and candy making about 2 weeks before and give out baskets and tins to our friends. The kids love it and look forward to it every year.

Posted by anonymous on November 13, 2009 11:53 AM

.................................

Years ago we spent Christmas with a friend from Africa. He comes from the area of the world where there are the most twins per capita. They think it is the sweet potatoes. Every one was sharing Xmas memories. One family talked of the time they were instructed to spend $5 on all the gifts.* When the baton passed to our friend, he related how he has 35 siblings. His mother is the second of three wives. All he ever wanted was to spend time with his father. The pecking order is always wives first and then the children.
* I heard Bill Murray on Oprah say how when strapped for money at Xmas he would buy a bag of peanuts and give one peanut to each of his siblings.

Posted by Rinchen on November 15, 2009 10:43 AM

.................................

The year I bought my house was a tough one. I made a card board cut out of a tree, painted it green and decorated it with the lights and everything. My son thought I was nuts but loved it.

Posted by anonymous on November 15, 2009 12:30 PM

.................................

In the mid 1950s, my Grandmother lost the small grocery store she owned. Her soon to be ex-husband, had been taking the money she'd sent with him for the bank loan and spending it on other things. She lost both her business and her income. She had three very young grandaughters that she desperately wanted to provide with a Christmas gift. I'm sure I wasn't sufficiently impressed with the green notebook that I opened that Christmas, but today it is one of my dearest treasures. Grandma sat down and penned the stories of each of our short lives and illustrated them herself. Those stories told by a loving Grandma in that faded green notebook are priceless to me now! :o)

Posted by Joy on November 15, 2009 6:18 PM

.................................

-----------------------------------------

Share Your Comments:

Comments may need to be approved before they are displayed.

Comments:

Name (leave blank if you want to be anonymous):

Email Address (your email address will not be displayed):

Website URL (not required; please do not include "http://"):