Monday Medley: Almost Christmas

2015 will be ending very soon, but first, we have a chance to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends.  For many, this time of year is stressful and rushed.  Many of my coworkers ask about whether we’ve finished “our list.”  It seems like the majority of people view the holiday as something that requires a great deal of effort and preparation.  They are not enjoying the season, just surviving it by checking obligatory items off their Christmas to-do list.  I’m trying my very best to prepare for the special day, while enjoying festivities along the way. 

I never really get into the spirit to celebrate until after my yearly review at work.  It was last week and all of the feedback was fairly positive.  The Plan calls for me to continue in my breadwinning position for the next six years, so it’s important that I don’t “check out” despite my goal to retire early.  To the contrary, I have actually decided to work towards a promotion, because the added income would give us a huge boost.  It seems like I am on the right track, but it could take up to two years.  I plan to be here either way, so it makes sense to keep working towards a better-paying position.  I admit to having a small, unfounded fear about my employer confronting me with this blog.  I cannot afford to “unmask” myself just yet.  But for now, all is well and my scheming remains a secret.  Also, I received a decent bonus, so . . . it’s time to go shopping!  Just kidding, that check is headed straight towards paying down the credit cards.  Now that reviews are done, work will slow down for the next couple of weeks and I can spend time with my family. 

As many parents are out searching for the perfect present for their children, I feel very thankful that my kids enjoy simple things.  Almost every morning my five year old son wakes up early and wants to color or play with Legos.  No, he doesn’t ask to watch television or play with gadgets.  I love that he just wants to build with his Legos and diligently fill in spaces in coloring books or create a masterpiece of his own on blank paper.  He’s so content and creative.  There’s something really rewarding about having a child without a long Christmas list, like we may be on the right track with this frugal parenting stuff. 

We did buy Goofball the “big” present that he will receive from Santa, using Amazon credit earned on Swagbucks and we scored a good price thanks to camelcamelcamel.com.  Has anyone tried out this awesome site yet?  You can look up any item and see how the price has fluctuated over time.  Also, we used it to set an email alert, all free of charge.  As soon as the price dropped below a certain point (as it did one recent Saturday) we received an email.  We scooped up the Transformer that he has wanted since summertime for the lowest price that it has ever been on Amazon.  Although he likes the simple things, he will get a few store-bought presents for Christmas.  I want to teach him good spending habits, but don’t want him to feel like he’s being punished or deprived.  He understands that we are saving money so we can go on our family road trip, but it’s hard to use that as a justification for not receiving presents from Santa.  This concept is especially difficult when you consider the conversations that he will have with the other kindergarteners after Christmas. 

We had one other big expense recently – a “new” car seat for Tornado.  Little Trey is getting too big for the baby car seat (8 months already!) so he will get her old one.  We picked up the new seat for $70 via Craigslist.  We really like the safety features of Britax seats, but new ones cost about $300.  The one we got for her is in really great condition and she can ride in it for years, as it holds up to 90 pounds.  I remember when we bought Goofball’s car seat, as a Christmas present, but brand new.  Ah, how we’ve changed . . .

I have been crocheting like crazy to make gifts for Christmas.  Right now, I’m working on a scarf for my mom, socks for my father-in-law, and ornaments for daycare teacher gifts.  I promise to post pictures of all my creations once they are finished. 

Mr. Smith and I are not planning on giving any gifts to each other (although I would love to give him a new video game system).  However, we are going to need to do some shopping for him.  I am doing well on my second year of buying no clothes.  I used a gift card from my birthday to purchase a new pair of shoes for work, but that’s it for this year.  Mr. Smith’s wardrobe is not holding up as well.  He is a construction apprentice.  The hard labor is taking a toll on his clothes, as in, they are literally falling apart.  The plan is to get him a new pair of boots (with a discount thanks to our neighbor) and hit up the Goodwill for some new pants and shirts. 

I have to admit to having a Christmas to-do list, but it’s a pretty short one.  One thing that we still need to do is our Christmas cards.  I hate spending the money, but we don’t send out that many and everyone seems to genuinely enjoy receiving them.  I don’t splurge on professional family pictures or on buying the right to use them for cards.  Instead, my mom is going to take a picture of all of us this weekend, then I will order some cards from Walmart. 

I have always been a procrastinator.  Despite my efforts to get ahead of schedule for Christmas, there will definitely be some last-minute preparations.  On Christmas Eve, however, I’m sure to be feeling appreciative for our new, frugal lifestyle.  I will not have wasted any of my time this season wandering around in shopping malls.  At the very least, there will less presents to wrap, and more time for relaxing by the glow of our tree.  And in my opinion, that’s the way that it should be.

Do you have a long Christmas to-do list?  How much is left before you can just relax and enjoy the holiday?