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And may all your Christmas budgets be in the blackPeople can't do much to assure a white Christmas, but they can avoid going further into the red. Don't dip into savings or max out credit cards just to purchase gifts, Texas AgriLife Extension Service family economics specialists recommend. Instead, think of creative ways of gift-giving and to celebrate the season. "When people have traditions, they do things the way they always have done them without giving thought as to whether that is a sustainable and affordable way for them to have a holiday," said Nancy Granovsky, AgriLife Extension family economics specialist. This may be the year for a change. "This year might be the year when gifts come from the heart instead of the pocketbook," Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, AgriLife Extension family economics specialist, said. --Have a yard sale. "People may have things that they no longer need or use," Cavanagh said. "That could be an income producing opportunity--having a yard sale or a garage sale and selling what they have that they no longer need. The additional resources can help provide some small gifts for a family or special foods for holiday meals. --Cut back on the number of gifts. "Instead of each person buying each of nine adults a gift, draw names for one person each. Then make it a game to guess who gave that particular gift," Granovsky said. "Start a new tradition. It is not exactly the same as the previous one but may bring more happiness and fun to a gift exchange. Plus, our homes would not be filling with as many things as they tend to." --Make gifts. "Think about how families probably celebrated the holidays during the Great Depression," Cavanagh added. "Make things for each other. Children might draw pictures for their grandparents or their aunts and uncles." Granovsky agreed. "A lot of children have special hobbies," she said. "If we could reinforce in children the fact that what they are producing with their hands, with their minds, with their abilities is going to be valued by somebody else, they may never have thought of it as a giftable skill. It is a gift to receive something that comes from another individual." --Offer services. "What is it that someone could really use?" Cavanagh said. "Perhaps coupons for a free night of babysitting. Children might give to their parents a coupon that they will do some chore that their parent does. Adults might figure out what is it that their friends and family members enjoy. So think about what is it that you can do for someone else and give a homemade gift certificate." --Think ordinary. "If you have an older relative who likes to write letters to people, some nice cards and stationary and postage stamps might be a good gift," she added. "Things that get at the every day kinds of things for people whose budgets might be tight make good gifts. That saves them the money that they might otherwise be spending on medication and food but also gives them that uplift of continuing to be able to do something that is important to them." --Spend time. "In many circumstances, the best gift that can be given is the gift of time," Granovsky added. "One good idea for someone who may be experiencing difficulty would be a greeting card, a very happy holiday greeting card with a special certificate that says 'I'm bringing dinner to you on such-and-such a day' or 'The week of such-and-such you don't have to cook because we're going to bring over supper each evening.' That might be good for an elderly neighbor, a single mom struggling or certainly for parents of young children." --Teach a skill. "We are seeing the trend toward more and more people starting to cook at home again, and in many cases cooking at home for the first time in a long time," Granovsky said. "So it is a time of skill-building for children. Holidays would be a perfect time to build a new family custom. Children can develop a new way of understanding food preparation that can be fun as well as save money for people." Overall, the family economists noted, be open and honest with the family's expectations for gifts and financial reality. "If you know that it is going to be a tough year at Christmas for your family, it's probably a good idea to begin to have some conversations with your kids about what their realistic expectations for the holiday might be," Cavanagh said. "If you are a family where in the past the kids have gotten a lot of things, and this year you know that's not going to happen, do some preparations about not having the same kind of gift Christmas as in the past, but it doesn't mean we can't enjoy Christmas." Whatever the decisions are about gifts, the specialists said, watch spending. "Don't overuse credit cards to maintain the kind of Christmas from the past," Granovsky said. "Every year we encourage people to budget for their expenses and limit what they spend on their credit cards. This year it is going to be even more important for people to exercise additional restraint in using that credit." 11/24/08 Date: 11/17/08
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