by Charlise Powvalla

Created on: December 12, 2008   Last Updated: January 08, 2009

Forget the gifts for a moment, stop cutting down that expensive Christmas tree, put away the wrapping paper, and don't lick the stamp for that Christmas card. It's not a white Christmas, it's Christmas in recession! But just because money is tight doesn't mean you can't invoke the spirit of Christmas and take this opportunity to remove all the commercialism we pretend to hate and appreciate the small things in life we take for granted. Family, love, and sharing are the cornerstones of this holiday, and yet sometimes it takes a little hardship to go back to basics.

Gift giving and receiving is fun and heartwarming, but why not give gifts that last a lifetime without spending a penny? Consider sharing your talents. Are you an excellent chef? Cook for your family and friends, or better yet, cook for a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Are you an artist? Draw sketches and frame them for your loved ones, or donate homemade Christmas cards to a domestic abuse shelter. Is cleanliness and organization your skill? Offer to clean a friend's home, or sort cans at the food bank. Are you musical? Write a new Christmas carol about your family's traditions, or play a gig and donate the proceeds to your favorite charity. Not only will these gifts give to those who are truly in need, but they will make you feel good. As an added benefit, if you have children, you'll be teaching them an important lesson about true poverty and the importance of sharing and generosity.

Family time doesn't have to be stressful and expensive. Gift giving for every family member can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and break your budget. Many families solve this problem by doing a secret Santa program where everyone draws one name from a hat and gives only one gift to the person they chose. Sometimes the family will even decide on a price limit. Some families give white elephant gifts, which can be silly or unusual gifts that you've found, purchased, or re-gifted. Some families skip the gifts altogether and have potluck gatherings or Christmas cookie exchanges. Some families simply get together and share stories, play games, or have an annual talent show. Whatever your family decides to do this Christmas, make sure you appreciate the time you're together.

Decorating your house and yard can quickly snowball into a massive explosion of lights and expensive equipment. Christmas trees range from $25 to hundreds of dollars, depending on your location in the world. To cheaply invoke the holiday spirit, explore your inner child and go back to the tried and true crafts of Kindergarten. String popcorn and cranberries for a beautiful garland, cut paper snowflakes for your windows, and use scraps of leftover wrapping paper to wrap your framed artwork to look like gifts on the wall. You can even make and bake homemade Christmas ornaments with a clay-like mixture of flour, water and salt. If you're not getting a tree this year but have a box of unused ornaments, hang them from your ceiling with fishing wire and you'll feel like you're walking through Santa's toy shop!

Christmas doesn't have to cost money to be special. Though most people have a few memories of great gifts they recieved, most precious Christmas memories involve spending time with family, playing games, singing, sipping hot chocolate, sledding in the snow, helping others in need, sharing stories, watching classic Christmas movies, having dinner together, and enjoying the spirit-not the monetary value-of Christmas

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