by Ann E. Smith

Created on: January 16, 2009

Christmas was intended to be a time for remembering the birth of Christ, and what His life and sacrifice mean for us. However, based on its commercial aspects, Christmas has become a time of great stress for many people.

In particular, many feel financial stress as they shop for countless presents for their loved ones. It can be hard to know what to get someone, and the gift expenses can add up very quickly.

One idea that some families are starting to embrace is to cut back on Christmas spending. With less focus on the material angles of the holiday, you can actually reclaim a purer joy during this time.

By simplifying, you allow yourself to have greater emotional wellbeing. Have you ever noticed that when the electricity goes out, a family can come together to play cards by candlelight and have many great laughs? In fact, some of your best memories may actually be around times like this when things were very simple.

This same principle can be applied to Christmas. By taking away some of the unnecessary bells and whistles, you can get back to the real meaning of the season: celebrating a special day with family and friends, enjoying a wonderful meal, trading a present or two, singing carols, and creating traditions.

To achieve this simplicity, there are some tactics you can follow. Consider drawing names, so that each person in your family gives and receives one or two presents. Set a limit on the monetary value of the gifts. On Christmas day, ask each person to name something for which they are grateful. This can set the tone for a pleasant day.

Focus on the comfort and joy provided by things like home-baked goodies, or hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree. Enjoy beautiful music of the season together. Spend quality time as a family, and tell some funny stories. Laughing with your family and friends is one of the healthiest things you can do.

Through such focused efforts, you can take some of the materialism out of Christmas. You will feel much more relaxed and peaceful, too, as you will spend much less money. Instead of piling up credit card debt, you will be able to shop for one or two thoughtful presents.

Putting a bit of thought and time into shopping for fewer presents will be much more emotionally fulfilling than stressing yourself out over what to get a lot of people. It just works better.

Once you and your family try out a simpler Christmas, with less spending, you will probably want to do the same thing the next year. Most will notice the real joy that is shared, and feel more relaxed as there is far less stress.

A family that celebrates in an emotionally positive state will be greatly blessed. In fact, they will have more to be thankful for than the neighbors down the street who indulge in their every whim and fancy. After all, most of the true gifts in life cannot be bought with money.

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