The government wants to take away Child Benefit from you "rich" people, whilst at the same time those lucky enough to have jobs are suffering pay cuts just to keep them. Christmas time is approaching and money is tight. Does the C word fill you with dread? Ok so if you are like thousands of others and are panicking about how to cope with Christmas, stop. Recession has hit hard. I think it's time we looked outside of the box. Do you have a wish list? No i don't mean to win the lottery or that big 50" TV. What about a Christmas cake, stockings to hang by the fire and time with the family?
4 years ago when our eldest child was born we canceled Christmas and it's not been on the cards since. Shocking I know but not as bad as it sounds. We still buy presents for the children and have a lovely meal. What we don't do is buy presents for each other or anyone else. Don't shout at me! We told everyone at the start, we expect nothing in return although I do make Christmas cake for everyone so we are still embracing the tradition. We do also give a donation to charity, this is a way I feel can make a difference rather than me buy lots of smellies that no one wants or other such things that end up on Ebay by New Year.
The best part is we go into the season without the dread and general build up to disappointment. Don't get me wrong, for a long time Mr Cake and I spent a fortune on each other (and other people) and built up the festive period. We found ourselves running round trying to please everyone else and being exhausted at the end. Now we don't, we have our own family and so thanks for the invite but we will be staying at home this year (we say this every year). We are part of the Tesco christmas club so our vouchers arrive in time for the big day and we buy things for the children - I now enjoy this as i'm only buying a few things and can pick up bargains throughout the year.
However, I do realise this is not for everyone and even close friends have given us funny looks. Even so it doesn't have to be so hard, look around you, what can you do? How about asking people to do swaps? It may mean a little more of your time but not your money. So the kids aren't likely to get the latest gadget but you can still have a great holiday. I'll shut up, I'm just saying if you need a cake but can't afford it or just want to keep the costs down, ask! Offer me something else as the mother of two small children there is usually something i need! Let's work together and enjoy this one!
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