#ChronicChristmas Day 12: Cut Down on Gifts
Find the line between the gifts you want to give, and the gifts you’re giving because you feel you have to.
Some families practice secret Santa, others pick names so each member of the family only buys presents for one person. In my mother’s family, the rule was that once you hit 18, you were an adult and didn’t get presents. The Boy and Ken give each other the gift of time by not giving each other gifts.
Another way to do it is to limit gifts to $20 or under (sucha challenge). Or to donate money to your favourite cause. And according to scuttlebutt, the British Royal family only give each other joke gifts, because let’s face it, they have pretty much everything.
Cutting down on the amount of gifts you give is good for your health, because it means less stress and running around. And when you think about it, don’t we all have enough stuff?
The holidays is about being together with the people you love, it’s about hygge.
Like the green guy says in my favourite moments from my favourite holiday special, maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store.
How does your family handle gift giving?
#ChronicChristmas is an Advent calendar of tips for a sane holiday season with a chronic illness. Check back tomorrow for the next tip. To see all the posts in the series, click the #ChronicChristmas label below this post.
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Gifts, the double edge sword. I stopped gift giving for the most part. I do not give gifts to friends, period. I do not give gifts to adult family members, except my husband. For my husband I give him a few things at Christmas and his birthday. For my parents and siblings I give baskets of mostly homemade foods. For my nieces and nephews I give them gifts and will continue for a few more years. For their birthdays I take them shopping. For the holidays I give them something they specifically want. And I have a price cap.
When possible I prefer to make things whether edible or hand knit.