Each year we look forward to certain family traditions, like baking Granny’s gingerbread cookies or watching It’s a Wonderful Lifewith the kids. But not every holiday tradition is quite so fun. How about braving the airport? Or cooking for a crowd of 50? No thanks. If you no longer enjoy some of your annual traditions, or simply can’t afford them right now, it’s okay to change how you celebrate. It’s your holiday, after all. Here are seven holiday traditions that may be costing you more than they’re worth.
1. Annual Christmas Bash
If you’d rather not spend two precious weeks in December planning and prepping for your annual Christmas open house, then don’t. Forget the cheese ball, sherbet punch and mini gherkins, and just get together with a few close pals at a local restaurant. Split the check, and enjoy a simple, stress-free evening with your nearest and dearest. Let someone else handle the cooking and cleaning up.
2. Competitive Lights Display
Don’t let your Christmas-crazy neighbors guilt you into a lights display worthy of Rockefeller Center. If your family enjoys looking at lights, pack a thermos of hot chocolate and drive around town to admire the best of the over-the-top yards. It’s free, and you don’t have to freeze your tail off. Parent of the year!
3. Last-Minute Stockings
Stocking stuffers are a cute idea, but who really cares? They’re usually full of junk you don’t need, and dwarfed by all the stuff you actually wanted. Instead of wasting $20 on lip balm and silly putty, why not use that cash to buy a few small gifts for Operation Christmas Child or Angel Tree? That’s a much more gratifying family tradition.
4. Black Friday Shopping
We like a good deal as much as the next person, but if your family is just shopping “for sport,” take a team timeout. Decide what you want to buy before you rush out after Thanksgiving lunch. And don’t grab stuff just because it’s on sale. You’ll end up overspending rather than saving. If you have that much energy to burn, try a family game of flag football. It’s much less dangerous (well, maybe).
5. Family Portrait Christmas Cards
Skip the hassle of scheduling a photographer, buying matching red-and-white outfits and ordering hundreds of glossy prints. Cards are a meaningful gesture, but don’t make them more difficult or more expensive than they have to be. To save, buy in bulk. Or have the kids help you craft some sweet cards with stamps and glitter. How fun is that?
6. Price-Inflated Plane Tickets
Instead of heading home for the holidays, why not visit your family in January or February when the prices have come down? You could even start a new tradition, like meeting your folks in a fun city between your two towns. Imagine a calm, post-holiday vacation for half the price and half the crowd. Now that’s peace on earth.
7. A (Sort of) Freshly Cut Tree
If you dread the drama of picking the perfect, overpriced tree from your local Boy Scouts, just use the garage-sale special in your attic — you know it’s there. A tree is just a tree. It’s how you decorate it (and who you decorate it with) that counts. And who knows? Fake may even begin to grow on you. As you budget for the holidays, don’t break the bank in the name of tradition. Decide which customs are important to you, and then see how they fit into your overall budget. If you want to make a few cuts, that’s okay. Usually, it’s the least expensive traditions that create the best memories.
—Used with permission from daveramsey.com
