Santa Claus, the Silly Season, and Saving our Sanity
I thought Black Friday (a day during which I resolutely remain home with wallet firmly shut; crowds scare me and the dangling of so-called bargains in front of my face does the opposite of enticing me) might be an opportune time to share this little piece I wrote for DailyWorth.com, an excellent website about finances for women:
When I answered my seven-year-old’s Christmas request for an iPod Touch recently with a “no” (and a side of “are you kidding me?”), he shot back: “But you don’t even have to pay for it! It’ll be from Santa.”
I was temporarily stumped, but I reminded him that not only is Santa on a budget just like we are, he also knows (being magic) what certain parents’ rules are.
But my son brings up a vexing point for frugal-minded parents: You want to make your kids happy this time of year—but playing Santa in a grand style can kill your budget.
Is it possible to recast Santa as a cost-conscious gift-giver? Or should the holidays be conveyed to kids as a money-free zone, with no acknowledgement of bills coming in January—or of family values in general?
All the holiday hoopla, plus the intensity of kids’ desires, makes Santa a tough suit to fill. I’ve seen moms run around like maniacs, trying to get the exact X-box or iProduct or whatever.
The pressure blunts your ability to parse the difference between real wants and temporary ones. Kids’ll ask for anything shiny and new; that’s their job. It’s ours to see the difference between what they truly want, and what they perhaps want to want.
Also, when we shower our kids with presents, we may confuse them, particularly if they see us fretting over bills or clipping coupons the rest of the year.
You don’t have to turn into a Grinch, but I’ve stopped worrying that a dose of reality will kill the buzz of Christmas fantasy. My kids aren’t getting an iPod, but they are getting affordable items they’ve shown they truly want. That’s a Santa strategy I can get behind.
Tell me what you think — here, of course, but also use this link to chime into the conversation on the Daily Worth site.
November 25, 2011 @ 12:36 pm
My son is clearly attuned to the budgeting discussions his father and I have, as he recently announced I should put “Money” on my “Santa list.” Talk about your momentary stumping! Well I blurted out that Santa doesn’t give presents to adults, only to children…and he shot back “fine then, I’ll ask Santa for money myself…” I left it go with images of finding a “Santa Bucks” like gag gift (you know, fake money with Stanta’s visage instead of a president’s?) but this conversation really got me to thinking about how to scale back the gift giving to a more economy-proportionate scale. Came to the conclusion that it’s more about the volume – the excitement of finding a huge pile of presents under the tree, rather than a few choice and pricey items. So…PJs, new comforters, socks, gloves…and other items we were going to replace anyway are being interspersed with selections from their Santa Lists are under our tree this year. Along with a small envelope of $ingles from Santa no doubt.
November 28, 2011 @ 9:18 am
My parents were frugal, with a house filled with kids, 9 of them…so things were tight, still are for them BUT they always have done BIG Christmases for us. It was the time of year we DID get what we asked for and it was magical. I have never figured out how they could do it but my mother and father made it happen. Our birthdays and stuff were always small and we got a few nice things but Christmas was the time for getting what we asked for. I see nothing wrong with it, it all depends on what YOU as the parent have to work with or what you want to spend or do. I have the most happiest memories of Christmas, not just because of the gifts but the joy, love and excitement my parents truly made it magic!!