have a merry christmas and a happy new year everyone

[LisaM22]

have a merry christmas and a happy new year everyone

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

"Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian population, but is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival. The holiday is celebrated around the world. Because gift-giving and several other aspects of the holiday involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, Christmas has become a major event for many retailers."

[Details]

My family will be celebrating a fun, secular Christmas, oriented about family, not money, devoted to the fun of giving presents that your friends and loved ones will like, a good time for the kids to be together and play.

It's a fun holiday for the winter season. A combination of winter holidays from many different cultures and religions. Druids, Romans, and most of all, Capitalists (Coke pretty much created modern day Santa) have created quite the holiday.

What is really nice is how those celebrating a religious Christmas and those celebrating a secular Christmas in our family can share the holiday. We all get together, share a meal, exchange gifts, have a wonderful time watching the kids play with their toys.

[Doc Holliday]

Christmas is just an excuse to pick a man's pocket every 25th of December.

[ninetoes]

Christmas is just an excuse to pick a man's pocket every 25th of December.

LOL, only if one allows their pocket to be picked. We never got into the whole "buy what's popular this year" thing. Christmas at our house is very low key. No high dollar gifts, no lavish decorations etc.

[Details]

Yep - it's all about what you chose for Christmas to be. Years ago, we decided to go for name drawing - so you have few people to buy for, and can have some fun buying something you want to - rather than shopping like mad for a ton of people.

[ninetoes]

Yep - it's all about what you chose for Christmas to be. Years ago, we decided to go for name drawing - so you have few people to buy for, and can have some fun buying something you want to - rather than shopping like mad for a ton of people.

There are only 4 of us, so no need to do the name drawing thing, but even when the kids were younger, we never did the whole "popular toy" thing. They never got video games or ipods or expensive things like that.

[LisaM22]

There are only 4 of us, so no need to do the name drawing thing, but even when the kids were younger, we never did the whole "popular toy" thing. They never got video games or ipods or expensive things like that.

when we were growing up we never did either, didn't have the money, but when my children were growing up, birthdays and Christmas where big ticket items, the rest of the year was save your allowance or be good and wait for Santa

[ninetoes]

when we were growing up we never did either, didn't have the money, but when my children were growing up, birthdays and Christmas where big ticket items, the rest of the year was save your allowance or be good and wait for Santa

Ours always got clothes for both Christmas and birthday, maybe tickets to a movie or something like that. They always got a book or 2 for Christmas, and usually a toy or 2. We didnt do an "allowance", but they could do additional chores to earn money if they wanted. Their regular chores were not "paid positions", they were just things that were expected from them as contributing family members.

[LisaM22]

Ours always got clothes for both Christmas and birthday, maybe tickets to a movie or something like that. They always got a book or 2 for Christmas, and usually a toy or 2. We didnt do an "allowance", but they could do additional chores to earn money if they wanted. Their regular chores were not "paid positions", they were just things that were expected from them as contributing family members.

we always did the clothes shopping once a year, during tax free shopping a couple weeks before school started

[ninetoes]

we always did the clothes shopping once a year, during tax free shopping a couple weeks before school started

they didnt grow during the year? Ours got winter clothes for Christmas, spring and summer for their birthdays, since both were easter babies.

[LisaM22]

they didnt grow during the year? Ours got winter clothes for Christmas, spring and summer for their birthdays, since both were easter babies.

if they outgrew something we would have to buy new, yes, were talking a little older here, like 7th grade on, as little children, we bought clothes more often as did family members help, then came the teen years where it was easier to take them shopping for clothes and let them pick them out with us there

and do not even mention the baby years, I made the mistake of everything had to be new for the first one, wasn't long before goodwill became my friend, it's more like renting clothes at that point - lol

[EMAA]

if they outgrew something we would have to buy new, yes, were talking a little older here, like 7th grade on, as little children, we bought clothes more often as did family members help, then came the teen years where it was easier to take them shopping for clothes and let them pick them out with us there

and do not even mention the baby years, I made the mistake of everything had to be new for the first one, wasn't long before goodwill became my friend, it's more like renting clothes at that point - lol

LOL, goodwill and DAV, I remember those well. My kids used to have a little chant..... We ain't rich we ain't poor, momma buys our clothes at the DAV just so there's more.

Those were the days.