Twiceshy Posted December 24, 2008 Report Share Posted December 24, 2008 I have friends that are terribly stressed because they can't buy the latest toys for their children. They are missing a great opportunity. People complain about not having enough time with their kids, with their spouses, or just sitting around in their own homes. This is the perfect time to get simple toys and spend time with the kids. Why not get a bunch of canvas, a bunch of paints, and create a mural for the kids' room or the rec room, to celebrate the season? There is nothing more interesting than seeing what happens with kids, paint, and a lot of time. That is just one idea, but I bet most people can come up with something that has more value than the latest video game. Step away from the bank account, and embrace the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arneld Posted December 25, 2008 Report Share Posted December 25, 2008 I agree with you a hundred percent. Many people don't realize that spending quality time with your love ones is more important than giving them expensive things. Happiness is not always found in material things but you can always find it in spending hours of fun with your love ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrJoeJoe Posted December 30, 2008 Report Share Posted December 30, 2008 If you have a lot of creativity, being short on funds does not have to be a dire problem. So, coming up with a unique activity for the holidays could be quite enjoyable for the young ones. Also, when the newest toys are too expensive there are many options for older toys. Many classic toys can be purchased online at very fair prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Having dabbled in artistic creation, the part about buying a bunch of canvas and paint made me chuckle a bit. Few people realize just how expensive quality paint can be! However, I do agree with what you said. I don't really understand why we feel the need to buy things in order to show that we care about someone. Sure, I will give a few gifts on the holidays, but I will certainly not break the bank in order to give people the latest and greatest things. I can understand how and why this idea has gotten distilled into our mindset, but it still depresses me that love is somehow equal to what material goods we receive. I was reading a book lately, that talked about a child going to the beach with his parents quite a few years ago. He said that now this was considered 'quality time,' but back then, there was no name for it. This put a new light on the whole idea for me, and made me a bit sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddys Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 We've been low on holiday funds so-been there,done that. What we did was to make fudge, cookies and other candies for the kids and grand kids. You should have seen their faces when they opened up a box of 2 pounds of peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, peanut butter balls, Oreo truffles or coconut truffles. We had a lot of the ingredients on hand so it wasn't that expensive for us. We used black walnuts I had gathered in the fall for the chocolate fudge. Our daughter in law loves chocolate chip cookies so we made those for her. They were trading around and I think everyone gained 5 pounds that day. Even though everyone got regular gifts this Christmas, we still made the boys a chocolate cream pie each to take home. You know, a Christmas like that are the ones you will always remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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