Some advice for all you "put it on my credit card" holiday shoppers

Now I know the holidays are not all about gift giving...but we would be lying if we said it had nothing to do with Christmas. The wise men gave Jesus presents when he was born, and dang it, we are going to do the same thing with eachother in this family! If you have your heart in the right place, gift giving can be such an enjoyable thing. Alana is getting in the spirit by giving away ALOT of her toys to charitable organizations that help kids who don't get alot during Christmas. At first, she wasn't having any of it, but now she sees it as fun, and it makes her feel good about herself. Every day she's looking for something else she can give away, instead of always saying "gimme, gimme, gimme."

Anywho-to overcome this sometimes dreaded event of spending too much money during the holidays, me and Jason have always been on what's called a budget. Now, I know for some, this may be new information But trust me, if you diligintly put some money away every month by making sacrifices in your own life..come Christmas, spending that money on your loved ones will be the most enjoyable thing that you do all year long. It feels GREAT to know that this money you put away was made for that, and you can bypass all the anxiety that usually comes when you spend money that you may not have at the moment.

If it's too late for you to put away money-DON'T PUT IT ON THE CREDIT CARD! Remember, your friends and family won't hate you forever just because you don't get them a new cd. They appreciate honesty. A great way to bypass all of that madness is to make a gift. Personally, when I get a homemade gift-whether it's a card or something yummy baked, it is usually my favorite present. Try not to get to materialistic about the holidays-time spent with loved ones is the best gift you can give.