This time of year can be seen by many as “the most wonderful time of the year!” But for others, it can also be quite a stressful and overwhelming time of the year, because with Christmas comes the gifts! And it’s not just gifts for yourself, not just gifts for your spouse, or gifts for your kids, or gifts for your family, there’s also friends, there’s also gift exchanges, there’s also holiday parties. So those “simple gifts” can quickly add up and the dollar amount of those gifts can also begin to add up overtime.  

One way to keep Christmas “Merry” is to avoid financial frustration around the holidays. We’ve talked in the past about the importance of communication and getting a spending plan in place for a family, so that everybody is on the same page. You may consider getting a spending plan in place around Christmas; put a dollar figure in place as to what you’re going to spend on gifts around Christmas, that way everybody is on the same page. That can help eliminate the frustration coming from “well, how much did you actually spend out there?” or “how many Target runs did we make this year?” Everybody is on the same page from the start, that way nobody is caught off guard and we can keep Christmas Merry and keep the holidays happy!  

If you are shopping for Christmas, also consider shopping local! That way you’re supporting a small business and you’re giving somebody else a Merry Christmas by keeping their business running and giving them some extra revenue around the holidays. Just some things to think about to keep y’all happy and merry around the holidays – we hope you all have a Merry Christmas, y’all have a good one!