Comments on: The Gift-Free Holiday http://greenbabyguide.com/2009/12/16/the-gift-free-holiday/ Earth Friendly, Budget Friendly Wed, 23 May 2012 04:30:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: liz http://greenbabyguide.com/2009/12/16/the-gift-free-holiday/comment-page-1/#comment-3956 liz Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:36:23 +0000 http://greenbabyguide.com/?p=4013#comment-3956 My husband and I made a pact to give up gifts for this Christmas and future ones. We will donate any money we would have spent on each other to the organizations we can get behind. I do have a hard time giving up giving gifts COMPLETELY. So one idea I have is for our future children (and this will only work for the Christians out there) is limiting the number of gifts they will get to three---the idea being that Jesus only received three gifts from the Wise Men. Hopefully that will simplify things somewhat. I also really like the idea of giving gifts that also help others...so shopping on places like the Hunger Site, etc. Or giving gifts to charities in a persons name is a great idea for the person who doesn't need anything. And I NEVER think giving handmade is a bad idea...whether you buy from someone or make it yourself. But I really like the idea above about about giving gifts that are more about going to do something then just getting another object. We had that idea for birthdays...to not make them about presents but asking our children what they would like to do on their birthday instead. It doesn't matter to me exactly which direction everyone decides to take it. What I'm really proud to know is that there are people working to counteract all that Christmas has become in recent history (ie. ridiculous consumerism), regardless of whether or not you are religious, this is SUCH a good thing for us as a society. Merry Christmas everyone! My husband and I made a pact to give up gifts for this Christmas and future ones. We will donate any money we would have spent on each other to the organizations we can get behind.

I do have a hard time giving up giving gifts COMPLETELY. So one idea I have is for our future children (and this will only work for the Christians out there) is limiting the number of gifts they will get to three—the idea being that Jesus only received three gifts from the Wise Men. Hopefully that will simplify things somewhat.

I also really like the idea of giving gifts that also help others…so shopping on places like the Hunger Site, etc. Or giving gifts to charities in a persons name is a great idea for the person who doesn’t need anything. And I NEVER think giving handmade is a bad idea…whether you buy from someone or make it yourself.

But I really like the idea above about about giving gifts that are more about going to do something then just getting another object. We had that idea for birthdays…to not make them about presents but asking our children what they would like to do on their birthday instead.
It doesn’t matter to me exactly which direction everyone decides to take it. What I’m really proud to know is that there are people working to counteract all that Christmas has become in recent history (ie. ridiculous consumerism), regardless of whether or not you are religious, this is SUCH a good thing for us as a society.
Merry Christmas everyone!

]]> By: Christina http://greenbabyguide.com/2009/12/16/the-gift-free-holiday/comment-page-1/#comment-3947 Christina Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:10:42 +0000 http://greenbabyguide.com/?p=4013#comment-3947 My son was born a week before Christmas last year. We had a tree, and my family visited and prepared our traditional foods, but we had no gifts, and that was fine with everyone! The baby was the best gift to everyone in the family. It turned out to be an especially meaningful holiday without the distraction of presents. My son was born a week before Christmas last year. We had a tree, and my family visited and prepared our traditional foods, but we had no gifts, and that was fine with everyone! The baby was the best gift to everyone in the family. It turned out to be an especially meaningful holiday without the distraction of presents.

]]> By: Kelli http://greenbabyguide.com/2009/12/16/the-gift-free-holiday/comment-page-1/#comment-3946 Kelli Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:46:53 +0000 http://greenbabyguide.com/?p=4013#comment-3946 We decided last year that we needed to start some traditions around the holidays that make sense, I mean, why do we do the present thing anyway? We want to be able to buy/make gifts all year long when something inspires us!!! We aren't giving gifts and we are going to the mountains for a few days over the holiday to spend family time sledding and snow shoeing. We decided last year that we needed to start some traditions around the holidays that make sense, I mean, why do we do the present thing anyway? We want to be able to buy/make gifts all year long when something inspires us!!! We aren’t giving gifts and we are going to the mountains for a few days over the holiday to spend family time sledding and snow shoeing.

]]> By: Allyson http://greenbabyguide.com/2009/12/16/the-gift-free-holiday/comment-page-1/#comment-3945 Allyson Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:51:34 +0000 http://greenbabyguide.com/?p=4013#comment-3945 My husband's family decided to draw names this year--each couple drew the name of one other couple to buy gifts for, and set a budget of $50. It's really cut down on the stress and the financial strain. There aren't any little ones in the family yet (our first arrives in January), but I'm sure that will change things a bit! My husband’s family decided to draw names this year–each couple drew the name of one other couple to buy gifts for, and set a budget of $50. It’s really cut down on the stress and the financial strain.

There aren’t any little ones in the family yet (our first arrives in January), but I’m sure that will change things a bit!

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