How to Make This the Best Christmas Ever for Your Children Without Spending a Lot of Money

Most parents want to make every Christmas the best Christmas possible for their children. But with the economy wreaking havoc with our budgets, it can be easy to despair. How can we make Christmas as magical for our children as we want to without money?

There are many ways we can make this Christmas special to our children, our family, and ourselves without having a lot of money. We can, first of all, give of ourselves. Our children are pretty satisfied when we spend time with them, pay attention to them, and play with them. One year I gave my sons homemade coupon books; one for an extra hour after bedtime, spent one on one with me; another for a playing a game together of his choosing; and others with other treats of time tailored to each boy. They loved them, and enjoyed cashing them in throughout the following year. This works for adults, too, by the way. My sister gave my brother a "Pie of the Month" certificate one year; each month after that for a year, she delivered a homemade pie to his door.

Don't be afraid to shop at thrift stores for things like books and trinkets. Also, some stores send out really good coupons, such as Kohl's and JC Penney's, who often give out coupons good for $10 off anything at all; in other words, you can get things for free. Flowering plants from the garden center make inexpensive but lovely gifts, too. And if you really pay attention to things people say during the year, you can often find inexpensive but customized gifts that will thrill a loved one who has been reminiscing over something they used to love but can't find anywhere, that you have taken the time to find. Another thing made easy nowadays is to take a really nice picture of something beautiful, print it out and frame it for a personalized art print.

There are many ways to honor other family members and friends, while still including your children in the fun. They can help cut out and decorate ginger bread cookies, or make fudge, and then go with you to deliver them to neighbors, shut-ins, nursing home patients and any one else who could use a cheerful visit. You could perhaps go caroling together. Doing things for others with your children not only helps satisfy their need to have time and attention from you, but also teaches them to think of others. If they can learn ways to make other people happy by giving of themselves instead of spending a lot of money, that's better still.

It can be easy to get caught up in decorating in the form of a fashion magazine, needing everything to be picture perfect. But think about whether that really is the best way to celebrate a holiday of giving. Even though you want to give beauty to others, are you excluding your children? Spending too much money? Getting nervous and uptight about everything not being perfect after all? Want an inexpensive way to decorate, include your family, and relax and have fun? Consider some of the time honored traditions such as stringing popcorn and cranberries, making paper chains from construction paper, or putting clove sticks in an apple or orange. You might be surprised how people appreciate some old-fashioned, charming decorations. As for entertainment, children love the timeless and true story of a baby Who was really a king being born under the stars, angels singing in celebration, shepherds coming to kneel down, wise men traveling to bring Him gifts. Just focus on this beautiful story, right out of the Bible. Perhaps you could let them play with a nativity set to act out the story.

There are myriad ways to have a wonderful Christmas with your children if you are willing to spend time with them. Maybe this is the perfect year to slow down and get back to that old-fashioned, fun-filled, meaningful Christmas you've always dreamed of. After you've spent this Christmas laughing, playing with, reading to and enjoying time with your children, don't be surprised if your children call 2009 the best Christmas ever!

Resources: Personal experience