Blogmas Day 10
Tis the Season for Gift-Giving!
Thinking up and giving thoughtful gifts is one of my favorite parts of the holidays, which is why it may come as a surprise that Tom and I don't exchange Christmas gifts with each other. No we aren't pulling a Grinch, we have lots of good reasons for doing this. And they have nothing to do with our hearts being two sizes too small. It's a tradition that we started our first year of marriage and it's one that I know we will continue in the future...
Thinking up and giving thoughtful gifts is one of my favorite parts of the holidays, which is why it may come as a surprise that Tom and I don't exchange Christmas gifts with each other. No we aren't pulling a Grinch, we have lots of good reasons for doing this. And they have nothing to do with our hearts being two sizes too small. It's a tradition that we started our first year of marriage and it's one that I know we will continue in the future...
It Takes the Pressure Off
Every year, Husband timidly approaches me to ask if we are giving each other presents. And every year my response is always the same "No, not unless you want to". His reaction is always overwhelming relief. With the holidays, we already have so many friends and family members that we are in search of the perfect present for. Removing ourselves from that equation lightens things a bit and helps to create a stress-free holiday season.
Saves Money
We didn't institute this tradition purely to save money, but it has been a nice benefit. The last time Husband and I exchanged Christmas gifts with each other was a few years ago. I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Plus, he spent the same on me. That's over a thousand dollars. Spent on what? Because I can't for the life of me remember what the heck I gave him. And when I asked Husband what he gave me for Christmas all those years ago, his response was a blank stare. I think it's safe to say that he doesn't remember either. It was mostly just us buying crap for the sake of it being Christmas. I wanted him to have lots of gifts to open so I bought lots of things. Things that didn't matter. Things that have been forgotten. Things that were a waste of money!
We Don't Need Anything
While I can think of plenty of things that I might want, there is nothing that I actually need. If we need anything throughout the year, we simply buy it. Otherwise, I seem to be functioning just fine with the things I already own. If anything, I could probably let a few items go. Thus, any gift that Husband could give me right now would be an extra. We have big financial goals/plans that we don't want to deviate from. So I 1000% do not want any Christmas gifts from my Husband! Is that weird?
The Replacement Gift
Now please don't think that we are total Scrooges when it comes to handing out Christmas gifts. We love gifting! We are still exchanging gifts with family and friends. But when it comes to each other, it didn't make sense for us to take money out of our joint account to spend on each other. It felt very much like we were just shuffling our own money around. Instead of adorning each other with expensive clothes and gadgets we don't need, we put that money towards unique date experiences and trips together. Believe it or not, these trips often cost less then buying each other more STUFF would. Plus they are much more memorable.
It has made us more Purposeful
In general, Husband and I are moving away from giving gifts in our relationship. Everyone's situation is different. This is just what works for us. We no longer give each other traditional gifts, but focus on spending time together. We find that it has been much more impactful for our relationship and has really improved the holiday season for us. I will be sharing "Our Christmas Present" soon, but for now here are some past Christmas presents we have given to each other
Our Christmas Present 2014
Our Christmas Present 2013
It has made us more Purposeful
In general, Husband and I are moving away from giving gifts in our relationship. Everyone's situation is different. This is just what works for us. We no longer give each other traditional gifts, but focus on spending time together. We find that it has been much more impactful for our relationship and has really improved the holiday season for us. I will be sharing "Our Christmas Present" soon, but for now here are some past Christmas presents we have given to each other
Our Christmas Present 2014
Our Christmas Present 2013
Follow along with Blogmas to see more holiday fun everyday this month
Bloglovin//Instagram//Facebook//Pinterest
Linking up with HomeofMalones//HillCollection//ALittleBitofEverything//
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar