Comments on: The Family Christmas Party: A Lesson in Frugality

By: Lara

Lara — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:30:12 +0000

What a great story! I agree that the ‘money spent’ doesn’t have anything to do with the great memories that will last for decades. And how cool that your parents and their mates are able to join in on family occasions, relieving everyone of the stress of dividing time and attention.

By: Sherry Frewerd

Sherry Frewerd — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:18:27 +0000

Sounds like a perfectly wonderful time! It is surprising when we look at hour family members and see how much really is passed down or just simply natural behavior. Thanks for sharing :-)

By: Lynnae

Lynnae — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:26:12 +0000

Jill, I am very blessed in that our whole family does things together, regardless of the fact that our parents are divorced. I know that’s not the norm, and believe me when I say I’m very thankful for what I’ve got.

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:38:24 +0000

What strikes me the most has nothing to with finance – I love that both your parents attended along with both of their significant others. More divorced/blended families should take a cue from that. My cousins with divorced parents or other family issues are always pulled in half at the holidays – it sure is nice to see people act like civilized adults and have one big happy family!

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:08:27 +0000

What a beautiful post, Lynnae. Thanks for the reminder – we can ALL benefit from it this time of year! Merry Christmas!

By: 2 Cents

2 Cents — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:14:37 +0000

Thanks. Just reading your post made me exhale. Intuitively, I know that everything you talked about is true, but I admit to having been caught up lately with the “what” of holiday preparations rather than the more important “why”.

By: Angelsong

Angelsong — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:35:36 +0000

I whole-heartedly agree! Parties are about memories and experiences, not material things. Families would have less angst this time of year if they could focus more on sharing and laughter rather than on spending money. Some of the best holiday memories I have are those from gatherings at my grandparents’ house when I was growing up. We shared cooking, cleaning up afterward, and lots and lots of family history. It was interesting to talk to them about Christmases they had as children and realize how different ours were.