The mere mention of Christmas is enough to bring stress into our lives. The thought of trying to save up for Christmas presents for our friends and family, buying Christmas decorations, even the luxury to try and treat ourselves this year. However, as much as we love to spoil those close to us, we do still need to take into consideration that our money doesn’t grow on trees and that buying expensive gifts isn’t always the way to one’s happiness or one’s heart.
Christmas has always been viewed as a time for giving and we need to remember that it’s the thought that counts. Budgeting is a great way to prepare yourself for the Christmas season and that list of presents that is currently pending; waiting to be purchased. It’s time to get out your pen and paper and make a small list of who you need to get presents for.
You don’t need to buy a Christmas present for every single person you know, stick to those you are closest to. For example, your parents, grandparents, siblings, or closest friends. The power is in your hands with whom you want to treat this Christmas, just take care that you don’t over-do it and that your list isn’t as long as Santa’s naughty and nice list.
Here are some small ideas to give you some inspiration about what you can buy this Christmas and the best part is it’ll fit perfectly into your budget!
Cold footies
We need to embrace it; who does not love a nice cosy pair of socks? This is a rather controversial present idea because people tend to think “Socks? As a Christmas present? That’s a little sad”. Sad is the wrong definition in my eyes and in times of uncertainty, we should learn to be grateful for the little things. Take a step back and look at the bigger picture; it’s wintertime and we need to keep our bodies warm when we’re out and about. Cosying up in our homes and wearing a pair of lovely winter socks will only do wonders for our cold feet. All major retailers stock out the loveliest selection of winter socks and if you look closely, you can see the fluffy little fibres reaching out to you, begging you to buy them. All they want to do is make someone’s feet happy.
The perfect cuppa
Retailers are swarming with snug little Christmas mugs right now. We all love a cup of tea or coffee in the mornings when we wake up and several times throughout the day, but in the wintertime, the number of times we consume warm beverages can increase dramatically. There is no better feeling than wrapping your cold hands around a beautiful Christmas mug that is swirling with your tea, coffee, or a lovely hot chocolate. One can never have enough mugs for their home, but during Christmas time, the mugs come with an added bonus; they come packed with mug jumpers or sachets of hot chocolate, marshmallows and little chocolates. I think it’d be smart to add this to your list right now.
Your own creation
All it takes is one decorative box or basket, some Christmas themed ribbon and a small list of what you’ll place into your box/basket. Personally, this is an idea I used last year for one of my family members and I’ll tell you exactly what I put in! I took into consideration the things that made them happy:
Cans of Monster, Hershey’s big chocolate bars, two Christmas teddy bears and a scented candle. However, you don’t have to follow that exact list, it’s all about what your family member or friend loves. Use this idea to get creative.
