At a bustling shopping center in Jacksonville called St. Johns Town Center where Louis Vuitton is across the street from Forever 21, shoppers of all ilk were out en masse. I'm thinking "What recession?"
If consumer spending is the litmus test for an improving economy, keep that test strip away from me. All I bought that day was a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of pumpkin bread with a Starbucks gift card I'd had in my wallet for months and a pair of really cute .95-cent holiday-themed socks from Forever 21 (only because my feet got cold).
Back when I was married and didn't speak up as much as I should, I would follow my ex's lead buying gifts we couldn't afford. I'm an only child of a single parent. He was from a huge family of four siblings with 12 kids between them. And instead of family gifts he insisted that we buy gifts for every one of them.
My family pulled names and had been doing so for years. Not that crew. When I suggested pulling names, you would've thought I'd said let's shoot Santa.
Which brings me back to the recession...
This is the time of year, great because of the cheer that most people feel at wrapping up another year, looking forward to having a little time off, seeing friends and family and the occassional holiday party.
Yet it's also fraught with expectations, often unrealized and sometimes unattainable, that can lead to disappointment, hurt, sadness and debt.
Children of divorce feel torn when being with one parent means they're absent from the other. Hurts and letdowns from Christmases past are revived-- the bomber jacket Dad promised and never delivered. Elderly people in nursing homes who depend on the kindness of strangers are often forgotten.
People who struggle mightily with finances throughout the year feel especially bad when they cannot provide the Christmas we've been conditioned to aspire to from time immemorial.
If I have learned one thing it is don't go into the new year paying for this year's holiday gifts. And I challenge you to do that.
Give some thought to the reason for the season.
Make a nice meal together with your family. Invite or share that meal with someone who would be alone. Plan to volunteer and serve meals at your local shelter or mission. Do something for someone else who needs it.
Less is less, not "more" and that's a good thing-- less stress, less paper in landfills, less food wasted and plain old less time spent consuming means more time and resources available to share or create traditions, have crucial conversations and make plans for the new year.
Simply put, be real about where you are financially and where you need to be. Let that guide your spending.
Give the gift of your time or an experience versus a thing. Create a memory that lasts a lifetime.
Encourage and have discussions around debt-free living. Planting that seed with someone you love has value beyond measure that will last this season and throughout a lifetime.
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