Christmas Eve At Long Last

For some, the best moment of the entire Christmas season is the first snow of the year. For others, it is the moment the kids begin to rip open the presents. For the shoppers, it is the finding of that perfect gift. For the music lover, it is the Christmas concert at church or maybe the CONSTANT barrage of Christmas carols on the radio. For me, one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is Christmas Eve. I love it because the air is heavy with the anticipation of tomorrow. Whether you watch big puffy snowflakes coming down or the sway of a palm tree outside your window...the feeling is the same. The gifts are settled beneath the tree, the house is fully decorated, sugar cookies are cooling on the counter, all the family is settled under blankets with steaming cups of cocoa watching the old favorites on television. It is the reading of the Christmas story before you go to bed and imagining how the holy family must have felt that first Christmas Eve...the worry, the wonder, the worship of it all.

In the stillness of Christmas Eve, one tends to forget the sad, the tragic, the depressing and all is quiet and still. For that quiet moment, all is right with the world and you cannot put a label on what that is. You cannot describe it. You cannot manufacture it.

I think what makes Christmas so strikingly different for the believer is that this is a holiday which gives us hope. Without that baby in the manger, there would be no reason to believe. Praise God for that first Christmas in Bethlehem. Praise God for the good news which we have in Christ Jesus. Ah yes....the Christmas Eve feeling is here again. But, the good thing is, I never have to wait till Christmas to have that same feeling again. It can always be Christmas in my heart.

Christmas at the Post Office

Maybe I never really understood the phrase "going postal" because I had never been to the post office during the Christmas season. Clearly that phrase originated during the Christmas season. Yesterday I stood in line for at least 30 minutes waiting to ship a baby dress to my best friend's new baby. All around me were people, people, people and boxes and boxes and boxes. In front of me what a man from Ireland mailing cards galore to the "old country" and behind me was a sweet little old lady from Germany who stuck up a conversation with me about the differences between the educational system here and the one in Germany. By the time we reached the end of the line, I felt as though we should exchange phone numbers so we could stay in touch. It was strange, but pleasant. Any more these days when we stand in line, waiting (which I feel like we spend a lot of time in lines these days), we just pull out a phone, or stare off into space, and try to avoid eye-contact with those around us. Sometimes if you take a moment and look around you, there are very interesting people to talk to and meet. So, next time you wait in an eternal line, find a friendly-looking face and strike up a conversation....you just never know who you will meet.

How to save a dollar

Recently I saved a bundle at the grocery store and on Christmas presents. I had someone ask me how I do it, and I felt like I needed to share. Here are my "top secrets" on how to save money at the super market.

1. You CANNOT be brand exclusive. If there is a coupon for $1.00 off of Pop Secret popcorn and it makes it cheaper than your normal brand, then you buy that and just deal with the subtle differences.

2. Cut coupons. Even if I doubt that I might ever use the coupon, I still cut it out. You never know when you will use a coupon, so clip them all.

3. Get double papers. I always buy two papers on Sunday. This way you have two coupons for each item. For instance, when Publix has something buy one get one free, you can use one coupon on the one you buy and on the one you get for free. For instance, yesterday I had a coupon for two dollars off two bags of hashbrowns. Publix already had them on sale Buy one Get one. So, by the time I was done, each bag of hashbrowns only cost about 45 cents.

4. ALWAYS have the coupons in your purse. You never know when you might be in the grocery store.

5. Categorize the coupons by brand name...it makes it really easy to find what you need because each store puts things in different isles.

Hope these tips help you get started. It is slow and steady....but once you get the hang of it, you will never be able to stop.

Cheapskates Anonymous

From time to time I stumble across a bargain and I must snatch it up. Well, today, I was out getting a little last minute Christmas gift buying done. At each store I had coupons, gift cards, store credits, or something that saved money in one way or another. Now, the question did occur to me..."Is it wrong and un-Christmasy to buy things for others as gifts that you have coupons for?" For example, I got my husband, my father, and a few other people some gifts at our local Christian bookstore. The total came up to be 45 dollars. However, I had store credit for 35 of those dollars. So, when they open the gifts...is it ok not to confess the true level of cheapskate-ness to which I have bowed or do I say, "Why, you are so very welcome." I went to Borders next and got something for my mom and for my best friend's new baby, and it only cost me a dollar. Do I need to change my name to Scrooge or am I just being frugal?

Well, the whole car ride home with my "bargains" I pondered this idea. Am I just a crazy coupon lady that drives everyone crazy with my money saving madness? I know the little man who helped me at Target thought I was insane since nearly everything in my cart, including the bubble wrap mailer I had to buy, had a coupon. Each coupon really reflected a level of consideration for others. The bubble mailer coupon was for my best friend, since I knew I would need to mail her a baby outfit for her new baby. The pistachio coupon was for dad because I knew I would need to get those for him. The razor blade coupon was for Ryan because he always gets a nice razor in his stocking from me. I do not think Christmas has to equal bankruptcy. However, I do not think everything needs to come from the dollar tree either. There are ways to make that dollar stretch. So, if that makes me the Grinch that's ok because I have always felt green was a good color on me.

Ornaments

My Christmas tree is up. I am still woefully behind in all other things Christmas. My friends and family members will be getting their Christmas cards around Easter. Christmas cookies are not even on the radar. Ryan has almost NO gifts under the tree and the only people who do have gifts under the tree are my sister and brother-in-law because I knew they would be here early to collect their gifts. But, for me, Christmas cannot begin until my tree is up and the ornaments are hung on each branch. As I look at the tree, it reminds me of how blessed I am. Each one is special and reminds me of a special memory. There are ornaments that Ryan and I purposely bought for ourselves (one that looks like our dog, a "W" that looks like a Christmas cookie). We have a special ornament from our Grandma for our first Christmas together. There are old ornaments from when I was a baby and there are left over ornaments that I put up in my first dorm. As each one goes up on the tree I smile and remember the special person in my life and why they gave me that ornament. Maybe I over think these things, but it is part of what makes my Christmas special...and so I will continue to do it...no matter what new ornaments may be in my future.

Mr. Grinch

So, this post may cause many to question my "Christmas Spirit" as it is often called, but can I just say that I hate Christmas shopping? I love giving gifts, I love thinking about the unique things others might like to see under the tree, I even love the hustle and bustle of the busy stores. What I detest is that feeling of having a million people touch the items I want to buy before I buy them. There is the feeling as well of buying that thing a million people have touched and decided not to buy and then wondering what is wrong with you or with the item that made you want to buy it. Then there are the pushers. You know the kind I am talking about. Those pushy sales ladies who want you to get their store's credit card to save 3 gazillion percent on your purchase today. Then there are the aisle parkers. These are the ladies who park their shopping cart dead center in the very aisle you need to be in and then proceed to read and analyze the calorie content of the fruitcake they have selected off the shelf. Then, of course, you have the casual conversation starters. These are the people who see you pick up something off the shelf and try to have an in-depth conversation about how "your father will just love that" or "I gave that to my cousin Melvin last Christmas and it gave him a rash" or "that shade would not look good on your skin." Then, there are the grabbers. These are the people who follow close behind your cart in the store and circle you like a vulture. The minute you put something down they go and snatch it up to see if they want the cast off item you have left behind. To add to the madness, you of course have a symphony of noises. You have a distasteful version of "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" playing in the background. Somewhere, in every single store, a child will be screaming while the mom of that child tries to placate him/her, but to no avail. Sneezing and coughing abound...they sort of round out to percussion section of this symphony of Christmas shopping.
However, lest you worry over me, let me just say that today, even though I encountered all the of aforementioned characters, I had a successful day of Christmas shopping with just a few small items to pick up before Christmas is officially upon us. Once I was home, and a Christmas movie was playing, and I had a cup of coffee and pajama pants on...everything seemed a little better. In the end, it was all worth it when the tree was lit and those very same packages I had fought the crowds for were wrapped and snuggled under the tree. Ah....Christmas.