mydinnerideas.com

I have those economy issues every year.  I have come up with a lot of different
ways to combat the high cost of Christmas though.  Here's some ideas that work
for me -

Christmas cards - I purchase them at Goodwill!  Dayton Hudson which owns Target
and also several department stores like Marshall Fields, gives their overstock
to Goodwill for tax deductions purposes.  I have found beautiful cards - ones
people just gushed over! - for literally 49cents a box!  This year I already
have my cards purchased - I bought two boxes of ice blue cards that had
snowflakes embroidered into the front of the card!  They are quite classy, very
pretty and you guessed it - I paid 50 cents a box!  (These are brand new
wrapped boxes of cards!)  I also make my own Christmas letters and labels on
the computer with clip art.  One tip I have found - if you dont want to buy
professional family pictures to send - take one of your family yourself on a
digital camera and then add it to the Christmas letter that you computerize as
part of the "art" on the letter.

Decorations - I picked a theme for my Christmas decorating and each year scout
out the stores as to the pieces that will "fit" into my theme and then buy one
piece for my theme on the day AFTER Christmas so I have a nice surprise to
unwrap for next years Christmas decorating.  Another valuable source for
Christmas decorations and serving pieces etc is Goodwill.  I have found
beautiful pieces I could not have normally afforded from really good name
companies such as Mikasa, Williams Sonoma, Department 56 etc - and all for
under $5 each!  Another one of my secrets is doing as the designers do and
going to the craft store/fabric store for tree decorations.  You can wrap a
beautiful piece of fabric around the tree instead of a pricey tree skirt, use
wired ribbon for garlands instead of pricier actual christmas garlands on the
tree, and use small craft objects (I used my silk butterflies) for ornaments on
the tree.  

Food - I buy an extra turkey every year at Thanksgiving when they are on sale
so inexpensively and keep it in the freezer until Christmas.  Instead of baking
so many different kinds of things each year and running up too much money on
baking ingrediants, I alternate cookie and cake recipes each year so we have
just enough cookies and cakes without making so much that they dont get eaten
or everyone loads up on too much sugar and calories.  It is so easy to
overindulge in the baked stuff around the holidays but how many of us have so
much uneaten desserts after the holidays are over?  Another secret is Trader
Joes grocery store.  They have some great imported candy, sparkling fruit juice
etc around holiday time for extremely reasonable prices.

Gifts - I am sending just token gifts this year (under $10) to my mom and my
sister, cards only to everyone else and just buying for my kids.  I am getting
them one expensive present of a Wii system and a couple games that they can all
four use, then "filling in" with some fun but not very expensive stuff like
books, board games etc. Then I fill their stockings with little cheapy novelty
items and candy - things like blowing bubbles, silly putty, slinkys, etc - just
little silly stuff that can be found very cheaply.  They love this! 

Extras - I have the kids picture taken every year at Walmart.  I go with the
standard package and end up getting a huge bunch of pictures (enough to send
all the relatives and friends in their Christmas cards for under $10 total.
Every year I invest in a new pair of pajamas and slippers for them - I have
made it a tradition - it is kind of nice as it is practical and wearable but
still counts as a gift - I give them this gift at Christmas eve so they look
good in their Christmas morning pictures!