Be smart this holiday season

It makes me really sad to see so much greed and overspending going on all around me. It seems as if everyone around me has all the money in the world to spend on their children at Christmas. At Walmart (in West Valley, I might add), I see parents with carts overflowing with expensive toys. I don't know of many neighborhoods in West Valley that are filled with people rich enough to be spending so extravagantly. These are people that have probably lost their jobs in the past year or survived a layoff. At the very least they have probably had someone close to them affected by the economy. Doesn't it make them a little nervous to be spending all their money, or more likely, racking up their credit cards, when their future is unsure? Doesn't it make them feel guilty that they are surrounded by people that are less fortunate? Doesn't it make them worried that their kids, with such an abundant choice of toys, will choose to play with the discarded wrapping paper instead? Or forget about these toys in a month and start demanding more from their indulgent parents?

Having gone through Brian's job loss this past year has really opened our eyes on wasteful spending. It hasn't cured us completely, and we are far from perfect, but we also realize how important it is to save. We could have lost our house if his unemployment had continued a few more months. I feel like with Brian and I both working right now, we are better off that we ever have been, but most of the abundance is going straight into savings. In this economy we can't afford NOT to save. Unemployment could happen to us again at any time. You never know what the future holds, but we are going to be as prepared as possible. Our kids are only getting 3 or 4 presents each, none costing more than $35 each and most costing around $10 each. And I'm positive that they will both be thrilled with their presents and not notice anything lacking.

I know there's a lot of pressure from kids to get them what they want. There's also the pressure of keeping up with the Joneses, or the pressure on your kids from schoolmates to trump each other with the presents they received ("I got more than you!" or "My presents were more expensive/bigger than yours!") But what are we really teaching our children by giving them big expensive things or way too many things? Children these days could really use a lesson in responsibility and humility. They need to be aware that there are so many that can't even afford food, let alone presents.

They also need to be aware of money and what it takes to earn it. We've started giving our kids a little allowance every week, and I've been very proud of their decisions. When they ask for something at the store, I ask them if they want to buy it with their own money. Every time, Dallin has said, "No, I want to save it for something else." If he didn't have his own money, he would have whined the whole way through the store that we didn't buy it, but when it comes down to his own money, he would rather not waste it on frivolous purchases. He's trying to save up for something that is worth it, and I'm proud of him.

I hope we can all humble ourselves this season and look around us. So many people are suffering, yet so many people are indulging. I hope we aren't on either side of that spectrum, and that we are sitting happily somewhere in the middle, having a great holiday season that isn't all about material goods. Presents are not the reason for the season! Merry Christmas everyone!