a hassle free christmas

i am one of Francis J. Kong's blog followers and an avid reader of his books. his books are usually about business and work management and the likes but even if i am not inclined to business, i am so inclined to his writings because most of his books that i have read speak about how to manage life at work. we can actually glean so much from these very informative and inspirational books. i have at least 6 of his books in my library and still hoping to be able to buy more. My favorite among his books (which i have already read) are "Three Little Words" and "The Early Bird catches the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese." I also have copies of his "One day at a time" 1 - 4 volume. well, you can't afford not to get your own copy as these are actually indeed a daily inspirational dose for people "at work".

Now, i keep following his blog posts which are also very practical, useful, and helpful for daily living. i am so glad i subscribed to his blog site. the latest i have read of his post is this timely Christmas saving tips especially that the world is threatened with the issue on global crisis. well, just read it, you will love it too!

Francis J. Kong's Christmas Savings Tips

Posted: 25 Nov 2008 09:48 PM CST

Whenever you open the News Channel and you listen to what’s going on with the world’s economy you have every reason to feel depressed. Now that is not a very healthy way to handle the situation. What we should do as we view the world’s economic situation is to be thankful and to be appreciative of our current situation.

I was talking to a huge company president a couple of days ago and he says the reason why we are not hit that hard is because our scale has always been small. It’s like somebody living on the second floor and now he fell down to the ground floor. May be painful but not hard enough to kill him. Developed countries where you find huge and famous businesses have been up there on the penthouse and now their fall is hard enough to kill them. (hmmm… that’s a perspective…)

One view here is that as a country and as a people, we have all been accustomed to hardships and trials. Our country is a supermarket of calamities both natural and man-made… as a matter of fact more man-made than natural and we have always been resilient in facing trials. But this does not mean that we can be negligent and reckless in the coming days especially now that the whole country is into “Christmas Fever…”

So allow me to offer a couple of ideas on how to save money this Christmas.

1. WRITE THINGS DOWN

Do not go through this Christmas without a plan. Write a list of the people you’d like to buy for and put a price limit next to each name. If it adds up to too much, review the limits you set. Next… because a lot of money is spent in work place or office activities like gift givings so this next piece of advice may help you a lot…

xena: but of course if you have no budget to buy presents for the people in your gift list, pray for them instead, God has His own ways of blessing people. He knows your desire so don't worry if you can't give. Don't burden yourself with the thoughts of not being able to give. It does not make you less human. But if you can give, give from your heart but do not give beyond your limitations. too impractical.

2. RAFFLE DRAW

Buying gifts for everyone in the office? That’s not very wise but you may consider a “Kris Kringle” arrangement where each member in your group agrees to draw a name like what you see happens in a raffle draw and then simply buy a present for that person. This would be a lot more fun and the gift could be itemized to the person but again, put a price limit so that you will not lose control.

xena: i agree. little gifts count a lot so long as they are given from the heart. i am glad we don't have to go through the same activities we did in school for the past few years. our faculty Christmas party was always grand but yesterday, we discussed in our meeting the changes in the activities and wow, we had very minimal contribution. First time ever. activities and food prep won't change the season. what matters a lot is the spirit of Christmas in us that binds us together...Thanks Atty and Dr and the admin!

3. NO GIFT SOLICITATIONS

I have seen signs posted in offices that says: “No Gift Solicitations Allowed.” Pretty good idea for this Christmas. Why not just agree that there will no longer be any gift givings this time but collectively, will do something special as a gift? Maybe an official Christmas dinner or better still… visit an orphanage and bless the needy?

xena: hmmm.exactly. again, in the meeting, we have agreed to give something for the less fortunate children in the city. clothing and toys, school supplies and food that kids love..perfect!

4. FOR KIDS ONLY

What about this idea… that gifts be given only to kids and not to adults and you may be 33 and still acting like a kid but you get no gifts this Christmas.

xena: hahaha. i just mentioned it.but that's true. why is it that some people don't get rid of this gift - soliciting habit? we had celebrated so many Christmases and probably have received so much gifts. we have even received more than enough even during not Christmas season. well, this time, let's give gifts to "little children" not to the "feeling children"...

5. BE CREATIVE

This could be the time when you let your creative abilities make use of idle things you find in your house and convert them into gifts for the special people in your life. Believe me this act of love and kindness would be special and most appreciated.

xena: true. I couldn't wait for Christmas vacation so i could start sorting things out. old clothes, shoes, bags, kids stuffs and toys and others, i am giving them away...i have people in mind to whom i will be giving these hand-me-down stuffs...i am thinking how else i can make them look better..hmmm..not only that, i made my own Christmas decors and believe me i spent 75% less of the selling price at the department store. see? you can even say i bought them at the mall..I just couldn't afford the price! the most fulfilling thing is the idea of being able to create something beautiful...one more thing, we will be celebrating Christmas in the family with a color motif so it's kind of real exciting!

6. PLAN, PLAN AND PLAN

Without a plan you will rush through your shopping until the last minute and blow your budget. Buy things on sale.

xena: yeah, the more we rush and join in the dept store and grocery congestion, the more we panic and stress ourselves...

7. WAIT FOR THE NEW YEAR

I am pretty sure you may have friends and family you won’t see until the new year so you may as well hold off on buying presents until the January where sales events are on and the crowds are gone.

xena: yeah, why not? with stuffs that are less expensive and few people around, i think this is most practical. waiting won't hurt a bit.

The important thing to remember is that Christmas is the world’s celebration of a historical event. That the Savior has come to give us eternal life for those who choose to appropriate this Gift. Spend this year’s Christmas in a meaningful way and enjoy the moment. So save money but most importantly be saved by the Savior.

xena: Amen to that after all it is the very essence of Christmas. it is not about being "born to live" but being "born to die". Jesus was born to die for us and save us from the curse of sin!

so, save and be saved!