Greetings fellow bargain seekers. Joani here and I NEED YOUR HELP. I'm writing an article for a local publication about frugal holiday traditions. The idea came when I met a gal who told me a story about how they use their Cowboy Boots for Christmas stockings. This came about because they were moving and the box with their holiday decorations got lost. Instead of buying new stockings they hung their boots on the mantle and have kept the tradition ever since. What a lovely story. Right?!
Now it's your turn. Leave a comment here or, if you prefer, you can email me through the contact page, with your frugal holiday tradition. My article will include 10 or so of them. If I choose yours for the article you'll win a $20 Grocery gift card.
UPDATE: This giveaway has ended. Thank you so much for all the great ideas and the fabulous and inspiring emails and comments. Below are the winners but it was really hard to choose.
Visit this post on Facebook for more ideas. Look for my article in your upcoming City Journal, I'll also link to it after it's published.
Winners:
And, now for the winners. Winners, if you won via Facebook comment please message me in the next 7 days to claim your prize. If you won via comment or email entry, check your email. We've sent you instructions for claiming.
#1 – A.K. M. (Facebook)
We like to cook treats and wrap a bunch of presents for a family. We then find a police officer that is working Christmas Eve, pull them over and give them everything we've made and thank them for their service especially on a holiday.
#2 – Steph M. (Facebook)
We act out the nativity and read the story of Christ's birth from the bible. Then we do a gift exchange game where the gifts cannot cost more than $5. It's always so much fun.
#3 – Kristina K, (Facebook message)
Santa’s mischievous elves hide one present somewhere in the house for Christmas Eve. They leave treasure hunt style clues all over the house leading the way to the gift.
#4 – Makinzee L. (Facebook)
My kids always get a laugh when at the foot of there stocking is an orange. Both my family and my husband family have this tradition also. I believe the tradition is from many generations ago when an orange was something sweet and a gift all at the same time. I often think we forget the simple things such as an orange especially at Christmas
#5 – Brynn (Comment)
A frugal Christmas tradition is we love to go to downtown SLC and look at the lights on temple square. We get free parking, we watch a Christmas movie at the visitor center, and see the nativity scenes. Our kids love to see all the lights and go window shopping at the mall. It is a fun tradition that we look forward to every yea
#6 – Roxsan (comment)
As like most newly married couples, we did not have much money, so when our first Christmas rolled around we couldn’t afford to buy decorations, so we got an old barbie of mine, made a fabric dress out of scrap and put her in a paper towel tube and added some felt wings. This was our tree topper and our only decoration for our first year. Each year since we have made a decoration to add to the tree, like a gingerbread man. It has been 21 years since that first Christmas and our children have made ornaments to add to the collections from year to year. It may not be the most beautifully trimmed tree with matching glass ornaments and ribbons to the outside stranger, but it is the most beautiful tree to us when we look back at the years of memories, growing up, and love when we sit and gather together as a family and look at our tree, and talk of the memories those precious ornaments bring.
#7 – Nicole M. (email)
Camp out around your Christmas tree the night you decorate it. Read stories by candlelight, with the lights of the tree twinkling softly. In the morning have the same breakfast menu from year to year, like funny face pancakes or special muffin or bread that you only make on that particular morning.
#8 – Michelle K. (email)
We make a paper snowflake each day during December and have the kids write something on it they are thankful for on it. Then we hang the snowflakes in the window.
#9 – Kelly M (Facebook)
Every year 2 days before Christmas my little boys (6 & 4) will go through their toys and place ones that no longer use/need and place them in a bag. We put the bag under the tree. Then Saint Nick takes the bag of toys and replaces it with presents. The used toys are donated to the local shelter/care & share. Everyone ends up with new toys. Plus there is more room for the new toys instead of having too many toys and me cleaning out their room later! We will also donate wrapping paper with the toys so the families can wrap their gifts.
#10 – Laura (email)
Use butcher paper instead of a tablecloth and everyone writes something to share. Before dinner share what you wrote.Â
Notes: If two or more people submit the same idea, we'll break the ties with a random drawing. General contest rules apply. Facebook giveaways are in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook. In signing up for Facebook promotions, participants release and indemnify Facebook from all liability.
Ashley says
November 17, 2014 at 5:01 pmWhen I was younger, my mother made stocking holders for the family instead of buying some. They are cut from wood and little elves holding a candy cane upside-down to hold the stockings. The cutest thing is there is a Santa and Mrs Claus for the mom and dad stockings, and each of the elves have painted faces resembling the kids (from when we were about 5 years old or so). They are amazing keepsakes and fun to see our five year-old faces each year.
Amy Hodges says
November 16, 2014 at 11:07 pmEvery year our extended family gets together for a Christmas party. Our favorite tradition is playing Christmas Bingo which my Grandma started when her kids were little. Everyone brings a wrapped dollar store item. Sometimes they are something funny or weird, sometimes its a package of gum. We like to wrap them in ways that fool you into thinking you’re getting something else. We set the timer for 30 minutes. Whenever you get bingo you yell out “Merry Christmas” and get to steal someones present. We all end up fighting over the biggest one, or the heaviest one or the one with the prettiest paper. At the end of 30 minutes we each open our present and laugh over what we got. The adults get into the game as much as the kids do. We now have 4 generations playing the game.
Ashley says
November 16, 2014 at 12:09 pmWe started doing the “Gifts in a Jar” theme. They’re cheap and fun to make as a family. There are so many things to put in them that you can do something different every year. Cookie dough ingredients, hot chocolate with marshmallows, smores…..they look pretty when they’re all done up and can be frugally decorated on the lid as well.
Kendra says
November 16, 2014 at 10:57 amWe try to help with other’s food storage as a Christmas gift. We set a budget per family we are buying for and either come out paying less or being able to give them a lot more when we look for sales and match them with coupons. Then they get something they really need and we don’t break the bank.
Brynn says
November 15, 2014 at 9:28 pmA frugal Christmas tradition is we love to go to downtown SLC and look at the lights on temple square. We get free parking, we watch a christmas movie at the visitor center, and see the nativity scenes. Our kids love to see all the lights and go window shopping at the mall. It is a fun tradition that we look forward to every year.
Emily R says
November 15, 2014 at 4:47 pmThis may be backwards from what you’re looking for, but growing up we were pretty broke so to save money my folks always had to be pretty skimpy on pricier foods like meat and cheese and we almost never had things like soda or kids cereal – lucky charms, etc – because they were a luxury. So for Christmas our parents started giving us something like our own block of cheese or a two liter of soda. Much cheaper than a toy and we loved it.
Ang Fairey says
November 15, 2014 at 11:09 amInstead of buying gifts for all the nieces and nephews we have our kids make them cards. It’s something simple that lets them know we love them and are thinking of them.
Roxsan Mottishaw says
November 15, 2014 at 10:46 amAs like most newly married couples, we did not have much money, so when our first Christmas rolled around we couldn’t afford to buy decorations, so we got an old barbie of mine, made a fabric dress out of scrap and put her in a paper towel tube and added some felt wings. This was our tree topper and our only decoration for our first year. Each year since we have made a decoration to add to the tree, like a gingerbread man. It has been 21 years since that first Christmas and our children have made ornaments to add to the collections from year to year. It may not be the most beautifully trimmed tree with matching glass ornaments and ribbons to the outside stranger, but it is the most beautiful tree to us when we look back at the years of memories, growing up, and love when we sit and gather together as a family and look at our tree, and talk of the memories those precious ornaments bring.
sheila k says
November 15, 2014 at 9:45 amDue to a plethora of rare medical problems and a devastating divorce, frugal Christmases have been a longstanding tradition for me and my three children. Often I get by on $20 for the entire Christmas celebration. Our family decided that Christmas has become too commercial and drifted away from being a heartfelt tradition of love.
My ideas for frugal Christmases include: Drawing names amongst close family members, and instead of offering a commercial gift, offer a card with a promise to perform some meaningful talent of act of service. Look for others who may be suffering during the holidays, and provide random acts of kindness and a listening ear.
I shop thrift stores and am amazed at what I find. This week I found a package with very nice sheets of Christmas paper for a quarter — with enough paper to wrap my holiday gifts. A plastic sack filled with Christmas cards was fifty cents. I choose thrift stores that support causes that I am fond of, like domestic violence shelters, or the Assistance League, which offers new school clothing to children in need, and Hospice, which helps those with terminal illnesses.
Successful frugal Christmases are shrouded with love and deep meaning, not image.