• With high expectations and low finances Christmas can become a trying time for many parents. I have no doubt that my parents faced similar times while I was growing up. When I look back to all of my childhood Christmases I do not remember the gifts I was given. At least for the most part. There are one or two that I can recall, but aside from those, I only remember the stuff we did. I remember Christmas Eve spent with all of my cousins. I remember dressing up in frilly Christmas gowns so that the adults could snap a picture, and scheming to get out of those same dresses as soon as possible. I remember my dad making bread bowls, and my aunt making tamales. This year, instead of being obsessed with what Santa will or will not bring to my kids, I’m focusing on the fun and the traditions of the holiday.

    Each year the kids get an ornament to put on the tree that is relevant to them.

    Our traditions go something like this: the day (or so) after Thanksgiving we pull out the tree and the kids help me decorate it and the rest of the house. This part is difficult for me because I have decorating OCD. I have learned to deal with odd groupings of ornaments, and the fact that the tree is mostly empty over the three foot mark. The kids and I make cookies to give out as gifts. We wrap presents together. Each year the kids get an ornament to put on the tree that is relevant to them. For example, this year Ladybug is obsessed with Tinkerbell, so her ornament is a Tinkerbell. Over the years we will be able to look back and see things the kids loved, or were important in one way or another. So enjoy your holidays no matter your financial situations.