Dan and I are on our home-stretch toward being debt free! We have made many personal sacrifices this year to significantly increase the amount of debt we pay down each month, including not eating out, not going to more than 1 movie a month, our firstborn child, your firstborn child, and not buying expensive gifts for Christmas.
Of course, time is money, and when one family (they shall remain anonymous) is not spending large amounts of money for Christmas, they are compensating by putting epic hours in to hand-make gifts. Actually, not they. She. But that's ok because He is spending all his time working, and doesn't have time to print, cut out, and glue 80 pictures onto clear stones (that could not be found until going to four craft stores because Utah is obsessed with crafts and alongside scrap-booking, clear stones are apparently the hottest thing since polyester/lycra blend garments). He also doesn't have time to realize the glue she used distorted all the pictures, nor to undo and then re-do all 80 magnets. Also, he doesn't have time to throw his finger-nails somewhere other than on the carpet, but that's a different subject.
But it all paid off, and here are some of the magnets Mrs. Anonymous made for Christmas gifts this year:
In good form, Murphy's Law swept in and said that those gifts had to be fundamentally flawed. Turns out the magnet cylinders I glued on the back of each stone are not strong enough to stick them to anything, except maybe Jupiter, which is composed of strong magnetic material (do they celebrate Christmas on Jupiter? Maybe I can re-route where Santa delivers these gifts...). All in all I've decided my non-magnetic magnets are ok, because now I know what to get everyone for Christmas next year--stronger magnets to glue onto the weaker magnets!
On a serious note, because my children will read this someday, I want them to know that we think Christmas is a very meaningful holiday. We love our Savior, and celebrate his birth with much joy. I don't think I got through hearing "Little Shepherd Boy" on the radio once this year without tearing up with gratitude. Yes, mom is sap. And although we kept this Christmas so frugal that our gifts to family and friends cost under $20.00, we decided to anonymously sponsor one family who would not be able to afford any gifts this year for themselves or their children. I wish we could have sponsored 100 families. We value generosity, and hope that in the future we will continue to be in a position to give. We have received so much--living in this country of freedom, having our health and work--such things are more than most people all over the world have. It's important to give where it is needed.
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