The Christmas Debt

Posted on December 17 2009

Every year Christmas shopping creeps up on me and catches me off guard in the old pocket book. I’m sure it happens or has happened to most of us Americans. Christmas tends to be one of those times of year when we can justify dropping a bunch of money on our credit cards for whatever reason. Whether it is tradition, because we want to bless our family and friends, or maybe just because of the rush we get from Christmas shopping, the bank easily gets broken and the credit card debt increases over the course of November and December.

So, I propose that we make Christmas shopping a year-round event! No, I don’t mean going to the mall every other day to look for that perfect gift, and making this even a bigger expense. What I am proposing is that you sit down as an individual, family, married couple, etc. and figure out exactly how much you spent on this past Christmas, or how much you want to be able to spend during the Christmas season. Then, break that up over the course of 12 months, 52 weeks, 26 paychecks, or however you want to figure it out, and save throughout the year for Christmas! Just imagine how much less stress you would have this time of year if you were taking money out of your Christmas fund to buy gifts, bake cookies, or make lefse, rather than swiping your credit card knowing how much more in debt you will be come January.

Ultimately, if Christmas wasn’t such a financial burden, I believe it would be so much easier for us to focus on what Christmas is all about. Jesus came to this world over 2000 years ago so that he could save us from all the sin in our lives, and that is worth so much more than any Christmas gift I could ever receive!

Nathan Aakre