The Spirit of Christmas Through Anti-Claus

by Merium Mrytle in Holidays, December 1, 2008

During the holidays, we get swept up in the hustle and bustle; spending way to much and enjoying the season less. Here is what we do to make ours more enjoyable and fun for all.

Each year we set around the table and write our letters to Santa. Dear Santa, I have been a good girl this year! I would like….. Don’t mind all the tantrums that were thrown and the back talking. All these things are swept under the table this time of year so joy, hope, laughter, and a new beginning can be brought to everyone. So with all this comes the decision on what to get, how much to spend, and where are we going to put it after the holidays. Well my husband and I have come to terms on only spending $150 on each kid. I think the reason for the season has really been lost. The kids are expecting more and not being thankful for what they have. This amount has been pretty good the last two years and it has forced us to be more frugal and hit the sales and clip the coupons. The kids end up having a really great Christmas and we don’t go broke. We go by what they have on the list and research the items online or the sales ads and then we nix and fix the list to what we want and can get. This way when we get to the stores we are not overwhelmed, we know exactly what we want to get and no excess money is spend. As a matter of fact this has worked so well that this year the kids had no more than 4 items on their list. Of course, even on this budget we are able to get more than four things but I felt pretty good that the lesson of the true meaning is really coming through.

The idea of toys that are barely played with sitting in the corner just piling up just does not work in our house. So at this time of giving we have what we call an Anti-Claus visit. My husband gets a big black trash bag puts on his Santa hat and we go through all of the years accumulated toys. At first it was just us doing it at night, which worked out great because the kids didn’t even notice anything was missing but to add to the spirit of giving we got the children involved. At first they were a bit hesitant about throwing their toys away but then after a little bit they really started getting into the Anti-Claus spirit. Before long the house was rid of misfit toys and welcomed the new exciting surprises. The Anti-Claus sack however did not get thrown away. All those wonderful toys were giving to the less fortunate for their holiday season. The children really got into the idea of making someone else smile and throughout the year they keep talking about it. So not only does Anti-Claus help you out but he also helps others as well. It has become a ritual of having Anti-Claus day.