Christmas is the season for many things. Most Americans see it as a season of giving gifts. For those of us who are Believers in Jesus Christ, our focus is especially upon celebrating the greatest gift ever given — Jesus Christ — the “reason for the season.” We celebrate his “birth-day” which has given us the opportunity to receive ” rebirth” through accepting Christ Jesus as our personal Savior.

But like many other Americans we also use it as a season for Christmas gift giving. And with it there’s often a huge price to pay, financially, as well as the stress and tension it can bring upon our marriages and our homes.

We’d like to pass along to you a few quotes from a magazine article that could be helpful to you especially this time of year. The article in its entirety is found in the winter 2001 issue of “Marriage Partnership Magazine” (which we highly recommend as a resource you may want to subscribe to or pick up at your local Christian bookstore). The article is entitled, “Bless for Less— Debt-free Christmas Shopping Strategies” (which you can also read on the Internet site for this wonderful magazine by entering the following into your search engine on your computer: http://www.christianitytoday.com/mp/2001/004/6.56.html). The following are points made within the article that you may want to consider:

There’s a theory that suggests that the amount of holiday frustration in families increases proportionally to the amount of money you think you’re going to spend over your holiday budget. It will take the average American consumer until next May to pay off this season’s credit debt. Financial tension is one of those not-so-great gifts that keeps on giving — to you and your family. But there’s good news, you can decide to stop the insanity by making a few changes in the way your family shops for Christmas.

• Establish a holiday budget with your spouse and purpose not to accumulate credit debt. Let the rest of the family know that you’re trying to be financially responsible stewards of God’s resources by spending less than you make. Help your children establish a budget for their gifts.

• Make a list of all the people you want to bless with a gift. Now go back to that list and determine which folks you’d like to give a simple, inexpensive gift to (such as baked goods or a card with a family picture). Try to whittle down the list and remember that when you give a gift, the receiver oftentimes feels obligated to reciprocate.

• Give the list to God in prayer. Be honest and tell Him that you want to bless these people but not get caught up in the commercialism of the season. Ask Him for wisdom to find just the right gift at the right price for the right person.

The article goes on to give a lot of good suggestions for keeping within your budget that you may want to read for yourself in its entirety. But it closes with this thought, “By setting a budget and developing a list, your holiday spending won’t have to play catch up on credit card debt. By focusing on the true meaning of Christmas and trusting God to provide — you’ll have the joyful freedom to bless others greatly.”

A pastor once gave us some wonderful advice (during our premarital counseling) that we pray we’ll never forget. “One of the main things married couples argue about is money—the lack thereof. If you find yourselves arguing about it, stop it immediately. When it gets to that point, it’s already too late to solve the problem by arguing about it. Instead, sit down and start working on solutions to solve the problems at hand.” That’s been wonderful advice that’s helped us a lot through the years.

Instead of arguing, begin brainstorming for solutions — ones that will help to solve the problem at hand and preventative ones to help resolve this from happening in the future. Our goal should be to come up with mutually satisfying solutions that you both can agree upon and work on together. Dr. Gary Smalley calls this working toward a “win/win solution” (which we’ll discuss further in an upcoming message).

In the meantime, pray together to “give from the heart.” Covenant to work together this Christmas and from this day forward, to make choices to think together and work together on financial matters and everything that could cause tension between the two of you. We’re told in the Bible, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

For a list of lesser expensive heartfelt gift ideas entitled, “Gifts From The Heart”, all you have to do is go to our web site to find a down-loadable version of it in the “Finances” section.

Our love and prayers are with you as together we work on our marriage to the glory of God. In Christ’s service together,

Steve and Cindy Wright

 Print This Page (printer-friendly)