“Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house….” Brings vivid memories to mind, doesn’t it? Homes filled with holiday decorations, people frantically finishing last minute gift wrapping, children rushing off to bed. Mom and dad are in the living room, exhausted, but it’s a warm kind of exhaustion. Mental inventory is quickly made to assure that no one was left out or slighted in any way.
The truth of the matter is the holidays are filled with tension for many folks. The pressure to buy the latest and greatest and to be fair and equitable with everyone weighs on us as Christmas approaches. Honestly, it’s a pressure we could all do without.
“Twas the month after Christmas and it’s quite a different scene all through the house…..” New toys and gadgets are now old. The clothes have all been worn and admired. The decorations are packed away, leftovers finished off and a new kind of tension fills the air. Approximately 28-35 days after Christmas the holiday cheer is replaced with the stress of “How am I going to pay all of these credit card bills?”
Ever been there? How would you like to avoid the same trap this year? A few simple guidelines for managing the Christmas budget can help all of us:
1. Be Faithful: Luke 16:10 states “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Faithfulness in giving is probably never more tested than during the holiday season. There are so many self-imposed demands on our finance that the temptation to hold back on our tithe and offering can be very appealing. The needs of the Church quickly become secondary, and in some cases, forgotten altogether. Amazing, isn’t it? He really is the reason for the season, yet we give less to Him and more to others during His season. This year, challenge yourself to be faithful in tithing and offerings. If you consistently give a certain percentage in offerings, continue to do so. Remember, first the kingdom!
2. Don’t Let Emotions Control Your Purchases: Humans are emotional beings. There is a natural tendency in us to be governed by our emotions, especially during the holidays. Our love and appreciation for people and our desire to be pleasing can cause us to make unwise decisions. How many gifts have you bought in an emotional moment only to regret purchasing them later? You justified the expense because of your love for the individual or because of the amount they spent on you last year. The Apostle Paul, addressing the Church in Corinth, gave instructions as to how love behaves. In verse 5 of I Corinthians 13, he states “love does not behave itself unseemly…” In other words, love does not act in ways that are unbecoming. People who truly love you would never want you to be burdened with debt to purchase a gift for them. That would be an unbecoming act of love. As hard as it may be to do so, there is wisdom in removing emotion from the purchasing process and allowing practicality and common sense to rule the day.
3. Don’t Be An Impulse Buyer: Multiple millions of dollars are spent by manufacturers and retailers hoping to influence you to become an impulse buyer. It seems that every year the advertisements and displays have more dazzle power than ever before. There is an old adage about controlling anger: “Count to 10, real, real, real slow before you speak.” There is great value in doing the same thing when shopping. Impulsive behavior of any kind always leads to regret. Just ask Moses or Saul or Simon Peter. Be assured that impulsive holiday buying will lead to many regrets. Inevitably, you will find the same item cheaper somewhere else. Often times as Christmas draws near, you will contemplate the purchases you made in haste and wish you had not done so. Impulsive purchases exhaust the budget and will cause you to take resources from other places to finish your shopping.
4. Avoid Doing Christmas On Credit: It is definitely more blessed to give than to receive. The holidays bring out the giving-spirit in all of us. However, one of the best things you could do this Christmas season is to freeze every credit card you own in a 50 lb. block of ice. The temptation to use credit can be so irresistible: “NO payment , NO interest for 90 days, 6 months and sometimes for a year or two.” Has it ever occurred to you that there are people enjoying gifts that some of you have not finished paying for yet? More interesting yet, is the fact that you are probably enjoying gifts others haven’t finished paying for yet, either! Better yet, there is a good chance that some of the gifts you are still paying for from last Christmas have already been sold in a Summer garage sale Ever wonder how many holiday gifts helped pave the road to bankruptcy? Probably far more than we would really like to know. Christmas purchases, more than any other, should always be pay as you go. Deferred payments and interest all have a due date. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can afford to pay for it later. Chances are if you can’t afford it now, you won’t be able to afford it later.
5. Make A Plan: The old saying is “People don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan.” Having a plan at the holidays is vital to managing the Christmas budget. When you make a plan and stick to it you remain faithful, emotions are kept in check, impulsive purchases are avoided and the credit cards stay frozen. When God gave the greatest gift of all to humanity He had a plan. John 1:1-14 “In the beginning was the Word (plan)…..and the Word (plan) was made flesh….” God realized the need for a plan. Throughout the centuries of time He has managed the plan and the entire world has been blessed!
by Ron Wofford - reposted with permission
