“No Christmas this year,” may be on the lips of many more families than usual this year. As the holiday seasons began many are still unemployed and unsure of how soon jobs will reappear and life will begin to be normal again. Unemployment has reached an all time 26 year high this year and Christmas is beginning to look a little grim for numerous individuals that are out of work. Articles like Consumer gloom hits all-time high and Jobless claims little changed are reflecting that consumer spending on Christmas will definitely be down.

Hearing the words “No Christmas this year,” will not be new to everyone. Individuals that were poor prior to the negative money glitch recession maybe familiar with these words. Just as others whose religious beliefs or other reasons prevents the celebration of this holiday. However, with 15.7 million Americans on unemployment plus millions more underemployed this year there probably will be many more people hearing those words this year. For those that have never had to experience lack of any kind this might be a shock to smaller children. However, one must remember that behind every negative there is a positive reaction.

This Christmas many may find themselves in a negative money glitch situation where there will absolutely no funds to purchase presents. Well do not get depressed because you are not alone. However, it is important to remember that there are presents that can be given from the heart that have more value that purchased gifts. For many children they will be just happy to have both mom and dad home for Christmas and not working for a change. So here are some ideas that will cost little or no money, but can bring on the rewards of celebrating Christmas:

1. If small children are involved – Parents spend time with the kids making each sibling and parents a gift. Holiday decorations can be hand-made from popcorn, aluminum foil, construction paper, and many other creative ideas.
   
2. Prepare home-made gifts – Preserves, canned fruit, cookies, cakes, and other baking items can be wrapped with a ribbon and given inexpensively. Here's are some Home-Made Gift Ideas for the holiday and other occasions.
   
3. Long Distance relatives – If you usually fly home and cannot afford it this year; plan a special time that everyone can have a meal together via Skype, Iphone, or other communication devices. Holiday pictures can be exchanged via e-mail, Facebook, Kodak Easyshare, Flickr, or other shareware software.
4. Volunteer to help others – This can be something the entire family can do. If children are old enough they can help either feed the homeless a holiday meal, visit a farm, or some other community service job that occurs during the holiday. It always feels good to give back.
5. Meditate and seek your spiritual self – In whatever way you feel comfortable. Go to church, a synagogue, a temple, or open land and just spend time with you and your loved ones. Prayer is good, however if you don’t pray, just be still, listen, and enjoy the moment rather than worry about tomorrow or what you didn’t get done today. Feeling gratitude and joy in whatever state you find yourself in this holiday season, is the fastest remedy to getting on to the "road of recovery" from that situation.
   

During this recessional money glitch enough funds may not be available to purchase expensive gifts this year.  While growing up on a farm my family experienced the highs and lows of farm living, and thankfully there were not many times that Dad had to say the words, “No Christmas this year”. However, with six children most years were filled with holiday celebrations in which each kid would receive only one to two toys.  So, writing about having to pinch funds that probably will be occurring this year is something I am familiar with; yet, I can truly say you and your family will get through it and can be blessed by this experience.  Here are some suggestions if you want to exchange presents, except the budget is really tight:

1. Instead of adult family members exchanging gifts - Pull names, set a comfortable budget limit that each family member agrees upon, and exchange that one gift instead of the numerous gifts you’ve purchased for each other in the past.
2. Ask for suggestive ideas for gifts - You can also ask each individual that is participating in the gift exchange to list on a piece of paper 3 things that they would like to have that would fit that budget limit.  For example if the budget limit is $25 for the gift, then each family member would be responsible for naming 3 items that cost under $25.  
3. My family likes to participate in Secret Santa – So we usually implement the ideal above, agree on the budget limit, pull names, and then keep the secret of whose name we pulled.  This brings joy, fun, and laughs because you know some family members can not keep secrets about anything.  So usually by the time Christmas comes around I’ve figured out who has my name as well as others. 
4. If funds are really tight nieces and nephews can pull names as well –This will provide a lot of relief on family members especially if you have 14 nieces and nephews like I do.
5. Parents can also teach their children the joy in giving – By having their kids make or purchase small gifts for each sibling.  This toy or gift can help take some of the strain off of Santa and help to create the giving spirit of Christmas.
6. If you have a large family or usually have large gatherings for dinner – Consider having a pot-luck Christmas dinner in which each household brings something to contribute to the overall menu.  This elevates placing a financial burden on any one family member’s household.

Having a negative money glitch Christmas is not the end of the world. As a matter of fact for some individuals it will be a time of new beginnings. Some kids will have to learn how it feels not to get the most popular toy for Christmas. However, hopefully they will experience the joy in receiving gifts from the heart that are priceless. It can be a time of fellowship, love, and just general happiness without “material things” getting in the way of the reason for the season. Love, Joy, Peace on Earth, and the Gift of Giving……