3 Reasons Why this Mom Doesn't Spend a lot on Gifts.

Hello Tribe, So now that Christmas is over, I have to let you in on a little secret...I do not buy a lot of gifts for the girls on Christmas or any holiday, really. Shocker I know. But before you prematurely insert your opinion, let me share why.

Christmas has turned into a time of year that is fueled by consumerism, capitalism and debt. Now before you think I'm just carrying the spirit of the Grinch, take a moment to reflect on statistics centered around holiday spending and your own personal experiences. Over the years, I've cautioned myself to be reflective of the messages that mass spending on holidays sends to my children and how doing so contributes or contrast the philosophies, values and mindset I want the girls to hold.

I once heard a motivational speaker state, " If I have given you magical Christmases every year of your life but you still have to go and work for someone else or have no valuable assets what have I done? " To which his daughter replied, " You have failed me financially."

Woah! Makes you think right? With that, and many other conversations and reflections comes my newly emerged perspective on holiday spending. Below I have outlined some values or principles on my stance.

1. Gifts should be given from your heart. During holiday seasons we tend to buy into the idea of gift buying. We purchase gifts because we are told it is the thing to do not because we feel led or see a need. I really want the girls to give because they want to and because they see a need not because they are commercially marketed to do so...or because someone just told them it was right. 2. Clutter and excessive spending are not good for your financial or mental health. We all know that things don't buy happiness, but somehow this idea goes out of the window during holiday season. I mean people literally go into debt trying to please others with gifts that will likely get tossed to the side the following day or become re-gifted on future holidays. Equally as frustrating, is the clutter of things. After the holidays, people tend to find ways to make room for things that they don't need. The funny thing is that clutter creates anxiety. 3. Buy experiences not gifts. This is a big one. We're in year two with this. Of course the girls have the desire to fall into the consumerism frenzy, but through conversation I remind them that we have started to trade in gifts for experiences and memories. We discuss while unwrapping new things feels good momentarily, but visiting new places and creating new memories will last much longer. As discussed, new shoes become old. Favorite toys become outdated and boring, but no one can take away the memories and experiences you gained.

So there you have it. My reasons for trading in gifts and moving away from traditional celebrations. We are beginning to practice Kwanzaa. A new blog for that will be coming soon. Also, speaking of newness, we will have newsletters come out for our subscribers. Click here to get on our email list.

Love,

Courtney

About the author:

Courtney Brookins is a mother, poet, author and educator. She published her first book, Flowering Yourself, which is a collection of poems. She is also the co-founder of OneSun3Flowers with her two daughters, which is an empowerment and leadership organization for women, girls, mothers and daughters centered around practicing self-care and building healthy relationships.

Website: www.onesunflowers.com Book: bit.ly/flowering_yourself Instagram: www.instagram.com/onesun3flowers Facebook: www.facebook.com/onesun3flowers Periscope: www.periscope.tv/onesun3flowers Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/onesun3flowers YouTube: OneSun3flowers TV Twitter: www.twitter.com/onesun3flowers