Phrase "Can't afford Christmas" (Page 2)

Reminds me of the phrase "can't afford to get married".  If you think you can't afford it, you're doing it wrong.

As all of my localized family is "all grown up", Christmas for me has become more about getting family together and just celebrating--we tend to look at it as more of an end of year thing than anything else...That being said, when it comes to gifts, as we, as well as my parents, have never been on the good side of extra money, big gifts and extravagant purchases just don't happen....but we do try to make stuff or do stuff for one another that is truly usable. My mother has made a number of hand made quilts for all of us as well as some pretty darn nice sweaters (not even the ugly variety! ), and I will make ornaments or cook stuff pretty often. The one thing I haven't changed since I was little is the decoration aspect--I LOVE decorating for Christmas--the lights, the tree, all sorts of stuff. My Grandfather had made some wooden reindeer a long time ago, and once they came to our family, they became the centerpiece of decor. I guess that is truly what Christmas has become to me--family made or inspired get togethers and decoration. 

As for the affordability aspect: Can I "afford" the typical commercial Christmas? NO--I can't get the newest, best gifts for everyone, I have very little extra cash! BUT, I can "afford" to be with friends and family, to bake and make stuff for those I care about.

I feel sorry for those who do base the holiday on how much stuff they can (or can't) put under the tree.