Married With Classes: Real holiday giving

While I was driving my car to school recently, a song by ABBA was playing on the radio.

The lyrics  have haunted me since:
“I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay.
Ain't it sad?/ And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me.
That's too bad…/ Money, money, money, must be funny in a rich man’s world.”

As usual, I’ve been obsessing over the fact that I am a young, married student with no job, bracing myself for the coming holidays. With the combination of those two factors, financial difficulties follow me like New Year’s follows Christmas.

We students are all being impacted by the state budget crisis and class cuts. Many of those who work are being laid off or given fewer hours.

Who can afford to buy presents for every single member of the family nowadays? Not me. Especially when I have two families to which I have to give holiday cheer.

Recently, I had to add all my winter and spring classes on the first day of December and had to fork out the payment within a week. Not to mention, I’ve been at Citrus longer than I originally planned. Luckily, the Cal State and UC schools I am interested in waived my application fees due to my extremely sad income, but others have had to pay that $60 per application fee.

In an attempt to save money this holiday season, my husband and I sat down and looked through the Sunday newspaper ads for gifts that cost $40 or less. We hoped to find ways to still give gifts without breaking the bank or opening another credit card because the others are maxed out.

Then I began to panic. I thought of all the bills and loans that we need to pay. It came to me that my husband and I are both young and both students, so why are we trying so hard to please everyone who has more money than us? Besides, Christmas is not all about the gifts. It’s a celebration of Christ’s birth, the celebration of the true giver, who gave up his life for all of our sins.

Christmas should not be celebrated solely around on what to get each other.  It’s not about “I hope I get this” or “I deserve that.” It’s CHRIST-mas, for goodness sake.

It’s a reason to reflect and remember, be thankful and to gather with loved ones in praise, almost like a spirited roundup of the year.

Then it hit me: if you still want to spread the joys of gift-giving, there are cheap and easy ways to do that and still remember the whole-hearted intention and message of the holidays. Take personalized cards, for instance.

Let’s be honest: When we are writing cards, most of us just put down a sentence or two, trying to make a card personalized, but in fact we repeat those two sentences on the other cards as well.

In addition to that whole hearted personalized card you just wrote, you could make some baked goods. Go to the 99-Cents Only Store and purchase colored or decorated clear wrapping, and create a bag of treats for every one on your list.

You want more creativity? How about buying  a set of clear coasters and inserting pictures of the person’s favorite people, places or pets? Coasters cost about $5 to $10 at Wal-Mart, Target or Bed Bath and Beyond.

Another idea is to fill a stocking with necessary items that we all take for granted yet are useful and needed. For example: mini-sized toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and lotions, mints, a pair of socks, lip balm, nail polish, a compact mirror, tissue to go. You can find all theses things at your local drug store. Look for these inexpensive items in the travel section.

There’s always $5 gift cards for Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, a fast food chain, or iTunes. Gift cards might seem insignificant and boring, but these cards can make a difference to someone short on cash.

I understand there is not enough time in the day, and that we are all busy people and have many roles and responsibilities. But what better way to celebrate Christmas than to make the time and actually think about why are you giving? Or to think about to whom you are giving the gift to?

With the end of this semester, year, and decade, let’s acknowledge the people who have made a contribution to our lives. Whether it be a transfer counselor who has stayed past their pay time to look over your application or a classmate who gives you that extra Scantron when you forgot yours—again. These are folks who should be remembered.

Let’s not forget the ones we neglect the most who, those roommates and family members who take our mood swings as we approach finals. Acknowledge our loved ones such as your parents, or other family members who step in as your acting guardians, and, of course, if you’re married, your spouse.

Remember as we celebrate the coming holidays such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Christmas, and New Year’s, let’s not be derailed by the superficial surprises of this world, but re-connect to the honor of your loved ones, in thankfulness and understanding of why you are celebrating together.