Merry Recession Christmas

Well here I sit waiting for the kids to get up so they can hit the tree and unwrap all the few packages that are under it this year. Few packages? Yes, few packages. As a matter of fact the only packages that are under that little tree are the ones who came in for the holidays from other peoples places for the kids.

No No No, wait. We're not destitute. But we are conservative and frugal in this uncertain time so I made a deal with the kids. And they actually have gotten pretty excited about it. Yes, we are going shopping as a family for Christmas this weekend when I suspect the retailers will be simply drop kicking that unsold crap out the door for pennies on the dollar. Hey! what better time to quickly use up a gift card or 2 also. Better hurry, who knows how long before the store that is supposed to redeem that card goes into bankruptcy. That's pretty much what seeded this whole post christmas holiday shopping spree idea anyway. We've got to get out into the mess anyway to quickly redeem a couple cards so LETS GO! What a feeding frenzy we are in for.

That's not to say we haven't been doing some of the traditional christmas stuff leading up to it. We never do go overboard on all the hoopla that society has forced upon us for this holiday but we do have a tree. I fought around in my head a little about what the hell to do about that this year. And then I saw it, sitting there in it's cardboard box all lonely in the corner of the entrance to the store. I hadn't noticed it there on my way in.
No,I didn't get us a live tree, (or a cut and dying one). I saw a small 4 ft made in a China sweat shop stupid little plastic tree with dust on the box in a bin in the corner of the rather large entryway for more than half off the already discounted price and I snagged it. Well, I should say I picked it up, went back inside the store and paid for it.

I guess I sort of felt a little like Charlie Brown when he brought that sick little tree back for the rest of the kids. But it turned out great. You see, I think we might have, no actually I know that we have just exactly 2 small glass christmas tree globe ornaments. That's it that's all. So we pulled out the yarn, the scissors, the popcorn thread and needles, the crayons and markers and glue, the bag of little plastic eyes, and most of all we brought out our family camaraderie and imaginations and we decorated that stupid little plastic sweat shop tree.
But to give credit where credit is due I should say the kids happily created stuff and decorated that stupid little plastic sweat shop tree and I helped seed some ideas and offer some help as they needed it.

And we love what that Stupid little plastic sweat shop tree has become with it's popcorn and yarn garlands, it's snowmen cut from wrapping paper, (wrapping paper left over and saved from last year no doubt so I squeaked out of that purchase as well this year by being a pack rat with intent), it's yarn octopi with plastic eyes, it's 2 small glass orbs, and it's little pc of white paper rolled in a tube and an angel drawn on it to top off the tree.

We stood back, looked at that tree, smiled, and hugged each other.

And nothing could beat that for this holiday.
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