“Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas boys and girls!”. And a very merry Yuletide to mums, dads, grans and granddads too – and let’s not forget all those aunties, uncles, assorted cousins and friends and neighbours.
Is it just me, or do Christmas present lists seem to be getting longer by the year? And let’s be honest here, with all the rushing around we do, whilst giving our credit cards a sound thrashing, we accumulate an awful lot of stuff which is great fun to open, but probably won’t see the light of day again.
My own pre-new-year resolution is to think a little more carefully before I spend. Please, don’t get me wrong I’m no Scrooge – I love Christmas as much as the next person, will certainly cry at the John Lewis ad and will be seen merrily jogging my head to Jingle Bells playing in  all the shops.
Does the amount we spend generate a proportional amount of happiness? The answer’s almost certainly no. How much could I tell you about the numerous plastic toys I unwrapped as a child? I can remember the anticipation and excitement as I made that first rip in the wrapping paper, but precisely what I unwrapped, no, can’t really recall specifics. However, I do remember a family outing to see Jason Donovan in Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat  (is my age showing?). Because actually it’s experiences we treasure. It’s the memory of how we felt, not the number of toys we acquired.
So my advice to myself and to you is why not think more carefully about how and where we spend our money over this holiday period and into the new year. Perhaps taking more care not to get swept away by the stream of seductive (and very clever) ads which imply we can spend our way to happiness. Buy this perfume, this toy, this electronic gadget and earn adoration. But does the latest fad really make you and your family any happier? On a larger scale does a bigger house, more powerful car, expensive gym membership put you on the path to complete contentment? Or are there other priorities? How much of our spending habits are just that – habits, not decisions?
Maybe now at the end of the year it’s a good time to think about your goals both long and short-term. For two days why not jot down everything you spend money on. Then put a gold star by any amount that’s going towards achieving those goals. How many gold stars have you accumulated? Any? How much sense does that make? Shouldn’t your money be spent or saved, as much as possible for your goals whether those are spending more time together or with your kids, retiring earlier, volunteering for charity, relishing your garden, travelling or baking up a storm.
So here’s my challenge to you – this year see how much you can cut down on buying presents that only give fleeting pleasure and go for experiences that will linger longer instead.  And if those experiences tie in with any of your goals such as spending more time with those you care about – well so much the better.
