Reader aims to curb holiday spending

Dear Annie: Christmas used to be a time that I enjoyed. I have always enjoyed spending time with siblings and cousins who live in other cities and catching up with them. Over the years, our families have grown. Our older children have grown, and they have children of their own. Some of the younger kids have significant others who always join in with the family celebrations.

My family’s gift-giving tradition is that we have a Kriss Kringle type of exchange for the adults and we all buy gifts for the children.

In my case, I need to buy gifts for nearly 20 children/ spouses/significant others. I am on a limited budget and honestly cannot afford to buy gifts for everyone, yet I still do because I am reluctant to say anything about it.

After all, Christmas only happens once a year, and I don’t want to appear to be a Scrooge.

I would love to get through a holiday season without getting into a lot of debt. Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Broke but Still Spending

Dear Broke: Ouch. My wallet hurts just reading this. It’s wonderful your family members are all so generous and appreciate the joy of gift giving, but Christmas shouldn’t put you under an avalanche of debt.

I have a feeling you’re not the only one in your family who feels this way, so try talking to your siblings and cousins. You mentioned that some of the younger kids bring significant others. If they’re old enough to be dating, they’re old enough to get a gift for a relative. You could include them in the secret Santa. That way, everyone spends less money and can spend more time picking out one thoughtful gift.

If your family is resistant to changing up the tradition, you can at least work on reducing the cost for yourself. One option is to pick a uniform gift, one you give to everyone. For instance, you might have everyone send you a favorite dessert recipe, after which you compile them into a family cookbook with photos and attribution and print out booklets. You’ll be giving people a gift that’s unique to your family and that they can use for years to come.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. To find out more about Annie Lane and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.