Tis the season
I went to the grocery store yesterday. It was cold and rainy outside. I walked into the warm, to confront a huge holiday display complete with live music. My first reaction was to mentally check the calendar and realize that it is indeed that time of year. Somehow I still felt like we were in October. As I walked past the big display I could feel my body relaxing. I could feel that holiday cozy feeling trying to settle in. I could feel my desire to frivolously spend money increasing.
That’s when I realized it. Huge holiday displays and music and smells are actually a form of psychological warfare. The stores are attempting to assault my budget to capture my funds. They’re trying to turn me into a quisling. We have all been conditioned over the years to associate holiday displays with spending money. We get all warm and fuzzy with our desire to give gifts to those we love.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the warm and fuzzy. I love the feel of the holiday season. I just need to make sure that I can enjoy the holidays without changing my spending habits. Yes I can buy gifts, or materials to make gifts. Yes I can buy treats to make the holidays special. But I need to buy what I intend to buy, not on impulse because the colors and sounds make me feel warm and fuzzy. Our budget is no longer insanely tight, but we can’t afford to spend whimfully.