The £100 Christmas
The year that a few friends and I started the £100-holiday-programme, many sceptics murmured the G-word - Grinch - at us because we were asking our families and our friends to limit their Christmas spending to just £100It was with some trepidation that I read my daughter's copy of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. As we all know, at the end of the story, Whoville celebrates Christmas without their presents and trees.
But Dr. Seuss's message went deeper for me. The more we progressed on our £100-campaign, the more we came to understand why people were responding. It wasn't because we wanted a simpler Christmas, it was because we wanted a happier and more festive one.
Christmas had become an endurance test. Instead of being a time of peace, it was all hustle and bustle. The people we talked to wanted more out of Christmas: more music, companionship, contemplation, time outdoors and love. They realised that to get it, they needed less of some other things: not so many presents, less parties and less stress.
There's nothing magic about £100. And, obviously, big families may decide to spend more. But the £100 goal works well as a check, a way of saying that your commitment to a better Christmas goes beyond merely telling yourself that this year will be different. After all, there is no ideal Christmas, only the Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections and traditions.
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