Save like Nana did. Free ways to make Christmas special.

I have heard people say they are not celebrating Christmas this year due to lack of money.   While it is wonderful to be able to put on a beautiful Christmas dinner and buy gifts and the whole nine yards Christmas is not about these things.  Even in war times (and maybe especially) people celebrated Christmas anyway they could.  Christmas has a feeling attached to it that even when I think if it tears well up in my eyes.  No, no,  no we cannot cancel Christmas.    

So here is my list of free ways to celebrate and make it special.  I hope you will add in your ideas as well.  The photos in this post are from Chloe and Vicky, thank you both!!  

Most years when I was growing up our Christmas tree was actually the branch from a larger tree.  As kids we never knew the difference.    Make a small tree seem bigger by sitting it up on a box or table.   Vicky found her tree when someone discarded it and she cleaned it up.   To a child pretty much any tree is spectacular!!    We have pine trees around us so I can freely cut branches and add them to my decor... this gives the house the scent you want without spending a cent.

Decorate with natural elements.   We have pinecones we can collect for free,  also gum nuts that look like bells.  I also come across deer antlers!    Just perfect!  

Save brown paper all year.  I get a lot in parcel packing... and boxes.  There is no wrapping as lovely as good old brown paper.   Boxes lined with brown paper make great trays for presenting baked gifts.  

Go through your lace, twine and ribbon supplies.   Lace around brown paper looks gorgeous!!  But so does good old twine!  Add a few leaves or gum nuts or whatever you have in your area.   

Use decorations you have.  Nana would never have even thought of buying new decorations every year.   Most were either very old or made by us.  There were two sparkly birds,  one blue and one silver... and an angel.  I was completely besotted with them all and Nana must have saved decorating the tree for when we were there as I remember helping.   So that is a free tip too.... make decorating an activity for the kids as they love it so much.  

When I was little the John Martins Christmas Pageant was the annual event we watched on TV.   This was so exciting and it meant it was officially Christmas time!   My girls always watched it too.   Later we attended various street Christmas parades,  these were all free as well.

In Adelaide there were countless free activities.  Along the river a famous brewery annually put on the most stunning lights and we could all walk along the river to admire them.   Light displays along our. own street were beautiful to look at after dark.   I am sure most towns and cities have displays and events to attend for nothing.

Attend Carols by Candlelight and go to Church.  The atmosphere is just lovey and so moving. 

One year our church hired a bus and we all piled on to go around the town singing Christmas carols.  It was so much fun!  

Most towns,  even the tiny little ones,  have a Father Christmas event.  Country towns are great at this with Father Christmas arriving in a fire truck or some other adventure!   Make the most of these.   My parents put on many Christmas parties on the farm.   They always cooked up amazing surprises for the kids.   One year was a picnic and a plane flew over and dropped lollies.  We all had to duck under trees while they fell then it was a massive treasure hunt.   A friend of Dad's had a light plane and he lined this all up.  The kids were told Father Christmas was flying over!   Another year at a picnic Father Christmas came over the hill on a horse!  So exciting!!   There was always something that resulted in the kids going crazy with excitement.   

Set the table.  Use what you have!  Bust out the good stuff!   Make a table centre,  be creative with nature or items on hand.   If you want snow sprinkle everything with Epsom salts or Icing sugar.  😊

Write something special as you write a card.  Take a moment more with a note of love,  thanks or praise. 

Write a thank you letter or note to someone who helped you or was kind during the year.  A letter like this is a better gift to a teacher than another mug!  Letting people know you NOTICED and appreciated their service and impact is going to really bless that person.

Send a bunch of ecards.  There are countless free sites that give you gorgeous Christmas e cards, all you have to do is add an email address and message.  This gives you a free way to do something special for basically anyone world wide!

Allow kids to eat their supper under the tree.  My girls would have a pillow and lay under the tree and lights and thought this was just magical.  

Do something that people who pass by your home can enjoy if possible.  Even tinsel on the letter box,   lights that can be seen from the road...  whatever you might have.   All the little scenes in windows and front yards add to the feeling of Christmas when we walk or drive around town.  They also say "hey we haven't given up, Merry Christmas!"

Maybe you have excess towels or blankets,  clothing etc and now would be a good time to donate it.   Many human and animal charities are overwhelmed at Christmas and donations are needed.

Be a ray of sunshine, wish people a Merry Christmas, especially the staff in shops as they deal with a lot of grumpy people every day. 

When the girls were little they could never go to sleep on Christmas Eve.  I made it a tradition to take them driving around the town to see all the beautiful lights and decorations.   By the time we got home they were both asleep.  I carried them inside, stuck them in bed and they woke up Christmas morning!   

Visit someone lonely or elderly.   When you brighten someone else up you brighten yourself up more!

Sneak along the street and decorate peoples letter boxes with tinsel or whatever you may have.  Someone did this to our letter box in the city.  I never found out who!  But it was lovely! 

If you have solar fairy lights... they are gorgeous and give a magical glow.  They just add atmosphere!

Watch old Christmas movies,   I remember how much we laughed at Home Alone and Chloe to this day re watches that and still laughs herself silly.   Now my Grandkids watch it.   Many of the old movies were very beautiful and or very funny.  

While not completely free... bake a on of biscuits, (cookies) slices, fudge, coconut ice or whatever is your speciality.  Let the kids decorate them and share them around. 

Take some family photos and send to Grandparents, Aunts and others who would love to see them.

You can watch midnight Mass in Bethlehem live on You tube.   Actually you can watch so many life Christmas events and services from all over the world! 

NORAD live tracker tracks Santas journey and is super gorgeous and free!   It started when NASA made a kids programme to track Father Christmas.   It's amazing! 

This afternoon I have been wrapping presents and cakes.   They are all different,  using ribbons I have collected (and packing I have saved) but they all look nice.  I am happy!   I hope they will bless people which is,  after all,  the whole point!    Each little thing we do and  plan we make,  builds our Christmas up!   

I hope you can add to my list.   What are your morale boosting,  frugal but lovely,  Christmas tips?  

We are coming to the end of the Nana series... I have big plans for 2024.xxx