Old Fashioned Frugal Holidays

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone. ~Deborah Whipp

First, I want to say how my heart breaks for the families who lost loved ones Friday in Connecticut. There are no words to express how horrific of a loss these families have suffered. Let us keep them in our thoughts and prayers, and treasure the children in our own lives, giving them extra hugs and kisses this week to help comfort our souls.

I was going through my books and recipes and came across a Modern Priscilla magazine from 1917. It's the December issue from that year and it is fascinating for so many reasons. World War I began in 1917 and by Christmas many families would have been without the men in their lives because they were fighting in the war. Money was tight, and morale was low, which meant the homemakers of that era were doing their best to give their family a nice Christmas within a very tight budget. I wrote an article sharing some of the tips sent in to the magazine that year. While I was writing I found myself thinking of little ways I could brighten our own holidays this year without spending too much money. We're cooking and baking from scratch, both for ourselves and our friends and family. My daughter and I are also sorting through our holiday decor, setting aside things we can recycle and craft into new decorations. We are also keeping things simple this year, focusing more on enjoying the time we spend together and less on buying a lot of gifts or running ourselves ragged.

You'll find the article here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/Christmas-Lessons-from-the-Past.html

I hope you enjoy it!
~Brenda