Can Christmas be Christmas without the extravagance? The cost of Christmas report, compiled for Asda by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, found the average UK household will spend £399 this November and December on food and presents, down from £413 last year. Listening to daily reports of job losses and financial collapse, this reduction may seem, to many, conservative as an estimate. Where, right now, will a spare £400 be found to pay for Christmas?
As the pinch continues to be felt on bank accounts, and pockets of change get ever lighter, we need a plan of action. How should we begin to cope with a day that singularly drains more capital than any other in the year?
Some might opt for being mean but that's hardly in the spirit of the occasion. What we need is to be creative. In today's G2 there are hundreds of ideas for cutting the cost of the festive season – from planning a cheap party, to conjuring up Christmas dinner for just £5 a head. There are also lots of ideas for free presents.
Some of the best things about Christmas are free - things that in previous years of over-consumption and unthinking consumerism were not appreciated, as they became lost among the glitz. So here is my Christmas list for credit crunch times.
All I want for Christmas is …
A warm homemade mince pie
Carols sung outdoors wrapped in scarf, hat and gloves
The sight of streets filled with Christmas lights
The smell of a Christmas tree
A kiss under the mistletoe
Children's excitement on Christmas Eve
A photograph of all the family together
Midnight mass
Enough snow to go sledging
Time at home
Fun decorating the Christmas tree
How about you? What are your wishes – or plans – for a credit-crunched Christmas?
