How to Create a Magical Christmas on Any Budget

Published Dec 6, 2024, 6:56 PM

Do you ever feel like Christmas has become all about spending big and stressing out? This week, we’re rethinking what makes the festive season truly magical. From heartfelt traditions to finding joy in the little things, we’re sharing how to create a meaningful holiday without blowing the budget.

Victoria opens up about her first Christmas as a new mum and the moments that matter most, reminding us that it’s not about what you buy—it’s about what you cherish. Tune in for inspiration, feel-good vibes, and a reminder that the best holiday memories come free of charge.

Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements.

The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.

Hello, my name's Santasha Nabananga Bamblet. I'm a proud yor the Order Kerni Whaltbury and a waddery woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on a wondery country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through as this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow.

Let's get into it.

She's on the Money, She's on the Money.

Hello, and welcome to She's on the Money the podcast. Yes, that's here to help you find the joy and wonder of Christmas without wondering where all your money went. I'm Victoria Devine, the woman who belize holiday magic isn't found in your credit card limit, but in the traditions that you're able to build. As a new mum to little Harvey, I've been thinking a lot about the kind of holiday memories that I want to create as a family for him. It's not for us about extravagant gifts, or Pinterest perfect decor. For me, it's a little bit more about I don't know, the sweet, simple and special moments that don't cause the whole world, but leave your heart and your family feeling full. There's actually science behind why traditions are so important. You know, I always come with the receipts. Research from Emory University has found that family traditions play a huge role in strengthening emotional bonds and building a sense of identity. According to psychologists Robin Fuvoush, creating shared stories and memories as a family helps to make some sense of our experience and even helps to build resilience, which, honestly, the more I look into it, the more a place and importance on this. And that's the magic of holiday traditions. They're about so much more than just the activities themselves. Whether it's baking cookies or hanging ornaments or taking a walk to see the Christmas lights, these moments create a shared history that bring us closer together. And the best part, these traditions do not have to cost a fortune. Some don't even cost a dollar because it's not about spending money, it's about spending time. Because when your family looks back on the holidays, They're not going to remember how much you spent. They're going to remember the laughs. They're going to remember the love and the traditions that make your celebrations uniquely yours. So as you plan for your holidays this year, I want you to think about the traditions that you want to create and or carry on. They're not just great for your budget, they're also at the heart of what makes this season so special. I had a conversation the other week with my mum because making Christmas for Harvey, for his first Christmas special is really important to me. And my mom said, Victoria, do you know when I thought I had cracked the code on Christmas? And I thought when, Like, when did you crack the code? And she said, it was when I was sitting with you and you would have been like seven, and you said your favorite part of Christmas morning was that your sister and you went into our bed and we had breakfast together, and we did do Santa Sacks, but it was that family time. We had the dog, we had the cat, everyone was in the bed, and those family breakfast mornings were what made it's so special for you at seven, that got me thinking, I've been making Harvey Santa Sack. I've been trying to work out cross stitch because i just want him to have something that was made by me. During this time, my husband has said, you know what, every Christmas Eve, I'm going to try and do Christmas baking with Harvey. I just feel like these traditions are the ones that as I get older and as now i'm a first time mum, They're the ones that I'm reminiscing on. I'm not remembering what I got as presents. I'm remembering the times that my mom brought the magic, and that magic was often brought through tradition. It's funny because these traditions now as adults do start to dwindle because we don't spend the same Christmas together every single year. I now have my husband's family to negotiate with when it comes to spending Christmas together. But if I am at my parents on Christmas Eve, you can bet your bottom dollar my dad is sticking us in the backseat of the car and we are driving around to see the Christmas lights. That's just how it works in our family. And there are so many different things that could work for you. But I think that this, for me is an episode about being a gentle reminder that Christmas isn't about how much you spend, but more about how much you can care and how much you can show others that you care. I was talking to our producer Emma before this episode, and we were sharing our Christmas traditions, because that's something I love talking about. And Emma was saying that when she was little, her family got a real Christmas tree, and her siblings and her her mum would take the Christmas tree. It would be up in the lounge room and her mum would cut a branch off, so a couple of branches off for each of the kids and put it in a little bucket in some sand in their bedrooms so that they had a mini Christmas tree and they would decorate it themselves. And I just think there are so many things. It doesn't have to be cut paste like you know you do Santa Sacks. It could be something like the Christmas trees. I remember my mum one year it was like, oh, we're get a theme Christmas and it's going to be an Aussie Christmas. And I remember being like what, and Mum took us up bushwalking where we lived, and we had to pick the best gum tree branch that we could find, and that became our quote ousie Christmas tree. There are just so many things that you can do on Christmas that make it feel festive, that don't involve a lot of money, that make you feel like the festivity hasn't been lost on over commercialized crap. I feel like so often at the moment, having just finished Black Friday sales and going into the push for sales for Christmas, you wouldn't be wrong if you have been thinking that Christmas is all about spending money, and the more money that is spent, the more you care, when in reality, you can think back to what that might have meant for you as a child, if you think back to you growing up at Christmas time, what were the most special things? And on the flip side, if you didn't grow up with that type of family and you are trying to establish these Christmas traditions for the first time, being able to reflect on maybe what you didn't have and maybe what you would like to provide your children with, I can almost guarantee it's not stuff, it's feelings, it's emotional, it's connection, how do you do that for one another? Another example is the silly things that you do for kids. It's like my mum would always tell us that we had to leave out carrots for Rudolph and we also had to make sure that there was a drink for Santa. Now, on reflection, my mum told me that Santa didn't like milk because it's Australia and no one wants to drink milk in the middle of summer, and he wanted a beer. I know where that was going. But it's so nice that we were able to have that magic waking up on Christmas morning. And it wasn't again about the tradition. It was the fact that Santa had come for us. It was the idea that Rudolph did enjoy some of that carrot and oh my gosh, why are there so many bits on the floor. I can't believe he's so messy. I think it's about creating a tradition that makes sense for you and your family. It's not about replicating someone else's. It's about creating traditions that feel authentic to you. All Right, I'm going to cut it there, because I could talk about Christmas tradition literally forever. There are so many things, and police feel free to slide into my DMS and share with me your Christmas traditions because I am looking for as much inspiration as I can. I don't know about you, but because it is my child's first Christmas, I have this unnecessary amount of pressure that I'm putting on myself to make sure I'm getting all of his traditions set up this year so I can tell him that, oh, we've been doing this since you were born. Ridiculous, I know, but I am looking for inspiration literally everywhere. And if you're loving these festive ideas as much as I am, I want you to stick around because after the break, we're going to crank up the Christmas magic a little bit further without cranking up your spending. So don't go anywhere, all right, my friends, We are back, and I am very ready because it wouldn't make Christmas without my community. And so when I started talking about Christmas tradition, I obviously reached out to you guys and said, all right, share with me some of your Christmas traditions. And I've pulled out just a few of them to share with you because I didn't want it to be information overload. But one of my favorites that came out of the Sheese on the Money community was from Ashley, who said, we sleep under the Christmas tree one night in the lead up to Christmas. We pull the mattress off our bed, we make a little nest, we watch a Christmas movie and sleep with the Christmas tree lights on for the atmosphere. Honestly, doesn't that just sound like the ultimate festive self care? I have already put this one aside to tell Steve that we need to do it. I don't know how much he's going to appreciate me trying to drag a king size, very heavy mattress down the hallway. But when there is a will, there is a way. And I mean, here's the thing. It's not just cozy. This is actually backed by science. Experts have found that twinkling lights and colors of Christmas decorations can actually boost your serotonin levels, and those are the happy chemicals in our brain. If you're going to pair that with the warm glow of a Christmas tree, it's no wonder that this tradition feels kind of like a warm hug for your soul. Imagine if it was like a family sleepover in the lounge room and as kids come along, you start to add them in. I actually am so excited and please expect to see this traditional my Instagram feeder at some point in the very near future. We had another beautiful community member ride in. This one is from Katie and she said, every time we go on a family holiday, we try really hard to buy Christmas decorations overseas or on any trip we go to because we try really hard to be sustainable and not fit a new theme for the Christmas tree every single year. Slowly, your decorations are going to become something that reminds you of amazing times, but also they stop you buying new ones all the time. Obviously, this is going to take a few years to build up. I asked further, obviously because in our DMS, I just want to talk all things Christmas, and she said she has ones ranging from a woven grass angel from Tanzania to carved olive wood nativity figurines from Edinburgh made in Bethlehem. Ornaments with memories just make it so much more special, and honestly, I couldn't agree more. I was watching a TikTok video the other day because as you guys, no, I am chronically online, and there was an influencer saying, my kids can never touch my Christmas tree. I'm going to decorate it while they're asleep, and like you do you. But I remember one of the coolest things when I was growing up was that my mom took my sister and I shopping every single year. And it was like a shopping trip that sometimes stretched over a few different stores or like a few different hours. And what we would do is Mum would say, you have to pick a Christmas decoration. And we would always pick a Christmas decoration each to decorate our tree with. And every year they became a little bit more unhinged. I remember one year my sister picked a red Elmo that she wanted on the tree. I would always pick those really fancy glass looking dancer crystal ornaments and then cry when they inevitably ended up broken. But these ornaments came with so many special memories. And now whenever my mum gets all of the Christmas decorations out to decorate the Christmas tree, I love seeing them. I mean, I don't love, I do love, I don't love. I just think it's a bit weird if we're being honest, that my mom still has the half paper plate with the toilet roll that I'm made in Kinder. In fact, I'm surprised it has lived a life as long as this. But the idea of Christmas being a little bit more magic, I can definitely get behind, all right. I have a couple more so strap in because we're still being festive. This one comes from Rachel. She said, we buy ornaments to signify a really important milestone in our lives. For example, the year we bought a house, I got a little house ornament. The year we got engaged in Sydney, I got a little Sydney Opera house ball ball. I like to make sure I put the year on it too, using little stickers. I also make sure to put the year on it to using little stickers. I love this and something else that my mom did. We often. I don't know about you guys, but flat ornaments used to be a massive thing. So like shapes of sand, he faces and whatnot. My mom would always write our name and put the year that she purchased that orna on the back of it. So if you go to our family Christmas tree, you can basically turn around any ornament and see Victoria nineteen ninety four or Victoria nineteen ninety seven, and I just think that that is so fun. In the first year, you might be like, oh, whatever it says Victoria twenty twenty four, but I promise time flies and soon it'll be twenty thirty four and you'll be looking at those same decorations being really glad that you set up that tradition. Now, you're not going to be surprised by this one, because I am a massive animal lover, so I loved this one from Lilian. Lilian said, and I didn't even know that you could do this, But I'm going to have to renegotiate Christmas Morning with my family so that I can join you. Lilian, But she said, every Christmas Morning, I volunteer at the RSPCA so that I can share the love with the animals. B for real, Is that not the best Christmas tradition you have heard of. Studies also show the volunteering boosts feelings of happiness and it also reduces stress. It's called the helper is high, that warm, fuzzy feeling that you get when you know you've made someone's day a little bit brighter, and doing it around Christmas time. What a win. It's no surprise that giving your time to others releases in dolphins. It's the same feel good chemical you get from exercise or eating your favorite chocolate. And I'm telling you right now, I would much prefer to eat chocolate and volunteer than exercise. But let's be honest, it's more than just a temporary mood boost. Volunteering also helps create a sense of purpose and connection, especially during a time when a lot of us might actually be feeling a little disconnected. Being part of something bigger like a community meal or a Christmas charity drive reminds us of the true meaning of the season, generosity, kindness, togetherness. And here's the best part, it doesn't have to take up your whole day. Even an hour or two of lending a hand can leave you with a glow that lasts long after the tinsel and wrapping paper are packed away. So if you're feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to spend this Christmas, I really want you to remember the magic of Holidays has never been, and will never be, about how much money you spend. It's not about how much money is in your bank account. It's about the memories that you make, the traditions that you create, and the moments of love and joy that you get to share with the people that you care about the most, even if that's just you hanging out with yourself. Maybe make some Christmas traditions for yourself. If I was going to spend Christmas Day on my own, oh my gosh, it would be the most festive self cared day ever. I get to sleep in, breakfast in bed on my own, reading one of my favorite books, going for a long walk with maybe your favorite podcast in your ears. It doesn't have to be about other people, but it can be about creating moments of love and joy for those people who surround you, even if that is just you. It's so easy to feel like you have to go all out during Christmas to buy the biggest, best gifts, toast the perfect lunch, or maybe even make it look like a Pinterest board exploded in your living room. But here's the thing. Literally, nobody remembers the price tag on the presence. They remember how you made them feel. So I want you to give yourself permission to step back a little bit. We're gonna slow down and We're going to focus on the things that actually matter in this world. Because the most magical parts of Christmas, the laughter, the love, the connection, they're free and they're what makes this time of year so insanely special. Trust me, your Christmas doesn't have to cost the world to feel magical. And if you want to sprinkle a little bit of magic or my shoes on the money Teams Christmases this year, if you wouldn't mind, it would be very kind of you to leave us a review. It's basically the online equivalent of leaving cookies out for Santa, except instead of helping us deliver presence, it's helping us reach more amazing listeners like you, spreading the festive financial magic far and wide. Have a good day, guys. The advice shared on She's on the Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's on the Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Divine and She's on the money are authorized representatives of money. Sheper pty Ltd ABN three two one six four nine two seven seven zero eight AFSL four five one two eight nine