61. Christmas Traditions & What We're Doing Differently This Year (a conversation with our kids)

12/03/19 • 24 min

One of the most requested podcast episodes has been for us to talk about our Christmas traditions, what Christmas looks like for our family, and how we do gifts for our immediate and extended family.

In this episode, we sat down with Kathrynne, Kaitlynn, and Silas and had a discussion on our favorite Christmas memories, why we make a December Bucket List, what we chose for our bucket list this year, some things we're doing differently for Christmas this year, how we do gifts, and what Christmas Eve and Christmas Day look like for our family.

One of our biggest goals for each December is to keep things simple, not over-commit, and focus on memory-making and shared experiences. We sit down at the end of November and talk about what we want to prioritize for the Christmas season and then we make a list and block out days and times on the calendar to make these priorities happen.

We're excited about some new things we're trying this year and we're looking forward to another special December season of celebrating the true meaning of Christmas and spending lots of time together as a family!

In This Episode:

[01:58] We kick off the show by each sharing one of our favorite Christmas memories.

[07:29] Want to know what's on our December Bucket List this year?

[11:16] Hear about our Dollar Tree stocking tradition and why we’re stepping it up this year.

[13:16] How we do presents at our house.

[15:45] Giving is something that is always a big priority for us, thanks to the kids' initiative in this area!

[18:00] What does our actual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebration look like for our family?

[21:38] The kids share our quirky wrapping tradition.

Links and Resources:

Dollar Tree Stocking Stuffers
Jesse Tree
Ann Voskamp
She Reads Truth
He Reads Truth
Crystal’s Favorite Things on Amazon
CrystalPaine.com
MoneySavingMom.com
Crystal’s Instagram account (I’d love for you to follow me there! I usually hop on at least a few times per day and share behind-the-scenes photos and videos, my grocery store hauls, funny stories, or just anything I’m pondering or would like your advice or feedback on!)
Have feedback on the show or suggestions for future episodes or topics? Send me an email: [email protected]

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One of the most requested podcast episodes has been for us to talk about our Christmas traditions, what Christmas looks like for our family, and how we do gifts for our immediate and extended family.

In This Episode:

[01:58] We kick off the show by each sharing one of our favorite Christmas memories.

[07:29] Want to know what's on our December Bucket List this year?

[11:16] Hear about our Dollar Tree stocking tradition and why we’re stepping it up this year.

[13:16] How we do presents at our house.

[15:45] Giving is something that is always a big priority for us, thanks to the kids' initiative in this area!

[18:00] What does our actual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebration look like for our family?

[21:38] The kids share our quirky wrapping tradition.

Links and Resources:

Dollar Tree Stocking Stuffers
Jesse Tree
Ann Voskamp
She Reads Truth
He Reads Truth
Crystal’s Favorite Things on Amazon
CrystalPaine.com
MoneySavingMom.com
Crystal’s Instagram account (I’d love for you to follow me there! I usually hop on at least a few times per day and share behind-the-scenes photos and videos, my grocery store hauls, funny stories, or just anything I’m pondering or would like your advice or feedback on!)
Have feedback on the show or suggestions for future episodes or topics? Send me an email: [email protected]

Previous Episode

60. What to do When You Fail

What do you do when you experience failure in your life or your business? One of our wonderful listeners asked how you get back up and keep going after failure, and Jesse and I had a lively and honest discussion around this in this week's episode of the podcast.

Failure is a part of life, but it shouldn’t define who we are. For instance, for a long time, Jesse identified as a lawyer and that title made up his identity in many ways. If he failed or if he perceived a failure, that lack would directly impact his identity.

For many others, they don't feel like they are good enough. When this is the case, it's so easy to see failure and setbacks as defining you as a failure personally.

The truth is that true failure only occurs when you stop trying and give up. Until you stop trying, you haven't failed!

So keep moving and learning and growing from your mistakes. Also, don't forget to stop and celebrate your wins. It's so easy to focus on what we're doing wrong instead of recognizing what we're doing right.

In This Episode:

[01:23] What’s saving our lives? Under Armour hoodies and my Sole F80 treadmill.

[07:36] I’m reading Tasting Grace by Melissa d’Arabian.

[12:25] Jesse shares how he gets up and does the next thing after a big fail?

[16:03] So many people identify as “failures,” how do you separate the act of failure from your overall identity?

[19:01] Everyone fails and each failure is a lesson learned.

[21:51] True failure is when you stop taking action. Just keep moving forward.

Links and Resources:

Zulily
Under Armour hoodies
Sole F80
Tasting Grace by Melissa d’Arabian
Crystal’s Favorite Things on Amazon
CrystalPaine.com
MoneySavingMom.com
Crystal’s Instagram account (I’d love for you to follow me there! I usually hop on at least a few times per day and share behind-the-scenes photos and videos, my grocery store hauls, funny stories, or just anything I’m pondering or would like your advice or feedback on!)
Have feedback on the show or suggestions for future episodes or topics? Send me an email: [email protected]

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Next Episode

62. How to Talk to Your Kids About Money

"When do you start talking to your kids about money and how old should they be before you talk to them about it?"

We get this question often and we decided to tackle it head on in today's podcast episode. And by that, I mean we talked about a number of things that might be a little be controversial. :)

We approach the conversation of money with our kids much like we approach anything else in our parenting -- with the desire to lead by example and raise future adults. In this episode, we share when we begin talking about money with our kids, why we think it's important to let your kids handle money from a young age, why we involve our kids in financial conversations and decisions, how we offer our kids opportunity to earn money, and why we are okay with letting our kids make mistakes with money.

In This Episode:

[01:14] What’s saving our lives? It's all about Christmas decorating,

[06:14] Off the bookshelf: A Cross to Kill by Andrew Huff and Families Where Grace is in Place by Jeff VanVonderen.

[13:57] Learn four strategies to help kids learn how to think about and handle money.

[14:58] Strategy number 1: Set a Great Example. More is caught than taught.

[18:22] The second strategy: Start Teaching From a Young Age. It's never to early to begin!

[21:39] Strategy number 3: Involve Your Kids as Much as Possible. Make it a family conversation and work together to achieve your financial goals!

[24:42] The fourth strategy: Let your kids make mistakes. Save them the $3000 and $30,000 mistakes later by letting them make $3 and $30 mistakes now.

[28:12] Why we let our kids earn and handle money and what this looks like for us.