This thread has me thinking of my childhood. I wasn't one of those kids that got gifts and trinkets during the year. There was no money for that. I remember taking a blank notepad (my mom was/is a teacher) and running around outside like I was Penny from Inspector Gadget. We didn't have cable any time when I was growing up. We got a VCR as a gift when I was 15 or so.
At Christmas time and birthdays, my parents would have my brother and me give them a list of the things we really wanted in order of importance. My parents would then go down the list from the top and figure out which ONE thing they could afford to get that we really wanted.
I was listening to Michael Baisden the other day and they were talking about Black Friday, Christmas and the economy. He was telling parents to give their kids air for Christmas. LOL. One woman came on and was explaining how she was going to tell her kids that money's tight and they might not get everything they want. Then she said something about how they "get things throughout the year" so they have nothing to complain about.
