my wife frequently laments that she married the cheapest man alive. probably cheapest man ever. 
we are on the same page for most decisions, but the two areas we are not include christmas spending and vacation spending.
over the years, she just decided not to tell me how much we spend on vacations. we have an account set up for that and a certain amount goes in and then i do my best to ignore any bills that crop up. we take some fantastic, memorable vacations. very blessed to spend time with friends and family.
christmas however, different story. she can't figure out a way to fix me.
i grew up pretty poor so we didn't have gifts other than socks and underwear and shoes.
i find it fascinating that my wife wants to throw hundreds of dollars every single year into decorations. she must spend hundreds? on gifts but we decided a long time ago better if i don't know. i get her a pair of socks every year so she has something to unwrap and to remind her i'm still the boss of me.
but i can't seem to catch the christmas spirit. we take the kids to volunteer at homeless shelter, and i give them an extra big hug (which has been apparently devalued over the years by the kids) and let them stay up late. my lack of excitement over the commercialization of the holiday has always drove my wife crazy, especially as we started to accumulate some small wealth (more than i thought i would ever have), and donate close to six figures to charity most every December. i think donating in December makes me tighten the purse strings even more, but increasingly this is a fictitious argument as the accounts have swollen over the years.
anyone else never develop the holiday spirit?

we are on the same page for most decisions, but the two areas we are not include christmas spending and vacation spending.
over the years, she just decided not to tell me how much we spend on vacations. we have an account set up for that and a certain amount goes in and then i do my best to ignore any bills that crop up. we take some fantastic, memorable vacations. very blessed to spend time with friends and family.
christmas however, different story. she can't figure out a way to fix me.
i grew up pretty poor so we didn't have gifts other than socks and underwear and shoes.
i find it fascinating that my wife wants to throw hundreds of dollars every single year into decorations. she must spend hundreds? on gifts but we decided a long time ago better if i don't know. i get her a pair of socks every year so she has something to unwrap and to remind her i'm still the boss of me.
but i can't seem to catch the christmas spirit. we take the kids to volunteer at homeless shelter, and i give them an extra big hug (which has been apparently devalued over the years by the kids) and let them stay up late. my lack of excitement over the commercialization of the holiday has always drove my wife crazy, especially as we started to accumulate some small wealth (more than i thought i would ever have), and donate close to six figures to charity most every December. i think donating in December makes me tighten the purse strings even more, but increasingly this is a fictitious argument as the accounts have swollen over the years.
anyone else never develop the holiday spirit?

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