I have come to dread the holidays as an adult with debt to repay and growing kids exposed to the unrealistic scenarios touted online.

And now that my boys are older (3 sons, ages 12, 10, and 6) they want electronics and other stuff that’s pretty pricey.

I’ve been saying for a few months that we should plan on doing a handmade Christmas for all of our gifts this year but no one seemed to take me seriously.

Does anyone have helpful tips or suggestions for secondhand gifts or other cheaper/meaningful gifting methods?

Is it possible to have a joy-filled Christmas without falling into the over-consumption and expensive nature of the holiday? Is it only possible for your kids to enjoy the holiday if you heavily shelter them from the world by home-schooling them and not allowing any screen-time at all?