#351: Christmas on a Budget: Elf-Certified Tips for Celebrating Christmas without Breaking the Bank

Well, my friend, I'm going to have you totally changing that entire mindset.

Because today's episode, I'm going to show you how you can be the Christmas MVP without spending a dime.

That's right, my friend. It's all inside of today's episode, which is episode 351.

Yo, are you ready to flip the script on life? Because those bad days, they're just doors to better days.

And that's exactly what we do here at Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Your host, Kevin Lowe. He's been flipping the script on his own life, turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight-up inspiration, motivation, and encouragement just for you.

So, kick back, relax, and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

Welcome back to the second part of our holiday series.

Last time, that was on Tuesday's episode, episode 350, we were talking about embracing the perfectly imperfect Christmas.

Today, we are taking it a step further.

Because today, my friend, we are helping you become the Christmas MVP without spending a dime.

So first off, let's define what it means to be a Christmas MVP.

First off, it's not about buying the greatest gifts, the most expensive gifts.

It's not about you hosting the most luxurious parties. No, it's about none of that.

Instead, my friend, it's about you spreading joy one small act at a time.

Because if you want a gift that keeps on giving, well, there's nothing better than joy.

So now how do we do that, you ask? Well, there's many ways, but it all starts with the thing that we should all be doing all the time, but especially this time of year.

And that's smiling a whole lot more. I know, I know, smiling?

It sounds cheesy. It sounds a bit corny, but my friend, I promise you, I want you while you're out and about preparing for Christmas.

I want you to smile at a stranger. Matter of fact, I want you to make it a point.

I challenge you to smile at at least five complete strangers, whether it's the cashier checking you out with the gifts you've bought, or it's just a person you're passing on the aisle of the store.

I just want you to smile. My friend, you never know what somebody else is going through, and you never know what that simple smile might mean to them.

So if you want to light up the world brighter than the best street of Christmas lights, then all you have to do is smile.

Next up on the list of how you can spread joy this Christmas is the art of the compliment.

The compliment, if you think about it, it's like a verbal hug.

So I encourage you to be sure that each and every day you give genuine compliments.

You have to make them sincere. You have to make them specific.

I want you to compliment your neighbor on their Christmas lights this year, how they're extra bright. They're extra special.

And what about the neighbor with the big blow-up Santa Claus?

Maybe you find it slightly annoying because it has that generator running, keeping it blown up.

But instead, you're just going to make their day by complimenting them on how awesome it is. or maybe you're at work and it's that coworker who insisted on doing the whole ugly sweater thing.

Well, why not just compliment them? Maybe they're the only one who actually showed up with an ugly sweater on.

Well, don't make them feel embarrassed. Instead, compliment them.

Tell them how amazing it is.

Again, my friend, the key here is to be specific with your compliment.

And I hope it's sincere. People can see right through you if you're not being sincere.

Do not do this just to do this. Instead, I want you to do this out of sincerity.

I want you to find little ways of making someone's day. That's what today's challenge is all about.

Today's entire episode is helping you to give the gift of your smile.

Of a compliment, of spreading a little bit of joy.

Now, of course, for those of you, though, who are thinking, okay, But I would like to do a little bit more than just smile or give somebody a compliment. Well, I got you taken care of also.

My friend, random acts of kindness. They're more than just a trendy buzzword.

It's not something that just has to make it on the nightly news about the mile-long line of people at the local McDonald's who paid for the person behind them.

No, it can also just be as simple as you unexpectedly shoveling the snow off of your neighbor's driveway.

Or maybe if you're in Florida, like myself, and snow is nowhere to be seen.

Well, maybe it's you just raking up the leaves out of their yard.

You don't ask them, but you know that they would need it done.

Maybe it's an elderly neighbor. Maybe it's a neighbor with a disability.

Maybe it's just somebody who you would love to help make their day.

Just do something that you know that would light up their day, that they're going to be surprised about.

Maybe it's simple as you bringing the mail up to their door.

Maybe it's you, when you're baking Christmas cookies, you bake an extra dozen and you take them to your neighbor.

Another idea for you is to leave a thank you note taped to your mailbox.

It's not for you to mail. No, it's for your mail carrier.

Because if you think about it, at Christmas time, The delivery drivers, they are the ultimate MVP of Christmas because they're being sure that all those presents are delivered to your home on time.

Another awesome idea is if you have a friend who has kids and you know they got a lot of gifts they got to wrap, why not ask if you can give them a hand?

Show up at their house with a couple of cups of hot chocolate and sit down and help them bust out some wrapping of the gifts.

Everybody knows that wrapping gifts can be a total project.

Well, you give them a hand. That, my friend, is going to brighten their day.

It's going to take some stress off of them.

And it's going to do wonders for your friendship.

The biggest thing here, my friend, it's not about grand gestures.

It's about the little things because the little things mean the most.

Now, with all of that giving, with all of that doing, I bet that there's at least somebody I'm talking to today who's thinking, yeah, but what about me?

What can I do for myself this Christmas?

Well, my friend, I'm not going to judge because I think we all need a little me time. We all need to practice a little bit more self-care.

So for yourself, why don't you steal a moment and take a walk?

Admire the change in the leaves. Admire the Christmas lights.

Or maybe it's you. You've been working your butt off. You've been cooking.

You've been wrapping presents. Your feet hurt.

Well, why don't you go book yourself a pedicure? You don't even got to tell anybody. The kids are at school.

Your husband, he's off to work. And you just steal a moment for yourself to go get a little pedicure, to get a massage, to have something done for you. Again, it's Christmas.

If you're going to spread joy to others, you might as well be sure that you're spreading joy to yourself as well.

And nothing says joy quite like a deep tissue massage.

And as I wrap up today's episode, as I wrap up our second episode in my little mini series, preparing you for the holiday, I want you to remember this, is that no matter what your situation, no matter what your financial situation looks like.

No matter what is going on in life, we all have a choice.

We have a choice every day we wake up to decide what we want this day to be.

Today, I've given you a few ideas that don't take much. It's just a simple smile, a simple compliment.

Just you simply lending a hand to somebody in need.

My friend, it doesn't take much to light up somebody's day. And I believe if we could all encompass this type of mindset, this world would be a much better place.

This Christmas would be the best Christmas ever if we all smiled more, complimented more, and did for others more.

And of course, as I said, also doing for ourselves.

Because if you're not doing for yourself, then you're probably not going to be showing up as your best to do for others. So the biggest thing here, my friend, is I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.

I thank you for being here, supporting the podcast.

And it has been my pleasure to be with you this week, every week.

And hey, if somebody you know might be struggling this Christmas, I hope you share today's episode with them so that they can realize that it doesn't take much.

It certainly doesn't take money to make this one of the best Christmases ever.

With that, I wish you a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year.

From my podcast studio to your earbuds.

Music.