Question of the Day: Sunday, November 12

gilmargl

gilmargl

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Good evening everyone! Sorry I'm so late.

I don't usually start thinking about Christmas in November, but this year is different! Here energy costs are rising fast and everything else will automatically follow suit. I could afford to celebrate the holiday as usual with Christmas tree and lights but I'm already telling people that, as far as I am concerned, this year is going to be different. I'm not yet sure how different things will be but the less electricity I use after dark (I have a photovoltaic system to help during daylight hours) the more power there will be for hospitals and other emergency services. Cooking will have to be reduced to a minimum and the oven will only be used during the day as it requires far more energy than the hob.

In fact, I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas and saving energy; no qualms about breaking with tradition!

How about you? Perhaps electricity and gas prices are not an issue where you live, or Christmas is not celebrated anyway. Could you break with tradition for a religious or traditional holiday? 🎄:nono:
 
denice

denice

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I have never gone all out for Christmas. When the kids were little, I did a little more decorating as they got older, I just put up a tree. Now that I go to my adult children's home for Christmas, I am back in an apartment, I don't always put up my little tree. We usually do have a nice meal for Christmas, but it isn't the huge over the top affair like the U.S. Thanksgiving. I have always refused to go in debt for Christmas. I put a little bit back here and there throughout the year for the holidays. I will also buy something that I know someone will like and it is a good deal anytime during the year. I put it back for Christmas.
 
neely

neely

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During the holidays one of my traditions is to donate to my favorite animal charities as well as bring canned goods and supplies to the shelter where we adopted our last dog and cat. So that's where my hard earned savings goes. :wink: No outdoor lights since we don't have an electrical outlet on the exterior of the house and all indoor decorations are homemade or ones that I've bought at a craft fair.
 
susanm9006

susanm9006

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No changes for the Holidays. We missed our usual Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid and we are full in this year. Energy and heating bills are BIG here December thru March, I just expect them. But we will also be getting a Social Security increase which will help pay them.
 
MonaLyssa33

MonaLyssa33

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I hung Christmas lights on my house for the first time ever, so I don't know how that will affect my electric bill, but I do have it on a timer so they are only on from 4pm to midnight and they are LEDs. I also ran my kiln for the first time today, so in the likely event my bill is high this month, I won't know for sure how much the lights and kiln are affecting the increase. I've also been using my wood fireplace to heat my house more than simply relying on the furnace. I'm hoping to put my tree up, but at the moment, I don't have a place for it in my living room like I did last year. I'm thinking it will end up in the dining room though.
 
Winchester

Winchester

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I love the holidays, so I go in for decorating and lights. I don't worry about the electric bill too much. We keep the heat down in the house and supplement at night with the electric blanket on the bed. Rick always works out a decent electricity plan and he'll change companies to get the best deals, so we don't pay a ridiculous amount and, with the budget, it never changes too much. Rick will decorate the WeShed and around the outside of the house a bit (not like he used to, but enough); we have LEDs. The traditional tree in the living room and the TWT out in the WeShed. I decorate around the inside of the house.

I do a lot of baking over the holidays; I keep saying I'm going to cut back, but that never works out. Everybody around here loves cookies and they're expected when the Grands come. I used to like to do something special for Christmas dinner (a standing rib roast or a crown roast of pork), but for the last couple of years, the Grands want nothing more than beef pot pie. Yes, beef pot pie. Go figure. And you do what the Grands want.

As for gifts and such, we're not doing much for each other; our AC next spring will suffice and we're at the time in our lives where we don't need much anymore. We have the kids and the Grands and my sister and BIL. I donate to a no-kill shelter and we always donate to our local fire company. That's it.

I'm not going to worry about it.
 
misty8723

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I haven't put a tree up anyway because the cats eat the needles. Last year I thought I'd try again and got the tree from the attic. Right away, Austin went for the needles, so that was that. I haven't ever put outside lights up and I'm just not one for going all out decorating. In the past we used to travel to family on Christmas, but haven't been able to do that recently, much to my sadness. Husband and I no longer exchange gifts and haven't for some years, and we've just run up some debt with the cats, so money is tight. I will probably cook a turkey for husband, because that's what he likes, and a few sides. I wouldn't even do that, but I'll hear about it from him if I don't.
 
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