HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-12-24, Page 38For many families, the holidays
are all about tradition. Traditions can
include annual trips to Grandma’s
house, when and where a family
shares its holiday gifts, or something
as simple as the holiday meal.
With the nation’s economy in flux,
however, some family traditions
could be facing extinction. For
example, thanks to higher
transportation costs, fewer families
are likely to hit the road this holiday
season, which could make it harder
to keep longstanding travel traditions
alive.
But even families who are
tightening the purse strings can keep
the spirit of these traditions alive. It
just takes some improvisation and a
little planning.
* Make your own meal: For many
families, breaking bread at a
favourite restaurant is a holiday
tradition. However, as most adults
know, the cost of nearly everything
has been on the rise this year,
making it more expensive to dine
out, especially on a holiday when
meals typically cost extra regardless
of the state of the economy.
However, there is a way to keep
your culinary tradition alive, and
save some money in the process.
Rather than dining out this holiday
season, dine in and recreate the meal
you typically enjoy while dining out.
If your family feasts on turkey at
your favourite restaurant, you can
save money by cooking a turkey
yourself. For those who aren’t the
cream of the culinary crop, there are
a host of cookbooks or on-line
recipes that offer easy and step-by-
step directions to cooking a host of
holiday meal favourites.
Once you’ve cooked your own
family meal, you might be surprised
at how easy it was and how much
money you’ve saved.
* Change your schedule: Lots of
families find the chance to gather
with extended family and friends the
true joy of the holiday season.
However, with fuel costs still high,
driving or flying to see relatives
might fall by the wayside as families
look to save some money.
One way to counter the costs of
holiday travelling is to travel on days
that aren’t traditional travel days.
This can prove especially prudent
when flying, as airlines often charge
far less if travellers are more flexible
and willing to fly on off-peak dates.
While you might not be able to
spend the holiday itself with family
and friends, you should still be able
to spend some time around the
holidays with family and friends,
and save lots of money in the
process.
Another way changing your
schedule can save you money is if
you get together with family and
friends and choose to meet in a
neutral setting that’s more amenable
to everyone. For example, rather
than one family travelling 200 miles
to visit relatives, ease the burden on
both ends by agreeing to meet at a
halfway point. There, you can sit
down and enjoy a good meal, spend
the day together, and share the
financial burden of traveling, rather
than placing that burden all on one
family.
* Be flexible: Because kids often
get at least a week off from school
during the holiday season, many
families choose to take mini
vacations during this time of year.
But the state of the economy might
make that tradition harder to keep
this holiday season.
In such instances, it helps to be as
flexible as possible. For instance, if a
tradition involves a week or weekend
at your favourite ski resort, you don’t
necessarily need to squash that
tradition entirely. Rather, consider
scaling it down. Choose a closer
resort if possible, and rather than
spending the night, make it a day
trip.
If you’re used to spending an
entire week, save money by scaling
it back to just a couple of days, and
choose the days in the middle of the
week, when resorts typically lower
rates in an effort to attract more
customers.
PAGE 38. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009.
Maintaining holiday traditions
May your home be blessed by good fortune this Christmas,
& may you & your loved ones enjoy all the comforts of a very
merry & joyous season.We really appreciate your business
& look forward to serving you again, soon.
David, Charlotte, Dave, Beth, & Christine
WE’LL BE OPEN LATE
DEC 20 - 22 ‘TIL 8 PM DEC 23 ‘TIL 4 PM
Closed Dec 24, 25 & 26
Box Furniture
& Floor Coverings
Main St. Seaforth 527-0680
David, Charlotte, Dave & Lindsey
Holiday Hours:
Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 5:30 pm; Sat. 9 am - 3 pm; Sun. Closed;
Dec. 24th 9 am - 1 pm; Dec. 25-26 Closed; Dec. 31 9 am - 1 pm; Jan. 1-2 Closed
When it comes to our customers, our gratitude runs deep.
With best wishes and many thanks to all.
Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-6951
Gas Bar
& Family
Restaurant
Gas Bar Open
7 days a week
Please accept this load
of good cheer,
along with our thanks
for your business this year!
Have a great holiday!
SS ee aa ss oo nn ’’ss GG rr ee ee tt ii nn gg ss
Signs of Christmas are
everywhere, bringing to
mind all the kind people
we’ve had the privilege
to serve this year, and
so we offer our best
wishes to all the familiar
faces that make the
holiday season so
special for us.
Closed Dec. 24 at noon. Reopen on Jan. 4
Emergency service will be provided as usual
Cliff’s
1136 Bruce Road 86, Lucknow
Phone: 519-528-3913
Toll Free: 1-800-449-CLIF
www.cliffsplumbing.com
Plumbing & Heating
O/B Cliff Mann Mechanical Ltd.
Pitching in
The Blyth Public School Grade 1/2 class was one of the first groups to perform at last week’s
production of Slapshot Santa presented at Memorial Hall. While making presents has served
him well, Santa Claus, a dedicated hockey fan, decides to try his hand at professional hockey.
From left: Kennedy Huether, Jeffrey Walden, Rorie Bromley, Bailey Coles, Adam Shortreed,
Mikayla Brak, Quaid Kerr, Braedan Fleming and Rylee Chalmers. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
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