$5,000 Christmas
I stole this from an article at <A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/general/2004-11-26-mym_x.htm">USA Today</A>
Almost no one knows exactly how much they spend on Christmas. That's because most of us just don't count everything or keep track of it all. To get an idea of what kind of money gets spent — and not budgeted for — reporter Mindy Fetterman has priced out Christmas for a family of four. She's given them a 14-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son. The family loves to do Christmas pretty big and likes to be thought of as "generous." They usually buy brand-name products.
Most prices come from catalogs or Web sites of stores that are nationwide. Others come from businesses in several cities across the country.
Home decorations
Tree: 9-foot live Fraser fir tree with lights and red bows, $119 (Williams-Sonoma)
Garlands: Lighted 9-foot outdoor garland, $39 (Frontgate)
Wreath: Lighted 30-inch wreath, $49 (Frontgate)
Candles: Set of six glitter pillar candles, $113 (Pottery Barn)
Cookie jar: Holiday snowman, $42 (Williams-Sonoma)
•Total: $362
Christmas cards to hold a photo
Cards: Five boxes of 10 photomount cards, $110 (Crane & Co.)
Stamps: 50, $18.50 (U.S. Postal Service)
New pen that matches the cards: $10.50 (Crane & Co.)
•Total: $139
Office Christmas party
Dress for Mom: Beaded V-neck, $188 (Talbots)
Shoes for Mom: Satin sling backs, $98 (Talbots)
Tie for Dad: Gray-striped silk tie, $65 (Talbots)
Babysitter: Four hours at $10 an hour, $40
•Total: $391
Dinner party at a friend's
Bottle of wine: Kendall-Jackson 2001 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay, $15 (wine.com)
Babysitter: Four hours at $10 an hour, $40
•Total: $55
Holiday traditions
The Nutcracker: Four orchestra seats at $67 each, $268 (Atlanta Ballet)
Adopt-a-family charity: $150
Making a gingerbread house: Pre-made, decorating kit, $25 (Williams-Sonoma)
Trip to the movies the day after Christmas: Four tickets at $6.50 plus popcorn and soft drinks, $51 (Phoenix-area AMC Theater)
•Total: $494
Christmas Eve dinner at home
Place mats and napkins: Six, $108 (Pottery Barn)
Reindeer dessert plates: Four, $39 (Pottery Barn)
Food: Ham, salad, potatoes, dressing, green beans, apple pie, cookies, $105 (Peapod.com)
•Total: $252
Celebrating Christmas morning
Donation at church: $200
•Total: $200
Gifts for immediate family
For Dad
Sport coat: Tailored year-round blazer, $155 (Lands' End)
Golf club: TaylorMade Titanium driver, $200 (The Sports Authority)
Sweater: Wool cashmere button mock, $69 (Lands' End)
Game: Old Century Baseball Game, $100 (Alsto's)
Stocking stuffers: $50
For Mom
Diamond necklace: Three-stone drop necklace, $200 (Kay Jewelers)
Spa treatment: Half-day Signature service, $240 (Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, Dallas)
Robe: Terry cloth robe, $54 (Lands' End)
DVD: Gone with the Wind Collector's Set, $28 (Amazon.com)
Stocking stuffers: $50
For teenage daughter
Mini iPod: $249 (Apple Computer)
Jeans: Stretch, long, faded jeans, $49.50 (The Gap)
Sweater: Ribbed V-neck, $20 (The Gap)
Boots: Multi-rubber, $34 (Nine West)
Stocking stuffers: $50
For grade-schooler son
Sports game: Spartan 54 Foosball table, $200 (The Sports Authority)
Sneakers: Jordan team, $75 (Nike)
Jeans: Boot fit light fade jeans, $49.50 (The Gap)
Sweater: Hooded zip sweater, $20 (The Gap)
Stocking stuffers: $50
•Total: $1,943
Gifts for other family members
Mom's mother and father: $100
Dad's mother and father: $100
Mom's niece and nephew: $50
Dad's nephew: $25
Mailing seven 10-pound boxes from Virginia to Kentucky: $97 (FedEx)
•Total: $372
Gifts for non-family members
Son's five teachers: $50
Daughter's five teachers: $75
Golf game for three of dad's friends: $150
Lunch for three of mom's friends: $120
Gifts for daughter's friends: $100
Gifts for son's friends: $50
•Total: $545
Gift wrap
Wrapping paper: Four-roll pack: $7
Ribbons: One multicolor ribbon stack and one roll of shiny ribbon, $4
Plain gift boxes: $5
Bag of 35 bows: $5
25 gift tags: $2
Gift bags with tags: $5
Tape: $2
•Total: $30 (all from CVS Pharmacy)
Last-minute items
Camera film: Two boxes of Fuji four-pack, $22
Developing eight rolls of film: $36
Disposable cameras: Two Kodak disposables, $20
Batteries: One package of 12 AA batteries, $9
New lights: Box of 100 white lights, $3
Tree decorations: Box of 12 balls, $4
Candy canes: One box of 12, $2
More ribbon: Multicolor ribbon stack, $2
More bows: 25 bows, $4
Extension cord: $4
More tape: $2
Candy: Two bags of Holiday Hershey's kisses, $6; box of Russell Stover candy, $9
•Total: $123 (all from CVS)
GRAND TOTAL:$4,906
OUCH. Do people really spend this much on Christmas?
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