Can there be anyone left who is not acquainted with the Grinch whose heart was two sizes too small? On the night before Christmas, this sour, GRINCHY creature slipped into Who-ville and stole the packages, the tinsel, the trees, and the trimmings and then “he rode three thousand feet up the side of Mt. Crumpit to dump it ! “ As the Grinch gazed down at the town, he Grinch-ish-ly hummed. He imagined the anguished noise of the Who's who were surely awaking and finding their Christmas was missing. He longed to hear their cries but instead Christmas came just the same! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, stood up to sing--without presents at all! The Grinch realized, at last, that Christmas did not come from a store. He realized that Christmas meant a little bit more! It was said that the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day and he rode back to Who-ville --and “ he , HE HIMSELF… the Grinch carved the roast beast.” (Dr. Suess, How The Grinch Stole Christmas , 1957)

Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Suess, wrote this story about his own disgust with the commercialization of a holiday he loved. In the December 1957 issue of Redbook , he relates the story behind the story: “…something had gone wrong with Christmas … or more likely wrong with me. … I wrote the story …to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that obviously I'd lost.” Ted Geisel was not alone in his feelings! (Charles D. Cohen, “The True Spirit of the Grinch,” reprinted in Your Favorite Suess, compiled by Janet Schulman and Cathy Goldsmith, New York : Random House, 2004)

Christmas has become a major industry in its own right! In December, 2007, Americans spent $30.5 billion in the nation's department stores. Another $39 billion was spent in internet sales during that same fourth quarter and $493.3 million was spent merely for the purchase of Christmas trees. ( www.census.gov ) Despite all the money we spend each year, what do we really remember about Christmas? We asked a few of our dearest friends and relatives to give us some answers:

“Our family treasures the year my husband lost his job and we were forced to make a homemade Christmas. We each drew one name. The best part of Christmas was all those hours making gifts and hiding out so no one could see what we were doing. The whole family was happier than I had ever seen them! Every corner of my house was filled with the sound of industry. There was sawing, sewing, gluing, and assembling. We wrapped our gifts in newspapers to save money and placed them under the tree. No one slept a wink that night! We could not wait to see the faces of those who would receive our homemade gift! They were only small trinkets, but each trinket assumed a cherished place in a heart. Today we often speak of the Christmas we made our presents.”

“Last year our family decided that instead of getting we would give. We spent our Christmas money on a trip to Mexico and spent an entire week building houses for the poor. No one whined or cried over the presents they did not receive and all said that it was the most memorable Christmas of their life.”

“My favorite gift I keep next to my telephone. It is a tiny block of wood into which a screw has been placed at a perpendicular angle. It was made by my five-year-old grandson. He worked three days on it. He wrapped it and placed it under the tree. He could not wait for me to open it. I appropriately ooohed and aahhed over it and he said proudly, “I made it for you, Grandma. You can hang things on it!' I looked in his eyes and I re-discovered the meaning of Christmas.”

“My favorite Christmas memories are the smell of my mother's cookies baking in the kitchen. We spent an entire day mixing the dough and coloring it with food coloring. There were green cookies and red ones and as my mother cut them and placed them on the cookie sheets, my sisters and I would sprinkle colored sugars and decorate them with silver balls and red, cinnamon dots. Those were the best cookies I ever ate and I never go through Christmas without my mouth watering for those childhood treats.”

“I think the best thing about Christmas is the music. I don't care if I have anything else! I start listening the week before Thanksgiving, or in hard times, the week of Halloween. Barely a day goes by that I don't fill my house with the sounds of Christmas. I have memorized each line of the Messiah and I can sing each line from each album recorded by the Tabernacle Choir from the time I was a child. I even composed poems I sang as lyrics to the Nutcracker Suite. I love Christmas because I love its sacred music!”

In our new world, we will be forced to make decisions we should have made long ago. Here are a few ways to make your Christmas this year a little simpler and less expensive:

Make a list and a budget

Make a vow that you will not go into debt this Christmas. December's cheer often becomes February's headache. Before you buy ask yourself if the person who will receive this gift really needs it. Also ask yourself how long it will take you to pay for all your presents. Choose your gifts wisely and keep them practical. There can be magic, even in practicality.

Scour the ads

Research prices for the things on your list. There is quite often a wide gap between the highest and lowest price for an identical item. Be loyal to the lowest price, not your favorite retailer. In addition, do enough homework to know if the item you wish to purchase is well built, and well rated by others who have purchased it. You can find this information on the internet. Look for “loss-leaders,” those hugely discounted items featured in ads designed to lure you into a store. Retailers count on the fact, that most shoppers won't stop purchasing once they have bought their “loss leader.” Never succumb to an impulsive buy; be disciplined. Don't sucker for anything you did not come to purchase with one exception--If you should find an unadvertised special or a quality off-brand item of the same quality as the item you came to purchase, you are allowed to change your mind. Remember first and foremost that just because something is a good price, if you don't need it, it is still a waste of money.

Utilize the internet

The internet is a valuable tool. Not only can you purchase items online, but you can research them for quality and price comparison. We spend many hours online before we ever make major Christmas purchases. The internet even has rating systems to grade specific online retailers and services. Use a service such as “paypal,” to protect you from unscrupulous retailers. If you use these rules and some common sense, you'll do well with internet shopping. Also, be sure you've calculated the price of shipping into your costs.

Discover Discount Stores

Many retailers run discount department stores to sell their blemished, overstocked, and discontinued items. Don't be afraid of buying last year's model or something slightly blemished as long as it is still quality merchandise.

Ask if there are any “open-box” or “returned” items

We helped our daughter a few years ago purchase a tool case for her husband. A simple question of “Are there any returns we could look at?” took us to a basement filled with bargains. She found a tool chest which lacked wheels. It listed at half-price. The biggest surprise was that, on closer examination, the missing wheels were discovered in the bottom drawer. Even had they not been found, the purchase would have been wise. Wheels are inexpensive and easily replaced. Don't be afraid of simple and inexpensive repairs.

Save on wrapping paper

Wrapping paper can be homemade like anything else. Use plain paper, cut outs from old Christmas cards, stamps, paints, or children's crayon drawings to decorate it. If this seems like too much work, newspaper works well or how about “naked” presents. We all remember those days from our childhood when unwrapped presents were placed lovingly under the tree and gobbled up by starry-eyed youngsters.

Use rebates

Rebates often lure us to the store but too often we neglect to fill out the paperwork and mail it in a timely fashion. Retailers count on this. Once you get your gift home, take the time to fill out the paper work, clip off the UPC labels, and mail it immediately. Always make and keep a photocopy of your rebate application paperwork. This way there will never be any questions.

Save all your receipts

We keep a big manila envelope into which we deposit all our Christmas receipts. This way we never lose a critical receipt if we should need to make a return. After Christmas, empty your receipt envelope and staple the proper receipt to the proper warranty. There have been numerous occasions when our receipt and warranty allowed us a replacement product when our purchase malfunctioned. We have been grateful for this system.

Resist unnecessary gift-giving

If this is a belt-tightening year for you, as it is for many of us, don't concern yourselves with gifts for neighbors, friends, and even relatives. Slash your list of recipients by limiting Christmas gifts just to your immediate family. This will save both time and money. OR, if you really want to do something which demonstrates love, get your usual recipients together and persuade them to pool their money with yours and make a generous donation to your local food bank.

Don't neglect the things that cost nothing

Spending an hour caroling with your family in your neighborhood, reading Christmas stories around a fire, sharing your favorite verses about the Savior from the scriptures, including those precious words from Luke 2, doesn't cost you a dime. When the love of our Lord fills our hearts, we give, as did He, the greatest gifts of all.

Have a merry Christmas and remember this season to put Christ back into Christmas. When we do, we shall stand and sing for joy. Only then shall we see, like our friend the Grinch, that Christmas comes just the same.