Your view: it’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas

We’ve discussed the impact the rising cost of energy has had on our energy bills. But just how much is this affecting our plans to celebrate Christmas. Lee told us he’s a child at heart:

‘I normally have a tree, loads of lights and even Santa himself in a blow up form at the end of my bed. But this year I won’t be having any of it. Such a shame, but I just can’t bring myself to use all that electricity.’

But John Ward told us it’s not put him off, as he likes all the bells and whistles:

‘I’m a fully paid-up member of the Say No to Ebenezer society and the only thing that constrains our display is the time it takes to set it all up and take it down again!’

Cheap but chic Christmas

Figgerty wishes there was a ‘Martha Stewart type to advise us on how to have a cheap but chic Christmas.’ I’d put that on your Christmas list Figgerty – you never know what Santa might bring. And Josquine told us:

‘In principle I should enjoy looking at other people’s decorations – I’d never put such things up myself – but in practice I just can’t help thinking of the waste of energy and I get quite troubled at seeing them.’

And it’s not just the glitz that people are cutting back on as a number of you are cutting back on the Christmas card tradition too. Hugh D told us that he sends hand-written cards to family and his closest friends:

‘To the rest, I send e-cards or a text. I also often phone them for a nice long chin-wag, at the same time letting them know that this is my ‘‘card’’ to them.

The Christmas card cull

Pat’s taken a similar approach with her wishes of merriment after making an agreement with her friends and family. She’s also earned our comment of the week:

‘My card list has shrunk enormously over the last two years simply because of the cost of postage. A lot of my friends have stopped sending cards for the same reason so we’ve agreed to wish each other a Merry Christmas verbally. We’ve long ago agreed not to exchange presents for the same reason and none of us are particularly poor. But it saves on money and the worry of what to get someone who has everything plus the shopping involved. We all complain about Christmas and the moral blackmail it entails, but none of us have the guts to cancel it.’

Let’s make Figgerty’s Christmas and keep sharing your tips for a cheap but chic Christmas. I’ve dealt with this by setting budget limits with friends and family or making homemade gifts (who can resist a box of homebaked goods) so what are your top tips for Christmas?