As we all know, times are tough this holiday season. People are spending less on everything, including presents. Many parents will no doubt fore go something special for themselves in order to provide for their children. More often than not, according to a recent study, it's the moms that will put aside personal spending in order to afford gifts for their children rather than dads.
Part of the reason for this is that, simply, women spend more on apparel and other personal items than men, and are more often targeted as consumers than men. Apparel sales for women have dropped over 18% for the months of September and October, compared to just over 8% for men. According to a recent survey conducted by the NPD Group, 61% of mothers said they would be curbing their holiday spending versus 56% of women in general and 455 of men.
Parents surveyed, women especially, mentioned that they would not be opting for the usual, "buy one for a friend, buy one for me" attitude that used to exist. We all know what that's like. You go to a store to get a present for your sister or your girl friend, and you like what you purchase for her so much you get one for you too. Now, I don't know that men don't engage in that kind of spending as well, nor do I concede that moms will be hurt more this holiday season than dads. The dads I know seem to be taking a hit just as much as the moms; many couples, in fact, are not exchanging presents at all in order to make the holiday special for their kids.
What about you? Will you be cutting short your personal spending this holiday season? And, are you a mom or a dad?
1. Here's a holiday idea to share with your family instead of gifts with the ecomnomy so bad and it brings you together as a family.... :
SEND CARDS which are desperately needed to Homefront Hugs USA which will in turn send them for you to wounded troops, nurses and docs taking care of them to 4 hospitals (medical combat units) in Iraq and Afghanistan and to Landstuhl Germany where our troops go when severely injured and having to leave the war zone !
Make them with your kids- make them personal- include a photo or joke...and thank them for their service...
it is well received and means a heck of a lot ! Your children will learn the true meaning of Christmas and even be reaching out to other children sometimes as they get treated at these hospitals too...
You can send them to:
Operation Healing Angel
Homefront Hugs USA
1449 Tiger Lake Drive
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32563
Go to www.HomefrontHugs.org for more info or email us at HomefrontHugsUSA@aol.com !
THANKS !!
Alessandra Kellermann
President and Founder
Homefront Hugs USA
Posted at 1:52PM on Dec 1st 2008 by Alessandra